Plastics recycling targets ‘overstretched’
BPI Films has warned that increased plastics recycling targets will increase costs and damage existing recovery infrastructure
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The claim was made by BPI managing director Andrew Green at the launch of its new £2 million (€2.4m) co-extrusion line.
“We have absolutely no issue with stretching recycling targets. Indeed, as the largest recycler of polythene film waste in Europe, we actively support stretching recycling targets,” he says. “Our concern with the targets now set by Defra is that they are unachievable. Having increased the amount of plastic waste we recycle as a nation by 500,000 tonnes in the last 13 years, these new targets require our industry to increase the volumes of plastic waste we collect and recycle by 600,000 tonnes within the next five years.
“To achieve the government targets, the UK will need to become the biggest recycler of plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays and plastic film in the EU.”
BPI says its new co-extrusion line at its UK facility will further increase its capacity for the production of specialist polythene films for the food packing sector.
