Plastics recycling organisation Recoup has released the results of its 2002 survey which includes data from 98% of local authorities. The report shows that during 2001, 14,770 tonnes of plastic bottles were recovered in the UK, an increase of 16% on 2000. In the last year, 33 local authorities started plastic recycling schemes, which means that for the first time, local authorities recycling plastic are in the majority.
The figures show that of the local authorities who run a plastic bottle recycling scheme, 100 have bring banks, 57 kerbside and 81 local authorities use both. And that by the end of 2001, there were 4,002 plastic bottle collection banks operating on 2,996 sites in the UK.
The survey also reveals that cost is the main reason why local authorities do not recycle plastics. Over three-quarters (77%) of local authority recycling officers who do not currently run a plastic bottle recycling programme said that the main reason was insufficient budget, especially for ongoing revenue costs.
Savings
Recoup is now urging local authorities to look again at the economics of plastic bottle recycling which it says are “too often considered in isolation”. Andrew Simmons, chief executive of Recoup, said: “We urge councils to consider the savings they could achieve in waste collection and disposal by diverting plastic bottles from landfill to a market that offers a value for the material.”
Recoup explained that councils already pay for the collection of over 300,000 tonnes of plastic bottles in their waste collection vehicles. So, councils are already paying for these bottles to be collected. “All the same logistical impacts of a high volume, low weight material apply here – but the true costs of managing the collection and landfilling of plastic bottles are not immediately obvious.”
The report shows that the costs of plastic schemes is between 100 and 275 a tonne. And Recoup says that this year's survey shows that any plastics recycling scheme experiencing net costs in excess of 300 tonne should review their operational practices as there are likely to be ways of significantly reducing the cost. As a guideline, plastic bottle recycling can be achieved at a cost of 1p per bottle.
Recoup also says there is room to improve the efficiency of many kerbside schemes. The data suggests that irrespective of container type, kerbside schemes achieving less than 2.5kg per household a year should review the existing operation and consider promotional activities as well as increasing the collection frequency. Recoup added that the development of better technology and operating systems will continue to reduce operating costs.
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