With all UK local authorities collecting plastic bottles as part of their kerbside service in 2019, local authorities providing kerbside service provision for plastic pots, tubs and trays increased from 88% to 89% and 12% to 14% for plastic films and flexibles – the first increase after six consecutive years of decline.
RECOUP has said this means another 39 local authorities need to collect plastic pots, tubs and trays and 312 for plastic films and flexibles by March 2027 to comply with requirements.
The importance of communication
While 60% of those surveyed report that they have an ongoing or continuous citizen communication campaign about plastic packaging recycling, packaging EPR funding needs to strengthen the resources to deliver these campaigns.
The 2024 Survey found local authorities reported an average material reject rate of 14%, and helping to deal with issues such as contamination will be “pivotal”.
Although Simpler Recycling in England will aim to provide consistency of what can be placed for recycling, the Survey found there is a “comprehensive inconsistency” in messaging, both in the language used and instructions given.
For example, when looking at plastic bottle lids, 40% of local authorities ask for citizens to leave lids on bottles but 13% ask for them to be left off. 12% listed lids as separate target items, however, did not specify if they should be left on the bottle or not, 5% said that they can be either on or off the bottle, and the remaining 30% do not provide any guidance.
Also, 54% of local authorities ask for plastic bottles to be flattened or squashed, but with a DRS planned to be implemented in October 2027, this message might cause confusion as it is likely plastic bottles shouldn’t be presented in this way in a deposit return system.
A common message is 85% specifying that items should be empty, rinsed and/or washed, with 53% asking for items to be disposed of loose and not bagged.
Steve Morgan, head of policy and infrastructure at RECOUP, said: “Whereas the different instructions need to reflect local sorting and processing requirements, it’s in the benefits of consumers and all stakeholders to have simple, consistent national communications messages about how to present plastics for recycling.
Packaging EPR and Deposit Return Schemes, through their respective Scheme Administrator and Deposit Management Organisation leadership, should build on the requirements of Simpler Recycling and provide the foundations and influence to enable one unified core set of messages about how to recycle.”.
ETS
ETS is expanding to include waste incineration and energy from waste from 2028, preceded by a two-year transitional period from 2026, and will significantly impact the dynamics of local authority funding. To reduce this impact, RECOUP said removing plastic packaging from residual waste will be key.
The survey found that 32% of local authorities said they were “not aware” of the upcoming expansion of ETS and its impact on incineration and energy recovery of local authority waste.
When asked how prepared they felt for the changes to ETS on a scale of 1 to 10, 37% gave a score of 3 or below, indicating they do not feel confident about how it will operate. Only 12% gave a 7 or higher with no local authorities giving a score of 10.
The 2024 RECOUP UK Household Plastic Packaging Collection Survey Data Summary available for non-members here.
If you’d like to learn more about campaigns and communications, why not attend our Communications Conference for the Waste and Recycling Sector? It’s taking place on 5th February 2025 in London, and you can take a closer look at the agenda and purchase a ticket here
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