Plastics industry campaigns to double recycling by 2020

The 'Plastic 2020 Challenge' aims to target Government and consumers, as well as the plastics industry itself – a £19 billion sector that employs 186,000 people.

It is the first time plastics manufacturers and processors have themselves set their own targets for helping make the country greener and it follows the findings of research by ComRes, which shows that almost a third of councillors do not expect to meet the Government’s targets for recycling, composting and energy recovery next year, while a third do not know if they will meet the targets for 2015 and 2020.

The industry is also calling for an open debate on what it describes as "unhepfully polarised" opinion on the use of plastics, now an integral part of most people's daily lives.

“There are plastics businesses in virtually every parliamentary constituency in the land," said Calum Forsyth from the Plastics 2020 Challenge. "The urgent challenge is to confront head on these issues which surround one of modern life’s essential materials, as time is running out about the options for efficient disposal of plastics.”

Councillor Paul Bettison of the Local Government Association welcomed the move. “It is very welcome to see the plastics industry come to the table with proposals to drive up plastic recycling rates as well as wider initiatives for resource efficiency. Consumers have shown high levels of support for recycling, and with the industry’s engagement I hope we see the challenge being met,” he said.

The Plastics 2020 Challenge founding members are the British Plastics Federation, PlasticsEurope and the Packaging and Films Association.  They plan to commit to the “four R’s” – reduce, reuse, recycle and recover, in order to reach their goal of double recycling rates by 2020.