ALMOST one million tonnes of plastic packaging waste could be avoided by standardising materials within the next five years, according to a new report from Biffa.
The report – The UK Journey to Circularity – launched alongside the firm’s Waste Net Zero conference at the Birmingham Hippodrome recently. Working with consultancy partner WSP, Biffa has developed a new approach to circularity research and analysis, creating a framework which it said can be applied to specific resource streams, but also scaled to whole sectors or individual products.
It outlines nine interventions to reduce plastic packaging waste – with timescales – needed from businesses, consumers and the UK Government.
Biffa said the largest opportunity for intervention in the plastic packaging waste stream comes with the standardisation of materials. The company said up to 0.8 million tonnes of material can be recycled, rather than wasted. For significant impact to be seen in the quantity of plastic packaging effectively recycled, businesses will need to consider options for reuse and end-of-life processing in product design.
Biffa added that it has already been part of a big change made in standardisation, advocating as part of a wider group of organisations for the standardisation of milk bottle caps. Historically, caps were coloured based on the milk a bottle contained but have since been replaced with a clear alternative.
In turn, colour contamination in the HDPE (high-density polyethylene) material waste stream is reduced and bottles and caps can be recycled together to become new, food-grade plastic products.
Biffa said some onus regarding the interventions lies on the government to implement extensions of existing legislation. Further interventions, such as a shift towards reusable packaging, implementation of ‘consumer pays’ schemes and enabling non-mechanical recycling could each more plastic packaging waste recycled where it may not have been otherwise.
Carla Brian, head of partnerships, Biffa, said, “Requirements for new infrastructure are necessary but hinge on when, and to what extent, changes in the supply chain are made. Efforts to make plastic packaging more circular could simplify (with standardisation, for example) or lessen the burden on existing waste management infrastructure.
“Upcoming legislation – including Simpler Recycling – will be a starting point for circular activity; expansions of (and new) legislation will further circular growth. Some policies have overlapping goals, too. If implemented correctly, for example, the Deposit Return Scheme will achieve similar goals to Extended Producer Responsibility.
“The value of circularity is not fully recognised, so education is needed for businesses and consumers. Programmes highlighting environmental, financial and societal benefits of circularity could lead to behavioural change, while reactionary businesses will make change more rapidly with consumer desire for circular products and services.”
