Greenpeace has drawn attention to the very small, proportion of plastic that is actually collected and recycled in the UK: a mere 12%. (17% is sent overseas for recycling. In an era when we are seeking to reduce carbon emissions, cutting out unnecessary journeys should be a sine qua non. A further problem is that not all the material exported is actually recycled; in some countries it is burnt or put into landfill sites – https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/17/uk-plastics-sent-for-recycling-in-turkey-dumped-and-burned-greenpeace-finds?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other)
According to the London Borough of Richmond’s web site, plastic is recycled as follows:-
After initial sorting first in Twickenham and then in Mansfield Derbyshire, plastics are transported for further sorting at a plant in Leeds: this plant separates high Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET, a type of polyester) bottles from PET pots, tubs and trays and any plastic films present.
HDPE flake recycled in either UK or Belgium Injection moulding products including plastic packaging and containers and cable protection covers.
Mixed plastic bottles recycled in Turkey, Germany, Spain Recycling bags and other plastic products.
PET bottles Recycled as new bottles
Pots, tubs and food trays Recycled in UK or else where in Europe Imitation wooden products e.g. garden furniture and other new plastic products
Contaminated recycling is incinerated.
https://www.richmond.gov.uk/services/waste_and_recycling/household_recycling/ what_happens_to_your_recycling
Only PET bottles are solely recycled here in the UK, having been on quite a journey around England. These PET bottles are recycled as new plastic bottles – known as closed loop recycling. This is not to say that we should rush out and buy drinks in PET bottles. How many of the plastic bottles on the shelves are actually made of recycled plastic (rPET)? Most still are made from virgin plastic.
Consider the alternatives. You could refill your own refill bottle from the tap which would be both economical and ecological. You could be given the option of buying a drink in a refillable glass or plastic bottle, perhaps one with a deposit to encourage reuse. (Heavy duty PET bottles can be refilled as per a glass milk bottle).
Greenpeace is petitioning the Government on the following points.
- Set a target for eliminating single use plastics by 2037 and halving such use by 2025. (There would be exemptions such as for medical items).
- Ban on the export of plastic recycling by 2025, including an immediate ban on their export to non OECD countries.
- Implement a deposit return scheme for bottles
- Moratorium on expanding incineration capacity in the UK.
You can support this petition here – https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/challenges/plastic-pollution/?utm_source=SS (scroll down for the petition) or use this link:
We too can be part of the change.
*We can contact our local council and ask for them to reconsider where their plastic recycling goes. We can ask them to ban single use plastics within their organisation.
*We can contact manufacturers and suppliers and ask them to reduce single use plastic, ditto cafes and food outlets.
- We can avoid single use plastics by using our own keep cup/ flask for coffee etc, water bottle for drinks, sandwich box for pack lunches etc
*We can simply not buy things that use or come packed in plastic.
The Green Tau 
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