A WRAP report published last month revealed significant feedstock problems experienced during the recycling process, due to increasing amounts of mixed plastic diluting the presence of PET and HDPE bottles.

CCE’s associate director for recycling Nick Brown has praised the guide for highlighting the problems caused by unmanaged mixed plastics collections.

He said: “We recognise the challenges that local authorities face and fully support WRAP’s attempts to educate on the economic, as well as environmental, potential of improving the quality of plastic collections.

“An insufficient collection system restricts the environmental gains and often leads to valuable resources being exported overseas for reprocessing, at a loss to the GB economy.

“It is also financially detrimental for local authorities – in an era of high commodities pricing, potential opportunities to achieve the highest possible returns for plastic are often being missed.”

Brown added that CCE has carried out its own research which found that householders recycle more efficiently when they are aware of what happens to the materials after they are collected.

“Knowing that a plastic bottle can be recycled into another plastic bottle within as little as six weeks is a key message that is proved to engage people in the recycling process,” he said.

Maxine Perella

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