Defra poised to consult on glass recycling targets

A short consultation on whether to amend glass recycling targets is set to take place over the Christmas period, Defra has confirmed.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has written to stakeholders outlining its intention to consult on the issue very shortly. However, a Defra spokeswoman was not yet able to confirm when the consultation would start or for how long it will last.

The December 6 email was sent out by Defra producer responsibility team leader, Sarah Steeds, and states that a shortened consultation will take place due to the time constraints associated with ensuring any amendment is communicated in the Budget 2014.

And, in the email Ms Steeds apologised for any inconvenience caused by holding the consultation over the Christmas period.

Defra first revealed its intention to consult on the issue following the publication of the long-awaited GlassFlow report in October, which concluded that the amount of glass on the UK market had been overestimated by around 350,000 tonnes (see letsrecycle.com story).

Tonnages

It was previously estimated that there was around 2.75 million tonnes of glass on the market which is the figure on which Defras targets are based but the report estimated that the actual figure is closer to around 2.4 million tonnes.

The Advisory Committee on Packaging (ACP), for which the report was prepared, therefore recommended that the government amend the business targets for glass packaging recycling to around 77% of the obligated tonnage under the packaging waste database scheme.

The current obligated target is 81% of the total glass on the market until 2017. And, of the glass recycled, 63% of recycled must be processed through remelt applications, with the remaining 37% sent to aggregate.

Report

On the one hand, the findings of the GlassFlow report are potentially good news for obligated businesses, as if Defra decides to lower the 81% target for glass, it will be easier for the sector to meet its obligated tonnage and for the UK to meet the overall EU glass recycling target of 60%.

However, the change in targets could also impact on glass PRN prices, which have remained relatively stable after a spike last year but are likely to decrease if the obligation is lower, which has caused some concern among glass recyclers (see letsrecycle.com story).

Packaging data for Q3 2013, published in October shortly after the GlassFlow report, showed there was a slight quarterly increase in the tonnage of glass reprocessed via remelt applications compared to the previous quarters. However, the figures also pointed to a shortfall in the amount of aggregate glass, with aggregate buyers likely to have to purchase PRNs at the higher remelt price (see letsrecycle.com story).