Plastics recyclers back no exemption for bio bags

The governments decision to delay an exemption for biodegradable carrier bags from the levy to be introduced in England has been criticised by oxo-biodegradable bag makers but welcomed by UK mechanical plastics recyclers.

The biodegradable bag sector has been lobbying government to exempt their bags from the charge. But, the idea of an exemption has proved controversial and the government last week (see letsrecycle.com story) stated that it wants more research carried out into biodegradable bags.

While saying it is pleased that special treatment for biodegradable plastics was still being considered by government, the industrys trade body, the Oxo-Biodegradable Plastics Association accused ministers of wasting time and public money.

Africa

The association claimed that the government is searching for an ideal biodegradable carrier bag which is already there and which is made with an innovative British technology. It is called oxo-biodegradable plastic and is already mandatory in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

Explaining more about biodegradable plastics, the association notes there are two types:

• Compostable-biobased plastics designed to biodegrade in industrial composting or AD
• Oxo-biodegradable made from polyers such as PE and PP containing extra ingredients.

However, supporters of the governments decision not to proceed with a biodegradable bag exemption when the levy comes into force in 2015 argue that the oxo-biodegradable bags are primarily a better option for developing countries such as Pakistan. This is because they have far more open landfills and the bags are better suited to this form of waste treatment.

Tony Breton, UK strategist for Novamont a producer of compostable-biobased bags, said: We are very concerned about the potential for lengthy delays to the introduction of an exemption which cause investment hiatus and could be extremely damaging for the UKs bioplastics and composting industries. The government should speed up the exemption process by using existing robust standards for compostable plastics, rather than go through the lengthy process of creating new standards for plastics which do not currently exist.

Mechanically

In contrast, the UK recycling sector says it makes sense to have ordinary plastic carrier bags for the UK because they can be mechanically recycled and biodegradable bags compromise recycling.

Jessica Baker of Chase Plastics and a committee member of the British Plastics Federations recycling group said: It makes sense for biodegradable plastics to be used in some countries, especially developing ones, but to have biodegradable bags in our waste stream would be a disaster. Oxo-degradable bags will run through our machines but the problem comes with the integrity of the product you are making.

For example, if you are making a damp proof course, the quality of the product might be called into question. The real fear is that end users would instead turn to virgin products as they would have concerns about what we make and this would jeopardise a market for recycled products.

Litter

Part of the debate over the bags centres around the reasons for the bans: various parties have put forward their arguments which include littering and waste minimisation. The UK recyclers say that litter is a different issue and needs to be tackled separately and on a number of fronts.

The oxo-biodegradable lobby reasons that their products are better because when any bags become litter, they will break down and bio-degradable bags will not (because they need to be treated in composting plants).

Its association notes: When it has become biodegradable it is no longer a plastic, and it has to pass the tests in BS8472 to prove that it is biodegradable and non-toxic and that it does not contain heavy metals.

However, the European Union has recently expressed a number of concerns about the way the bags degrade.

• The government has also decided to exempt paper bags and small businesses from the levy in England. This has angered the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). On paper bags, CPRE said this ignores the evidence that major fast food retailers use paper bags for their products and this packaging is one of the most commonly littered items. Fast food litter increased 3% in 2012-13, being found in 32% of littered sites.