‘The future of recycling flexible plastic packaging in the UK’ is a report and blueprint which details for the first time how flexible plastics – such as food packaging, film and carrier bags – can be cost-effectively collected and recycled.
The report is the result of the three-year FlexCollect project which piloted different collection and processing methods for flexible plastics across 10 local authorities and 160,000 households across England. Led by Ecosurety, SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, RECOUP and WRAP and sponsored by the Flexible Plastic Fund (FPF) – a collaboration of large food and consumer goods manufacturers - it is the largest trial of its kind in the UK to date and collected over 400 tonnes of flexible plastics, equal to over 50 million bread bags.
Key findings from the trial revealed that collection of flexible plastics was relatively straightforward if done with other local authority recycling activities. Householders in the trial were happy to add flexibles to brightly coloured bags (which could be easily spotted at material recovery facilities and collected without impacting their operations) and reported an 89% satisfaction rate with the new system.
Once collected and sorted, the flexible plastic was recycled into flexible plastic products such as plastic bags, or plastic timber products such as fences and benches.
However, while the pilot proved that collection, sorting and public participation is clearly achievable, the absence of UK-based recycling infrastructure will present a challenge in the future and the report calls for an acceleration in investment in UK-based reprocessing capacity and the development of robust end markets for recycled flexible plastic packaging.
Gareth Morton, FPF representative and Discovery Manager at Ecosurety commented: “FlexCollect has shown that collecting flexible plastics from people's homes is not only possible - it's popular, efficient, and scalable. The Blueprint is the culmination of years of hard work by the project partners, and a critical step towards a circular economic system for flexible plastic in the UK. But we’re not done yet, the FPF is planning its next major project, which will look at the necessary conditions required for industry to recycle this material at scale.”
Added Stuart Hayward-Higham, Chief Technical Development and Innovation Officer: “The FlexCollect report provides a clear roadmap for councils and the waste industry ahead of the mandatory nationwide rollout of flexible plastic recycling from 2027. It’s a powerful signal that the groundwork is ready, and it's time for the UK to invest in the infrastructure needed to recycle this material at a massive scale.
“This is a huge step forward in tackling one of recycling's toughest challenges and promises a future where a much broader range of plastics are recycled, helping us all live more sustainably.”
