Whilst there have been incremental improvements across the board for kerbside service provision for plastic packaging, the scale to include other formats in collection services in a relatively short timescale is unprecedented, but one that is entirely achievable with the right drive, funding, planning and leadership.
With all UK local authorities collecting plastic bottles as part of their kerbside service in 2019, local authorities providing kerbside service provision for plastic pots, tubs and trays increased from 88% to 89% and 12% to 14% for plastic films and flexibles, the first increase after 6 consecutive years of decline. This means another 39 local authorities need to collect plastic pots, tubs and trays and 312 for plastic films and flexibles by March 2027 to comply with requirements – just over 2 years away.
Consistency of Inconsistency in Citizen Communications
Effective communications to citizens are an essential part of this process, and whilst local authorities are making significant efforts – 60% reporting they have an ongoing or continuous citizen communication campaign about plastic packaging recycling – packaging EPR funding needs to strengthen the resources to delivery these campaigns. The 2024 Survey found local authorities reported an average material reject rate of 14%, and helping to deal with issues such as contamination will be pivotal.
However, although Simpler Recycling in England and similar approaches in other nations will provide consistency of what can be placed for recycling, the 2024 Survey found there is a comprehensive inconsistency in messaging across the UK, both in the language used and instructions given.
For example, when looking at plastic bottle lids, 40% of local authorities ask for citizens to leave lids on bottles but 13% ask for them to be left off. 12% listed lids as separate target items, however, did not specify if they should be left on the bottle or not, 5% said that they can be either on or off the bottle, and the remaining 30% do not provide any guidance.
Other examples of instructions to residents will need to be adjusted to fit new policy requirements. 54% of local authorities ask for plastic bottles to be flattened or squashed, but with a DRS planned to be implemented in October 2027, this message might cause confusion as it is likely plastic bottles shouldn’t be presented in this way in a deposit return system.
The biggest common message is 85% specifying that items should be empty, rinsed and/or washed, with 53% asking for items to be disposed of loose and not bagged.
