British Groups Collaborate on Container Recycling Project

The PackFlow group, which consists of companies and groups such as Valpak, INCPEN, Alupro, Corus, British Glass, RECOUP and WRAP, has produced an up-to-date report on steps that can be taken to boost container recycling in the United Kingdom.

The work began in 2005 and has been updated on a regular basis since then. The goal of the project is to provide a clear view of packaging and packaging flows in the U.K., as well as areas that should be of concern or holds opportunities in the future.

"The PackFlow project is an impressive piece of work, with each member of the stakeholder group bringing its own knowledge and support to the project. I am sure you can see that the findings of the report are significant and provide direction to many involved in this sector in facing the problems of reducing waste and thinking of packaging as a resource to be reclaimed, recovered and recycled,” says Steve Gough, Valpak’s CEO.

"This has been a huge piece of work, involving many stakeholders, evaluating many factors which will have an impact on increasing the volumes of packaging collected for recycling between now and 2012,” says Rick Hindley, executive director for the aluminum trade group Alupro. “It provides a unique insight into the opportunities for boosting collection levels for all materials. For the aluminum sector it has reconfirmed our view that we must focus on boosting collections of aluminum cans consumed away from home and boost the capture rates of drinks cans, aerosols and foil collected at curbside."

The key findings of the report include the following:

The last four years have seen a steady growth in the quantity of packaging flowing into the UK market, despite the fact that all material streams have been lightening individual packs

Over the last four years, U.K. package recycling has increased from 50 percent to 60-62 percent. This figure is projected to reach between 68-72 percent by 2012

Recycling of household consumer packaging now makes up almost 45 percent of the total, and is increasing more rapidly than commercial and industrial packaging

The highest growth rates are forecast to be seen in away-from-home collections

Collection of household packaging is now widely available throughout the country, and the greatest opportunities for future increases lie in increasing the capture rates from existing operations, rather than relying on major new facilities

If package recycling increases as predicted, an additional 1.1 million metric tons of carbon emissions will be saved, compared to 2006.

The greatest opportunities lie in increasing aluminum and plastic packaging recycling

A copy of the executive summary can be downloaded by clicking on the following link: Executive Summary