June 11-In its response to Defra s packaging consultation, the British Plastics Federation (BPF) strongly disagrees with the 56.9% 2020 plastics packaging recycling target and the proposal to split plastics recycling by polymer type.
The BPF reiterated its earlier call for a revised target of 50% by the year 2020 in place of the 56.9% proposed by Defra. Although still highly ambitious, the 50% target was initially set out by the Plastics 2020 Challenge, a three-year environmental drive launched by The British Plastics Federation, PlasticsEurope and the Packaging and Industrial Films Association (PAFA) in 2009.
A founding commitment of this campaign was to achieve zero plastics packaging waste in landfill by 2020 this is to be achieved at least in part by a commitment to double plastics packaging recycling by 2020, effectively to 50%.
A BPF spokesman said: "At the time of its conception, even the 50% proposal was seen as very ambitious and in order to be met will require the plastics packaging chain to make a unified effort to achieve this target.
The BPF feels that the current infrastructure is not conducive with waste management in the hands of different Local Authorities with different standards and approaches. The 56.9% target is unrealistic and the BPF would like to see the evidence Defra has that the target will bring environmental benefits.
On the proposal to split the recycling target by polymer, this would be tantamount to a direct intervention into the market since it could lead to an avoidance of packaging, which for various logistical reasons might be difficult to recycle, yet some of the materials deemed unrecyclable provide environmental benefits in terms of food storage and energy saving, according to the BPF.
The 50% recycling target by 2020 might be achievable if all relevant parties in the plastics packaging chain fully cooperated and logistical issues, such as the disparity in standards operated by the different local authorities, are seriously addressed.
The BPF reiterated its earlier call for a revised target of 50% by the year 2020 in place of the 56.9% proposed by Defra. Although still highly ambitious, the 50% target was initially set out by the Plastics 2020 Challenge, a three-year environmental drive launched by The British Plastics Federation, PlasticsEurope and the Packaging and Industrial Films Association (PAFA) in 2009.
A founding commitment of this campaign was to achieve zero plastics packaging waste in landfill by 2020 this is to be achieved at least in part by a commitment to double plastics packaging recycling by 2020, effectively to 50%.
A BPF spokesman said: "At the time of its conception, even the 50% proposal was seen as very ambitious and in order to be met will require the plastics packaging chain to make a unified effort to achieve this target.
The BPF feels that the current infrastructure is not conducive with waste management in the hands of different Local Authorities with different standards and approaches. The 56.9% target is unrealistic and the BPF would like to see the evidence Defra has that the target will bring environmental benefits.
On the proposal to split the recycling target by polymer, this would be tantamount to a direct intervention into the market since it could lead to an avoidance of packaging, which for various logistical reasons might be difficult to recycle, yet some of the materials deemed unrecyclable provide environmental benefits in terms of food storage and energy saving, according to the BPF.
The 50% recycling target by 2020 might be achievable if all relevant parties in the plastics packaging chain fully cooperated and logistical issues, such as the disparity in standards operated by the different local authorities, are seriously addressed.
