Industry and government-backed guidelines set out three core collection systems aimed at boosting quantity and quality of recycling
An industry and government-backed set of guidelines aimed at encouraging all councils to provide residents across England with the same system for collecting household recycling was unveiled today by waste and resources organisation WRAP.
Should the new framework be adopted nationally, it would mean everyone in England could be recycling the same core set of materials by 2025 regardless of where they live, according to WRAP, and would help boost both the quantity and quality of materials collected for recycling.
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Published today, the long-awaited framework was developed by an advisory group of representatives from across the waste sector and supported by both the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
Former Defra recycling minister Rory Stewart first convened the advisory group last year in a bid to boost stagnating recycling rates in England, arguing part of the problem was a lack of coordination and confusion among residents as .
Councils across England currently have a number of different arrangements for collecting recycling from households, either provided by in-house services or by a contracted waste company.
However, if all English councils adhered to the framework from next year, WRAP estimates that up to 11 million tonnes of extra recyclable material could be diverted from disposal up to 2026, including eight million tonnes of food waste.
Further benefits over the same period would also include a seven percentage point increase to England's recycling rate - currently hovering at just under 45 per cent - and the avoidance of around five million tonnes of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere, according to WRAP.
"By pooling the wealth of recycling experience from across the sectors, we have developed a vision that offers the opportunity to increase recycling, improve the quality of recycled materials, save money and offer a good service to householders," said WRAP CEO and chair of the advisory group, Marcus Gover, in a statement. "It is only by joining together that we can now realise the benefits of the vision and I look forward to working with all those involved to do that."
The framework calls for collaborative action to address three key issues identified by the advisory group: increasing the recyclability of packaging, reducing consumer confusion over what can and can't be recycled and working with local authorities to collect more of the core materials through one of three broad systems.
WRAP said all three actions would also need to be supported by widespread communications with householders using the same messages, as well as requiring support and action from brands, retailers, manufacturers, local authorities and waste and recycling firms.
The following three systems are also presented in the framework: multi-stream with food; two-stream with food separate; and, co-mingled mixed recyclables with food separate. In each system core materials, including plastic pots, tubs and trays and aerosols - known to cause particular confusion for householders - are collected.
To take the framework forward, several local council groups have been set up to further investigate the business case for consistency in collections locally, while a review of recycling material sorting infrastructure towards greater harmonisation is also due to commence soon.
In addition, a group chaired by the Co-operative's environment manager Iain Ferguson has been formed to tackle issues for packaging recycling, while Unilever's sustainable business and communications director Charlotte Carroll is to chair another group on recycling communications.
Trade body the Recycling Association, which formed part of the advisory group, welcomed the framework.
"We believe it will improve quality because, by having a core set of materials that can be recycled in England, people will be able to make better, more informed decisions about which bin to put their materials into," said the trade body's chief executive Simon Ellin. "But it should also mean that there will be more responsibility throughout the supply chain with local government, the recycling industry, retailers and brands all involved in developing this framework."
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