British Plastics Recycling Group Expresses Concern over Material Supply

To combat the trend, the BPFRG is calling on local authorities to establish where the material is actually going and is urging that it should be a condition of any MRF (material recovery facility) contract for the collector to collect information on end markets. The group also calls for tighter controls on the Trans Frontier Shipment of Waste, with tougher action from the U.K. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Environment Agency on shipments intended for disposal.

"The causes of the current difficulty are complex," says BPFRG Chairman Roger Baynham of Philip Tyler Polymers. "The manufacturing industry in the U.K. is bouncing back from the recession and increasing its demand for raw materials. Central to this is a heightened consciousness of sustainability, which, coupled with concerns over supply of some virgin polymers, is exacerbating an already fraught situation. Many of our members have had a longstanding issue over the quality of the output materials from MRFs, which they believe are processing waste more with an eye to volume for the global market than for quality. Hence the question of exports is now more acute.”

Baynham continues, "The plastic recycling industry must have access to more waste, otherwise as a sector we risk losing credibility with our customers. In effect, they will say to us that for years you have been wanting us to use more recyclate and now that we've geared up to use it, you can't deliver. The tragedy is that this threatens to stall growth in recycling and our ability to meet the aspirations of the plastics 20/20 challenge and so we call on government to take a lead by tightening up on exports to help create a truly sustainable domestic supply chain for plastics recycling.

“There is certainly an ongoing role for export markets, but with Chinese landfill estimated to cost only 5 percent of that in the U.K. there is hardly a level playing field, and there is too much temptation for MRF operators to send low quality used plastics overseas,” he adds. “We certainly need more regulation in this area to enable our members to maintain the confidence of its customers, brand owners and manufacturers alike, maintain the momentum towards a low carbon economy and provide more local jobs in the plastics recycling industry."

The British Plastics Federation is the U.K. trade association for the plastics industry, representing the whole supply chain including polymer producers, distributors, additives suppliers, machinery manufacturers, processors and recyclers.