Plastic was introduced as a material marvel, designed to preserve and protect products over long journeys - ensuring food in particular remains fresh, safe and long-lasting while saving water and energy in the process.
These benefits are significant. Unfortunately, pathways have opened up resulting in plastic waste ending up in the natural world. We, Veolia, intend to redefine the perception of plastics and demonstrate that when recycled in the correct manner they can become a valuable resource.
Research by Veolia, a market leader in plastic recycling, reveals that the vast majority of people - 93%, think plastic bottles should contain recycled content and most are also willing to pay an average of 2.5p more for it. Survey results published in the Plan For Plastics report describe an indisputable gap between what recycled content the public expect to be in plastic products and the reality. How can we make expectations a reality?
How can we make plastic more sustainable?
Our objective is to recover materials before they’re lost and damage the environment by recycling resources and creating NEW from USED.
The UK has successfully moved from a 5% to 45% recycling rate over a 20 year period, now we need to consider what our next steps should be, how we as a country can improve recycling. This isn’t about banning an eco-material but evolving how we design, collect and process it to optimise its environmental and economic potential.
Download our report, plan for plastics, to discover our suggested three-step approach to boost plastic recycling.
We developed this paper with leading plastic authority, RECOUP.
Key Findings From Our Research
UK recycling tonnage
PLASTIC BOTTLES
594,000
tonnes
POTS, TUBS & TRAYS
525,000
tonnes
FILM (inc. plastic bags)
414,000
tonnes
59%
currently collected for recycling
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Very recyclable
33%
currently collected for recycling
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Mixed recycling
<5%
currently collected for recycling
---
Very hard to recycle
Our 3 Step Plan for Plastics
