RECOUP 2022 HIGHLIGHTS

RECOUP reflects on its 2022 accomplishments

Plastic resource efficiency and recycling charity, RECOUP, is delighted to share the 2022 highlights and accomplishments it has delivered over the past year, thanks to member contributions, grant funding and collaborations, with the guidance of the RECOUP

Board of Trustees and Advisors. As a not-for-profit and charitable organisation, RECOUP ensures all financial support received is used in the most effective ways possible to deliver core, project and research activities to meet its aims and objectives.

Detailed below are just some of the activities and highlights for RECOUP in 2022:

RECOUP reports, updated, researched and launched in 2022 include:

➜ The UK Plastic Packaging Sorting & Reprocessing Infrastructure Report, exploring household and commercial capacities for plastics recycling

➜ UK Household Plastic Packaging Collection Survey, which provides a comprehensive review of the collection of household plastic packaging for recycling in the UK

➜ Recyclability by Design, the essential guide for all those involved in the development and design of plastic packaging

➜ Recyclability Case Studies, on Bacon & Meat Packaging, Recyclability by Design; Back to Basics and Material Substitution

➜ Citizen Plastics Recycling Behaviours Insights Study, analysing consumer recycling behaviours

➜ Best Practice Guide to UK Plastic Recycling Communications, output of the SSPP funded Kent Understand Plastics ‘Live Lab’ project sharing knowledge on how to communicate plastics recycling to individuals and communities ➜ ESA Quality Standard for Recycled Plastics with support from RECOUP, the BPF and the Recycling Association, to define a set of quality standards for post-consumer recycling

➜ Recycled Content Verification Systems report, updated guidance and developments in recycled content verification schemes and technologies in collaboration with the BPF

2022 collaborative ongoing projects include:

➜ Flexible Plastic Fund (FPF) FlexCollect project, piloting household collection and recycling of flexible plastic packaging

➜ Compostable Coalition, multistakeholder SSPP funded initiative to ensure compostable packaging is effectively collected and recycled

➜ The SSPP funded TRACE (Technologyenabled Reusable Assets for Circular Economy) project, researching reusable packaging design incorporating RFID technology

➜ Collaboration with PECT on a Hubbub and Starbucks funded ‘Bring it Back’ project looking at local community barriers to the uptake of reuse systems

➜ Plastic Packaging Portal, supported by Innovate, to create a new open standard for plastic packaging data

➜ Completion of the SSPP funded Kent Understanding Plastics ‘Live Lab’ project looking at how communications delivery can influence recycling rates

Alongside the launch of reports and projects, throughout 2022 RECOUP continued to monitor, respond and advise members on policy and legislation including Extended Producer Responsibility, Deposit Return Schemes, consistent recycling collections, the plastic packaging tax, single use plastics and international legislation.

Member support for recyclability advice and testing was boosted by the set up of internal laboratory resources. Other topics under development over the year with a number of outputs to be shared in 2023 include life cycle assessment, bioplastics and reuse.

Value chain education, engagement and networking continued in 2022 including attendance at a number of public events under the Pledge2Recycle Plastics brand to promote plastics recycling, delivering school assemblies, exhibiting and speaking at RWM & Letsrecycle Live, organising an outstanding annual RECOUP conference combined with the launch of the inaugural RECOUP awards to celebrate excellence in plastics, recycling and resource efficiency, culminating the year with a successful series of webinars with fantastic attendance and feedback.

Stuart Foster, CEO, of RECOUP comments:

“I would like to thank all our members and the wider plastics value chain for their continued support in 2022. The plastic and packaging industries are facing more challenges and questions around sustainability and resources than ever before. With strong support from cross-sector members RECOUP can address and overcome these challenges through increased supply and recycling chain collaboration, impartial debate and delivery of practical and effective plastics recycling initiatives”.

Stuart continued “I am delighted to report that our membership in 2022 continued to grow. Wherever you are on your journey we are here to work with you in 2023 to maximise efficient plastics recycling and look forward to more progress and achievements in the year ahead”.

Dr Stephen Wise, Chief Strategic Development Officer at biotechnology business Advetec, which turns residual waste into Solid Recovered Fuel said:

“The Alternative Residual Waste Treatment – Biostabilisation report commissioned by Zero Waste Scotland, provides a stark warning that Scotland does not have adequate infrastructure to achieve its target of banning all biodegradable waste from landfill by 2025, unless it achieves the incoming AT4 limit.

“The recent COP27 as well as national Governments have called for greater innovation in tackling the climate crisis, plus more locally, the recent Scottish Resources Conference made it clear that this market requires significant help and change to meet the pending deadline and tackle the climate emergency.

flexible, scalable, and innovative waste treatment solutions to deliver change quickly.

“Innovative new technologies have the power to stabilise Scotland’s biodegradable waste, reduce the reliance on landfill altogether, and turn it into a useful commodity.

“As a business driven by sustainability and innovation, we talk to waste operators, legislators and regulators every day. We can see the gap that could be bridged quickly by adopting new technologies and retrofitting old ones, to support circularity, bring green jobs into local communities and boost the local economy at the same time.

Images: advetec.com

“The report’s focus on longestablished large scale waste treatment technologies, rather than the more innovative solutions which are quickly coming to market, would appear to be a missed opportunity. It is these newer technologies and the capacity they create, that could help The Scottish Government and Local Authorities deliver on their biodegradable landfill ban requirements now, despite challenging economic circumstances and limited time to implement infrastructure. A country full of rural locations and remote communities needs local,

“Faced with a global climate emergency, we need greater cooperation from legislators, policy makers and stakeholders to get innovative waste solutions over the line. A lack of experienced resources is leading to delays within the planning and permitting process, which can hinder the adoption of new technology across the UK. Scotland urgently requires a more innovative approach and for barriers to innovation and delivery to be removed.” n