LAWR

NEWS ANALYSIS he recent launch of the Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan (PIRAP) is a timely one. Squeezed by the continued sluggishness of world economics and spiralling oil prices, a number of UK plastics reprocessors have struggled to stay afloat over the past 12 months. Many believe the sector needs a different commercial model going forward if it is to remain commercially viable and sustainable in the long term. The PIRAP recognises this. Launched by Plastics 2020 and WRAP, it provides a co-operative strategy for the plastic packaging supply chain to take action and help safeguard its future. More immediately, it focuses on achieving the Government's 2017 target for obligated users to recycle 57% of plastic packaging – with three years to go, an additional 100,000 tonnes per annum of material must be identified, collected and recycled. Many barriers stand in the way of achieving this, funding being one of them. Investment is needed in more reprocessing infrastructure for a start. Axion Recycling was one of the reprocessors that fed into the PIRAP and its director, Keith Freegard, admits he has concerns over where such funding might come from – especially given the sector's recent misfortunes. Freegard adds that the existing PRN (packaging recovery note) system is outdated and is creating a "massive market distortion". "The current PRN system is focusing money into the wrong place ... the current system encourages very low 6 Local Authority Waste & Recycling August 2015 T quality baled material being exported. "One might argue that the obvious place to tap into funding would be to get the compliance schemes who control the PRN money, and get them to put a known percentage of that back into the delivery and implementation of the PIRAP. That's what the PRN money is for, isn't it? All it seems to be doing at the moment is funding slightly more competitive exportation of bales of plastic." The PIRAP also points out that more money should be ploughed into local authority recycling strategies – such as adding plastic pots, tubs and trays to kerbside collection schemes. But in light of ongoing austerity measures, how can extra money feasibly be generated within existing council waste budgets? Paul Vanston, manager at Kent Resource Partnership (KRP), says a smarter, more holistic approach is needed. "Council surplus are two words not often put together in current times – it's almost a modern day oxymoron. So the challenge is to take a whole-supply- chain approach to investing in councils' collections to secure benefits needed elsewhere in the chain." He believes councils face a triple challenge of "range, confidence and non-contamination" if they are to increase mixed plastics recycling rates. "Widening the range of plastics that can be captured, whilst increasing customer confidence on what they can correctly put in the recycling bin, and knowing what not to put in too. It needs clarity of understanding between councils and their publics." Vanston adds that building flexibility into contractual arrangements is key to take account of future, changeable waste streams. "There's the challenge that a 10-year collection contract right for today may be overtaken by the sheer pace of material and packaging innovations throughout that period." KRP also helped inform the PIRAP, having started to implement some of the plan's suggested actions some time ago such as expanding the range of plastics packaging that can be recycled at the kerbside across Kent. Vanston hopes the PIRAP will help define the actions needed so that brands, retailers, waste management companies and councils can reflect on how shape their own activities to drive up plastics recycling performance. Meanwhile Dee Moloney, managing director at Anthesis LRS – another supporter of PIRAP – says her organisation has pledged to play its part. She views Anthesis LRS' role as bringing "the disparate parts of the supply chain together [to] encourage pre-competitive dialogue, to drive the markets necessary to meet the targets, improve collections, infrastructure and engagement and to support advances in design and manufacturing." Freegard adds that all parts of the value chain must do their bit, whether that's employing greater use of on-pack recycling labels, showing less tolerance for unrecyclable multi-materials, or guiding local authorities towards more standardised recycling schemes. "We need alignment, leadership and commonality to bring about a proper change," he says. PIRAP: is it on target for plastics recycling? The Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan sets out a collaborative strategy for embedding resilience into the UK's plastics recovery sector. Maxine Perella questions just how achievable it is Maxine Perella is guest editor of LAWR

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