Research Finds Plastic Bottle Recycling Increasing in UK

Research by Recoup (RECycling Of Use Plastics) finds that 86 percent of the councils in the United Kingdom offering collection programs for plastic bottles. The research was funded by the Waste & Resources Action Programme. According to research, close to half of all households in the country are able to recycle plastic bottles at their door.

The research conclusions find that 11.5 million households can now participate in curbside recycling programs that include plastic bottles, around 47 percent of UK homes. Factoring in the rising collection capacity during 2005, the report concludes that 67,000 metric tons of plastic bottles were collected for recycling, giving a recycling rate of 13 percent.

Taking recently introduced schemes into account, plastic bottle collections are now performing at an annual rate of 85,000 metric tons, 17 percent of bottles in the household waste stream. This is almost double the 2004 figure of 48,397metric tons. Further key findings of the research include:

·           86 percent of all UK local authorities now offer collection facilities for plastic bottles;

·           403 local authority recycling managers confirmed plastic bottle collection facilities within their council area;

·           the number of plastic bottle collection schemes has increased by 16 percent - a net increase of 55 schemes since the end of 2004; and

·           91 councils – a third of those responding to questions on scheme costs – indicated that it costs little or no extra to collect plastic bottles for recycling compared to collecting them for landfill/other disposal route, further evidence that plastic bottle recycling can be achieved cost effectively.

As well as reporting on the overall rise in collection, the survey includes performance and costs analysis of the different collection approaches adopted by councils throughout the UK, together with predictions about future trends. Based on current local authority declarations, it is forecast that 90,000 metric tons per year of plastic bottles will be collected by 2007, the majority through curbside collection.

Andrew Simmons, CEO of Recoup, said: “The increase shown by the survey is great news and using the data provided, it is estimated that the provision of plastic bottle recycling within curbside collections will exceed 13.5 million households during 2007 – or 55 percent of all UK households. In addition, 6,700 bring sites are also expected to be operational by the end of 2007.”

“The accelerated rise in plastic bottle recycling is extremely encouraging, particularly since plastic is not a priority waste stream in the context of the weight-based targets faced by local authorities. Improved understanding of the benefits of plastic collections and increased confidence in the end markets, coupled with strong public demand, are key factors here,” says Paul Davidson, WRAP’s Material Sector Manager for Plastics.

The full survey is available on both the WRAP and Recoup websites at www.wrap.org.uk or www.recoup.org.