Up to 200,000 tonnes of flexible plastic waste could be collected from households annually by the start of next decade, according to a detailed experiment.
The three-year FlexCollect Project trialled kerbside pick-ups of malleable materials such as carrier bags and films across 10 local authority areas.
Funded by industry and government, the study found that flexible plastic packaging could be “incorporated into all collection service types with relative ease”.
It suggested the use of collection bags or inclusion in dry mixed recycling collections when appropriate sorting infrastructure was available.
Results from the trial, combined with official demographic statistics, suggested 150,000 tonnes of flexible plastics could be gathered in 2027.
The study forecast this number “increasing quickly year-on-year to an estimated 200,000 tonnes per year by 2030”.
Kerbside collection of plastic bags and films will become mandatory from 31 March 2027 under the government’s Simpler Recycling policy.
The report warned: “At present, there is insufficient domestic end market capacity to meet expected demand for treatment from 2027 onwards.”
But it added: “Several mechanical and chemical recycling facilities are in development or planned, which, when combined with potential spare European capacity, would go a significant way to meet the full demand requirement.”
