Recycling: knowing the facts

When discussing plastics and recycling outside of the industry, it’s essential to know the facts. Helpfully, Close Brothers Asset Finance has provided a guide to the intersectionality of these two industries.

Taking a global view first, Germany is the world’s largest exporter of plastic waste with 743k metric tonnes, followed by:

• Netherlands 684.21

• Japan 597.73

• Belgium 477.4

• United Kingdom 472.09

• United States 437.48

• France 342.47

• Sri Lanka 239

• Italy 206.5

• Canada 183.45

• Austria 174.98

• Poland 170.52

• Slovenia 119.48

• Sweden 111.86

• Iraq 104.38

In 2022, 12% of plastic waste in the UK was recycled while 46% was incinerated; 25% went to landfill, and the rest was exported.

There are around 2070 local authorities in the UK, all of which provide a kerbside collection service, that includes plastic bottles. Between 2010 and 2021, the share of UK local authorities collecting plastic pots, tubs, and trays at the kerbside increased from 28% to 88%. Although the collection services for most types of plastic packaging materials has increased over the past decade, the share of local authorities collecting plastic film has been decreasing in recent years.

In terms of targets, under the UK’s resources and waste strategy, the country aims to recycle 50% of plastic packaging by 2025, with the target increasing to 55% by 2030. The overall recycling rate target for all packaging has been set at 70% by 2030.

Household waste On average, every household in the UK throws away 3,432 items of plastic packaging, with food and drink packaging making up 83% of the total, made up of:

• Snack bags, packets and wrappers 1010

• Other soft food and drink packaging 835

• Pots, tubs and trays 660

• Peelable film lids 635

• Fruit and veg salad bags, wrappers and nets 600

• Other soft plastic packaging (everything else) 450

• Fruit and veg trays, pots and their hard lids 425

• Hard plastic caps and lids 420

• Large food and drink bottles 270

• Small food and drink bottles 230

• Other hard food and drink packaging 170

• Other hard plastic packaging (everything else) 175

• Other soft cleaning and toiletries packaging 150

• Black pots, tubs and trays 135

• Small cleaning and toiletries bottles 85

In 2022, approximately 1.15 million metric tonnes of plastic packaging waste generated in the UK was sent for recycling in 2022. Of this, 54% was processed in the UK, with the remaining amount exported for processing abroad. By contrast, in 2010 70% of the UK’s plastic packaging waste was shipped abroad.