Paper and glass trade associations have united to urge the UK Government to abandon its plans to allow commingled collections of paper, card, glass and liquid cartons.
The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI), British Glass and The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) UK have criticised the plans, which are part of Simpler Recycling.
The Associations said the current proposals threaten the quality of recovered materials and “appose” the government’s ambition to transition to a zero-waste economy.
CPI, British Glass and ACE UK said that commingled collections of paper and card with other materials like glass and liquid cartons will reduce the quality of recycled material and result in “huge quantities” of reject materials that cannot be recycled into new products.
Commingling paper and card with other materials damages the quality of recyclate collected, ultimately hampering progress towards a zero-waste economy.
The proposals will also lead to “significantly increased” reprocessing costs for waste processors and reprocessors, which will decrease investment in recycling infrastructure, the Associations said.
The Trade Associations are instead calling for separate collections of paper/card and glass, with liquid cartons collected alongside plastics and metals.
Andrew Large, Director General at the Confederation of Paper Industries said: “Whilst we agree with the ambition to mandate collections of certain materials, in order to meet recycling targets and achieve a more efficient, circular bioeconomy, we need a system that will drive up the quality of recyclable materials.
“Commingling paper and card with other materials damages the quality of recyclate collected, ultimately hampering progress towards a zero-waste economy.
“Separate collections underpin some of the most successful recycling systems in Europe, including Labour-run Wales – where 87% of card is collected for recycling.”
