BPF responds to reports flexible plastic being used to create energy from waste

Commenting on the recent report covered in the news on 1 October 2024, which tracked flexible plastic dropped off at supermarkets and found some of it was being converted into fuel, the British Plastics Federation has published the following statement:

Using plastic waste to create energy is not the optimal way of dealing with this material. We’d much rather see material kept in functional use for as long as possible. We ask people to remember that putting their used plastic in the appropriate recycling bin, wherever possible, is still the right thing to do to help increase recycling. Although 'closed-loop' recycling is the most desirable route, it is not feasible in all applications, sometimes due to regulations. Recycling plastic into other products still has great benefits in terms of saving energy and reducing the use of virgin material. It is also worth remembering that flexible (soft) plastic packaging is extremely light and resource efficient, and is excellent for keeping down emissions when transporting food and increasing the shelf life of the products inside.

This report shows there is a clear need to increase the UK’s recycling capacity — for all plastic. We would like to see the government investing funds raised from the Plastic Packaging Tax in achieving this, and urgently taking the steps we have repeatedly outlined to encourage the growth of the UK’s ‘advanced recycling’ infrastructure, so that far more of these ‘soft’ plastics (like plastic bags and plastic films) can be recycled here too.