One of the UK's leading plastic recyclers Vanden Recycling has said that the Government's 25-year Environment Plan has ‘sensible suggestions’ for developing UK plastics recycling.
Vanden Recycling welcome proposals that include local markets returning high quality materials back to the economy, as well as stimulating internal UK markets for recycled products, but also recognising the importance of strong secondary material export markets. Working with industry to rationalise packaging formats to ensure ease of recycling plastics, thus improving the quality of collected recycled plastics, is also a favourable suggestion within the plan.
"We are pleased that the Government has recognised the importance of plastic recycling, and are encouraged that it wishes to work with the waste management industry and plastic reprocessors to increase the proportion of plastic packaging that is collected and recycled,” explained David Wilson, Managing Director of Vanden Recycling UK.
"However, as recently calculated by us, 350,000 tonnes of material that was once exported to China will struggle to find a home in 2018. I hope the Government's commitment to plastic recycling will now lead to more solutions in the short-term to stimulate plastic recycling in the UK, and ensure material is of high quality for export to recycling facilities abroad.”
Wilson added: "If it takes 25 years to reach some of these aims, that will be too long for the development of an economically sustainable plastics recycling sector in the UK."
