OPINION: Chemical recycling is an umbrella term for a variety of technologies, often called ‘advanced recycling’, which allow for many of the widely used softer (flexible) plastics to be recycled as well as other hard-to-recycle plastics. But there are still huge quantities of valuable material that can be given a second life and kept out of energy from waste facilities or landfill.
The BPF first published its Recycling Roadmap in 2021. This document was designed to show what the UK could achieve, with the right drivers in place. We thought, optimistically but achievably, that roughly 300 kilotonnes (kT) of material could be chemically recycled within the UK by 2030. Achieving this required a number of things to happen. Sadly, little progress has been made, although there are still huge opportunities for companies wanting to capitalise on its potential.
We will soon be publishing the second edition of the Recycling Roadmap, produced in collaboration with RECOUP, which provides an update on the original vision. Using a wide range of available data and a lot of consultation with industry experts, we’ve had to significantly downgrade what we think can be realistically achieved by 2030. The prediction for what the UK can achieve is now 100 kT of chemically recycled material. There is an upside to this story, more of which I will get into below. But the ultimate goal needs to remain in mind: this technology means far more of the plastic we rely upon will be recycled. A complete approach to the circular economy for plastics can only be attained if chemical recycling is deployed.
At least one UK chemical recycling business has been forced to close since the first roadmap was published. It also seems fair to say that the level of ambition amongst numerous companies has also decreased, for now, with many scaling back bold plans. Chemical recycling plants that we thought would be built are no longer going ahead or have been delayed.
But why is this? The reasons are surely complex and each company has its own reasons for adjusting its plans. Without wanting to oversimplify, I think it fair to surmise that the UK is not seen as a desirable investment location for chemical recycling, at this point in time, despite the fact that the UK really needs this technology to meet the requirements of a low carbon economy and drive forward recycling.
Why is the UK not seen as the place to invest? This is largely due to the fact that chemically recycled material, although allowed within the Plastic Packaging Tax, cannot be used, as the calculation method needed for it to be viable (‘mass balance’) is not allowed. To rectify this, many have been calling for a ‘mass balance’ approach to be accepted within the Plastic Packaging Tax (a relatively widely accepted means of calculating acceptable levels of compliance, used to back up claims of being organic or fairtrade, for example). Despite years of calling for this, with no viable alternative in sight, uncertainty still remains. Various sources have suggested that a government response to last year’s consultation might be published by the end of the year.
Many of the big players are global companies that cannot wait around for the UK to make up its mind. They are looking at alternative markets for growing and developing this technology, often beyond even the shores of the EU. We are losing billions of pounds of investment in technologies the world requires because of political equivocation. We are also failing to capitalise on the years of research that has taken place within the UK to dveelop demonstration and pilot plants.
Beyond the economic consequences of this dithering, there are also environmental ones. The UK needs more recycling infrastructure. We need to expand our ability to mechanically recycle in the UK as well as to play a leading role in developing newer recycling technologies. Recycling our waste within the UK gives us better control, greater transparency and traceability, and lowers the carbon impact of the resulting recycled material (because it has a shorter journey to its final user).
This brings us to the positives. There’s still time to gain traction in this growing technology. As we improve existing recycling and collection systems, we can evolve them to accommodate the needs of chemical recyclers, who require a steady supply of decent material for their businesses to thrive. The new edition of the recycling roadmap may have had to downgrade its predictions for 2030 – but with the right scenario the UK can still drastically expand the amount of material being chemically recycled by 2035. By then, 400kT is possible, with the right investment, and infrastructure and legislative framework.
A huge range of industries will benefit from chemical recycling technologies becoming established. Many are interested in learning more. The BPF has a chemical recycling hub, which captures much of the latest information. In addition, we are running the fifth edition of our online chemical recycling event on 17 October, which is sponsored by the Environment Exchange. This looks at the situation in the UK and Europe, has an update from Defra, as well expert insights into expected capacity.
If you want the full information contained within the second edition of our Recycling Roadmap, it’ll be released this week… so keep an eye out!
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