The work is to be carried out by the government and industry-supported ACP (the Advisory Committee on Packaging) through a Task Force which has just met for the first time.
A statement from the ACP said that the task force will operate as a sub-committee in order to provide a better informed basis on which the ACP can recommend policies for the achievement of current and future recovery and recycling targets.
The formal role of the Task Force is “to build up a national picture of collection, recovery and recycling in the UK, examine other matters on which information and data is required to inform policy, and consider what and where the impediments may be to higher recovery achievement and their implications”.
The data collection work is important much of the packaging waste system in the UK has been based on data supplied by materials organisations who do not always have access to full data and who are also in competition with each other.
The first meeting of the Task Force has been held under the chairmanship of Peter Lipscomb (deputy chairman of the ACP), at which it was agreed to set up three working groups – one on flows of packaging materials from raw materials to seller under the chairmanship of Ian Dent, one on recovery and recycling flows under the chairmanship of Phil Conran, and one on EU issues under the chairmanship of Mike Coe.
The full membership of the committee is Peter Lipscomb, Graham Barnard (paper), Rebecca Husselbee (glass), Mike Coe (packer/filler), Philip Conran ( Biffpak), Ian Dent (converters), Alex Griffin (aluminium), John May (steel), Brian Smith (plastic), Arthur Spencer-Bolland (wood), John Turner (Valpak), Martin Webb (retailer), Sheila McKinley (DETR), Heidi Heron/Mark Downs (DTI), Peter Gaffney (Environment Agency), Karen Riddick (SEPA).
Mr Lipscomb said: “The task force has a vital task to get a better grip on exactly what the of pakcaging are. We need better data and will then be able to see what the blockages are, whether we need more collection over there or more recycling capacity over there.”
He added that the other prioirty was to obtain the information to help shape the UK’s view of future increases in tragets being set by the EU. “In particular this information should help the UK government when they are acting on our behalf in talking to Europe.
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