Eunomia, the Bristol-based environmental consultancy, to conduct a “first-of-its-kind” cost-benefit analysis of the role compostable packaging can play in supporting a new plastics economy.
The report, conducted on behalf of Compostable Coalition UK, forms part of a wider project backed by UK Research & Innovation’s (UKRI) flagship £60 million Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge. It aims to examine the practicality of effectively collecting, sorting and recycling compostable packaging via the UK’s existing food collection and treatment streams.
Compostable Coalition says the cost-benefit analysis report will be used to communicate the potential role of compostable packaging in replacing some key hard-to-recycle plastics to support the UK Plastics Pact goals.
Commenting on the report, Principal Consultant at Eunomia, Ann Ballinger, said: “This project comes at a crucial time as the UK rolls out more food waste collection systems.
This project comes at a crucial time as the UK rolls out more food waste collection systems.
“We are delighted to be working with the Compostable Coalition UK to consider the role compostable plastics could play in these systems and to help the compostable plastic industry advance at this key point in its development.”
The Coalition continues that it wants the report to demonstrate to the UK government the potential “economic and environmental” impact of including compostable plastics in the UK’s appropriate waste collection and treatment streams.
The report is expected to include a suggested policy roadmap for the UK government that can capture the benefits of compostable packaging in support of the UK government and its UK Plastics Pact goals.
Tomos Davies, TIPA’s UK PA Director on behalf of Compostable Coalition UK, commented: “Ann and her team have extensive experience in modelling and quantifying the financial and environmental impacts of end-of-life treatment of plastics and will bring these modelling resources to bare on the data generated in this project to outline the cost/benefit analysis for compostable materials in the UK.”
