LAWR

CORRUGATED RECYCLING Recycling cardboard is 'vital' for UK industry The UK corrugated packaging industry has the best recycling rate of all the packaging materials, but CPI's Andy Barnetson believes that even more can be achieved if the material was more widely recognised by local authorities as a valuable resource. R ecycling is not a new concept and the corrugated industry is proud of its recycling heritage dating back over 100 years. Corrugated has a recycling rate of over 80% in the UK and as a direct result, an area the size of Greater London is saved from landfill every four months. Despite being the most recycled packaging material in the UK, there is still quite a high proportion of corrugated found in the residual waste stream. This comes particularly from businesses, which are responsible for less than 10% of all waste managed by local authorities. An increasing number of councils are benefiting from providing commercial recycling collections but unlike domestic recycling collections, they are not obliged to do so. In many cases, councils can recover associated costs via income from sale of materials. As with household waste, paper and cardboard constitute a significant proportion by weight and volume of dry recyclable commercial waste and although prices fluctuate according to demand, there are reliable markets for 20 Local Authority Waste & Recycling January 2014 these materials. Paper and corrugated packaging in commercial waste can also be of higher grade and quality, consequently attracting a higher price than that generated by households. Income generation, diverting recyclables from disposal routes lower down the waste hierarchy and strengthening the council's overall recycling ethos are certainly factors that should influence the overall business case. Corrugated is single trip but has such a high recycling rate that it doesn't substantially impact on the waste problem. Our industry has always invested in recovery and recycling processes. Corrugated is fully recyclable through a closed loop system, so landfilling of corrugated must be viewed as a last resort. Such a versatile, easily recycled product should be recovered wherever possible, in order to make the most of the resources which went into its production. Landfilling of corrugated must be viewed as a last resort; such a versatile, easily recycled product should be recovered wherever possible, in order to make the most of the resources which went into its production. Not only is recycling corrugated beneficial to the environment and to the nation's carbon footprint, it is essential to the UK corrugated packaging industry. Even though the sector is already surpassing Government and EU targets, recycling corrugated ensures that fibres, which could otherwise be lost, can be reused. Recycling of corrugated is easiest when it is most convenient. Some councils are including corrugated cardboard in their kerbside collections from households. Alternatively, in most towns there are civic amenity sites and recycling facilities at supermarkets where people can take their recyclable material. From a domestic perspective, awareness of the benefits of recycling is generally on the increase, but authorities should be encouraging more households to separate corrugated from other recyclables, particularly from glass and plastic. Commingled collections are an option if there are suitable sorting techniques in place, otherwise the quality of the material is adversely affected. Commercial collections of

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