Soft Plastic Recycling accredited by Ministry for Environment
“The scheme means people can return soft plastics such as shopping bags, bread bags and toilet tissue packaging to supermarkets and other major retailers around the country. Plastic bags and other soft plastics are a hazard to marine life and because they can break down into microplastics in the oceans, are also a hazard to human health. Stopping plastics from getting into streams and the sea is the first step in reducing the ocean plastic problem.”
The Minister linked the importance of recycling soft plastics to our work on litter abatement showing the broad range of our Packaging Forum programmes.
As an accredited scheme, we have agreed targets for soft plastics recycling to achieve a 35% recycling rate by 2025; to expand the geographic reach of the service; and to help develop on short recycling capacity.
The scheme has operated as a Waste Minimisation Funded project within the Public Place Recycling Scheme but with the Waste Fund’s financial support ending on 30 June 2018 and our new status as an accredited scheme, we will now establish a Steering Committee. According to the Packaging Forum’s constitution, the Steering Committee will consist of a minimum of 5 members to a maximum of 10 members. Membership of the Steering Committee is open to all members of the soft plastic recycling scheme.
Photograph
Malcolm Everts (Cottonsoft) alongside Lyn Mayes (Scheme Manager), Hon Eugenie Sage, Mike Sammons (Foodstuffs) and other members of The Packaging Forum