Plastic Matters aims to join up recycling message

Plastics recycling body Recoup has launched a nationwide campaign to promote a more consistent approach to communications around plastics recycling from local authorities.

The Plastic Matters campaign, which was unveiled at the organisations Annual General Meeting in Peterborough yesterday (September 27) is being supported by Defra, which has provided 20,000 in funding for the project.

It will be run along similar lines to the Metal Matters campaign, set up by the aluminium packaging recycling body Alupro in 2011 in a bid to boost the recycling of metal and aluminium packaging in the UK. According to Recoup, the group will look closely at the Metal Matters model which it says has had a significant effect on aluminium recycling.

Recoup has argued that currently there is a polarised approach to consumer plastic recycling guidance to householders, which is adding to confusion over which materials can be recycled and will seek to offer guidance on councils over how to engage more effectively with residents over plastics recycling.

This comes at a time when the plastics recycling industry is subject to rising targets to recycle 57% of plastic packaging by 2017, compared to 37% in 2013 which many have argued may be unachievable for the sector.

In order to meet this a total of a total of around 1.2 million tonnes of plastic packaging would need to be collected in 2017 from households and the commercial and industrial sectors significantly higher than the 640,613 tonnes Recoup estimates was collected in 2012.

Collections

Meanwhile, Recoup chief executive Stuart Foster warned that the collection rate for plastic bottles the material for which the UK has the most established collection and reprocessing infrastructure, making up 58% of the plastic packaging collected for recycling in the UK is showing signs of flatlining.

And, he added that the Plastic Matters campaign will be among the mechanisms for helping the plastics sector to meet its targets by 2017 and could help to reduce the cost of compliance for plastics producers.

He said Every household makes a difference one extra bottle from each household per week equals 52 per year, and that is over 64,000 tonnes of additional plastic going into recycling and I think we can achieve this.

What we want is to make the message to householders more consistent- which is why we have decided to develop and launch what will be an ongoing national communications campaign.

Final development of the project is being carried out by Recoups steering committee, with the project set to be rolled out to local authorities in the coming months.

Defra

Commenting on the campaign, Defra resource minister Lord de Mauley, said: Plastic Matters is a really important recycling communications initiative which will contribute to an increase in plastic recycling levels in the UK.

Some of you will have heard me say that I have a vision of England as a place where resources are used more effectively and substantially less waste is created in the first place, with the vast majority that is recycled or reused.

Plastic Matters will go a significant way to helping make this a reality, thats why Im pleased to announce that Defra will be joining others in offering financial support to Recoup to help kickstart this project.