We are looking to start a consultation in the next few months on new packaging recycling targets
Dan Norris
However, some in the retail sector have suggested that there is a general “misplaced emphasis” on packaging waste – claiming that food waste is much more of a problem.
Speaking at an IGD conference on ‘Packaging & Product Resource Efficiency' in London yesterday (October 22), Mr Norris said that the UK has made progress in tackling its packaging waste and that over 60% was now recycled.
But, he warned that the UK could not rest on its “laurels” and that it was only mid-table when it came to the rest of the continent and needed to do more.
Mr Norris said: “We are looking to start a consultation in the next few months on new packaging recycling targets.
“I'm hoping we might get to the champions' league spot in a few years' time.”
Targets
The new targets will cover the years 2011-20 and follow research by the government's Advisory Committee on packaging into possibly raising them to as high as 75%.
They will succeed targets for 2008-10 set in 2008, when a consultation was also held on indicative targets for 2011-12 (see letsrecycle.com story).
Pointing to initiatives such as the Every Can Counts campaign designed by beverage can producers to get more cans out of the waste stream and Unilever's sponsorship of projects to help councils to collect more aerosols, Mr Norris added that he wanted to see more direct action to be taken by producers.
He said: “I think this direct involvement is the way forward and I think others will need to follow suit.
“For us to reach our goals we have to work together.”
Mr Norris also revealed that the Packaging Recycling Action Group – a cross-sector body set up to help tackle packaging waste – would be publishing a report in the next few weeks to help packaging manufacturers and specifiers to design their packaging to be as recyclable as possible.
Food
Following on from the minister, representatives from Northern Foods, ASDA, Sainsburys and Morrisons outlined the work they were doing to tackle packaging – including work on carbon labelling and lightweighting.
However, several stressed that packaging made up only a relatively small part of the waste stream.
And, Angus Maciver, group marketing and communications director at Morrisons, said that food was a much bigger issue.
He said: “There seems to be a misplaced emphasis on packaging. Packaging waste is an important issue but food waste is a far bigger problem… it's a massive issue.”
He claimed that Morrisons had reduced packaging by 6,500 tonnes by removing it or lightweighting but that food waste produced three times more carbon than packaging.
As a result, he said that Morrisons was now looking at anaerobic digestion (AD) and that in the future he hoped that AD plants could power the company's food manufacturing sites.
Sainsbury's
Neil Sachdev, commercial services assistant, also told delegates about the work Sainsbury's was already doing with regards to AD.
The company backhauls waste to its depots where is sent to AD facilities for treatment. Mr Sachdev said that there were a limited number of AD plants at present and that the company had partnered with about four including Biogen Greenfinch but that he expected this number to grow.
He said: “We believe that by the end of this year we will be sending all our food to an AD or composting plant.
“For the remaining 30% of our waste we are looking at technologies such as pyrolysis. – these things are probably going to be in place in 2010 when we will move to a place where no waste is sent to landfill altogether.”
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