Packaging News
The Commons’ Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has begun the enquiry, with concern about household recycling rates stalling at around 44%, below the 57% target for 2017.
The probe will look are what actions are being undertaken by the industry and the government to reduce waste generated by coffee cups and plastic bottles and look over the available solutions.
Mary Creagh, the committee’s chair, said: “Our throwaway society has given us a tide of litter on our beaches, dead seabirds and fish, and plastic in our food. We all enjoy a takeaway coffee or tea, but the cups they are served in are particularly difficult to recycle because they combine plastic coating and cardboard.
“Our inquiry will be taking a serious look at solutions like the use of different materials, behaviour change, better recycling and bottle deposit return schemes.”
The packaging industry is calling for a fair enquiry looking at all factors contributing to waste and recycling levels.
Martin Kersh, the Foodservice Packaging Association’s executive director, said litter research had proven coffee cups and bottles to be a small component of land-based litter and that there are many other contributors to marine litter which media.
“By limiting the inquiry to cups and bottles as reported in the press, we are concerned that there will be an element of being guilty until being proven innocent. We therefore very much hope the Committee will ensure the profile of those organisations they consult is fairly balanced and that business is given a fair opportunity to be heard.
“We have every faith the EAC will conduct the Inquiry with a view to assessing the effectiveness of all the options available to achieve those aims we all share being to reduce littering and reduce the resources required to meet the demands of consumers exactly and will ensure the Inquiry is conducted with the fairness and openness of this excellent Parliamentary process and in keeping with the high standards of the EAC.”
Government data claimed that plastic bottles and coffee cups are particularly problematic when it comes to recycling. Around half of the 35 million plastic bottles sold every day in Britain are currently collected to be recycled, and two sites across the UK have the capacity to separate the plastic coating from the paper and allowing the cups recycling into new paper products.
In Scotland, campaigners have called for a deposit return schemes for cans and bottles, which is now being considered by the government.
Shoppers would have to pay an extra 10p or 20p for each bottle they buy, which would be refundable upon returning the bottle. Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola said it would back the scheme in Scotland.
