"...this new research is a first step towards getting that plastic out of the household bin and back in use. This will reduce the need for us to use large amounts of energy producing new plastics and the oil required in their content"
Liz Goodwin, CEO at WRAP
Banbury, England, UK: New research from WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) reveals recycling household plastics can be cost-effective as well as environmentally friendly. The research, "LCA of Management Options for Mixed Waste Plastics" was unveiled by the organisation yesterday.
The UK produces around 1.4m tonnes of mixed plastic packaging waste every year – including yoghurt pots, salad bags and ready meal trays. This figure is growing by 2-5% every year and represents 9% of household waste by weight. However volumetrically plastics are even more significant.
WRAP did the research to see if it made financial sense to recycle this waste and if recycling it would be better for the environment than other options – such as burning it or sending it to landfill. The organisation wanted to see if these ordinary household items could be recycled to make new ones, rather than having to use virgin plastics every time.
Few local authorities are prepared to collect plastic wastes other than bottles, as there is currently limited potential for such wastes to be recycled. This means there is a lack of these plastics available for reprocessing companies to undertake trials - a typical 'Catch 22' situation.
The research
Trials of sorting different types of plastics, analysis of the type of technology needed, estimates of running costs, and modelling of the financial rate of return have been undertaken as part of this project. Comparisons of the environmental impacts of different ways of dealing with this type of plastic waste, including burning it and sending it to landfill were made.
WRAP says the research showed that, in addition to the environmental benefits, recycling can be cheaper than both these options. Overall, landfill is the least favourable option for disposing of plastics waste, though in terms of global warming potential the research found that incineration of plastic packaging, was the worst option. More CO2 is emitted by burning plastics than by burning gas or coal to generate the same amount of energy.
The research showed that, on balance, the best environmental option is to invest in technology to produce high quality recycled plastics, but there will still be a need for solid recovered fuel (SRF) in some cases. A solution would be to build integrated plants capable of both options as this was found to improve the economic benefit and maximises the environmental impact.
Unveiling the research at a high-level conference of industry professionals yesterday, Liz Goodwin, CEO at WRAP, said:
“This is the first time that we have been able to prove that recycling mixed plastics is not only possible, but cost-effective and makes good environmental sense. The amount of plastic packaging we see in our bins is frustrating, as there is currently nothing most of us can do about it. However, this new research is a first step towards getting that plastic out of the household bin and back in use. This will reduce the need for us to use large amounts of energy producing new plastics and the oil required in their content.”
Further information
A copy of the research report can be found at
the WRAP website
Established as a not-for-profit company in 2000, WRAP is backed by government funding from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Working in seven key areas (Construction, Retail, Manufacturing, Organics, Business Growth, Behavioural Change, and Local Authority Support), WRAP’s work focuses on market development and support to drive forward recycling and materials resource efficiency within these sectors, as well as wider communications and awareness activities including the multi-media national Recycle Now campaign for England.
More information on all of WRAP's programmes can be found on www.wrap.org.uk .