Mini announcement! When I started this newsletter I had much more time to research, write, edit and publish it on a weekly basis. I love the whole process but I am delighted to say that I now have a full-time job for a while. So for the next few months, this newsletter will be published fortnightly on Sundays instead of weekly..
And now for the second part of my recycling topic.
In 1997, the UK government introduced a law obligating businesses to increase recycling and divert waste from landfill. Whilst some businesses choose to recycle or recover their waste in the UK, other businesses were granted the ability to export their waste overseas. In theory, other countries can generate business and income from processing UK waste in an environmentally friendly way. But of course, things aren't that straightforward.
China used to take the majority of the world's recycling. Chinese factories wanted our plastic to use in their factories. We shipped the plastic back to China on the cargo ships which brought consumer goods to Europe and North America. However, in 2018 they shut the doors as part of their ‘National Sword’ policy. A lot of countries started panicking.
This could have been the wake-up call we needed to properly solve our waste crisis, but instead other countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam took our waste. This turned out to be a short term solution as these countries started returning the waste when they realised it wasn't truly recyclable and Western businesses were illegally exporting plastic waste. Waste companies like Biffa illegally labelled waste as recyclable when it wasn’t - it was full of plastic waste and hazardous materials violating import rules.
Prior to 2018, China would readily take contaminated recycling. The countries we ship to now have higher standards and the global recycling industry wants to eliminate low-quality exports (contaminated recycling) which eventually is destroyed or landfilled.
According to the British Plastics Federation, 61% of plastic packaging waste was exported in 2019. The more we export, the less we invest in our domestic ability to process waste. Part of the reason that Europe and North America have poor recycling infrastructure is because of our historic reliance on China.
What’s going on in 2021?
The major importers of our waste today are Turkey, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland. Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia are significant destinations, but due to their stricter requirements, exports are shifting away from these countries.
The BPF predict a drop to 9% of recycling being exported in 2030 but if we want to stop exporting, we need to build the capacity to process our waste in the UK. This requires all of us to take responsibility for reducing contamination in our recycling bins. Whilst export is still not the best option, if we can ensure that we are only exporting high-quality recycling, we can be more sure that it will be recycled into the next consumer good shipped in from Turkey or Poland.
What is the government’s plan to deal with our waste crisis?
Transitioning to a circular economy is vital to a healthy and liveable planet and will be an important part of the future global and UK economy. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation defines the circular economy as ‘based on the principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems.’
The UK government is aware of the waste issue and is hearing industry calls for greater extended producer responsibility as part of the push for a circular economy. Extended producer responsibility means greater responsibility on the producer for the disposal of their products. This means Apple will have to take more responsibility for broken iPhones, Primark will be more responsible for their clothing waste and so on. This is based on the principle that the ‘polluter pays’. By making firms responsible for the end-of-life of their product, they will have a greater incentive to design with recycling and re-use in mind. EPR will be done by putting an extra charge on firms that produce end-of-life waste that needs to be processed.
EPR is a hugely important part of encouraging behaviour change. It’s much easier to resell or donate clothes if an item of clothing can last for five or ten years. A circular economy relies on durability, reuse and recycling. Using financial incentives and regulation to encourage the private sector to design with these factors in mind will go a long way towards creating the circular economy that we need. For example, keeping clothes in active use for an extra year could save approximately 2.24 MtCO2 e21 (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent) over a 10-year period. The government notes that enforcing ecodesign through regulation can stop the flood of extremely cheap disposable items undercutting more durable and more expensive items.
As part of the Environment Bill currently going through Parliament, the government has proposed bringing these ideas into law. The government wants to introduce EPR for packaging by 2023. They are proposing stronger standards on labelling to make it clearer to consumers whether the packaging can be recycled or repaired. They are considering a deposit scheme for drinks containers too (but not until 2024 now). A tax on plastic packaging will come into force from April 2022 which will apply to businesses producing or importing plastic packaging which does not meet a minimum threshold of at least 30% recycled content.
To address recycling inconsistencies, the government wants a minimum standard for what can be recycled in all households across the country. Last week DEFRA opened up a consultation about the Waste Prevention Plan in England as part of the Environment Bill proposed by the government.
So to conclude, there’s a lot we’re considering doing and a lot more we could be doing right now. Now that we understand where our waste is going and what’s happening to it, we should all feel empowered to write to our MPs and local councillors about it. It’s important that the Environment Bill is as strong as possible, and that the government doesn’t delay it any further. If you have your own ideas about waste and recycling, please complete the DEFRA consultation which closes on 10 June 2021.
To read this week:
Slate has an excellent summary of the recycling discussion in the US
Edie explains: the circular economy
Design and the circular economy from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Lizzie Carr sees waste exporting as waste colonialism
As I said above, this newsletter will now be published every two weeks. I hope everyone has a fortnight and don’t forget to share and subscribe!