Ethan Clarke
Soft plastic recycling schemes are becoming increasingly popular in supermarkets, with many stores offering customers the chance to return soft plastics for recycling. However, there is growing concern that these schemes are misleading, with campaigners claiming that most soft plastic collected by supermarkets is burned rather than recycled. An investigation by Everyday Plastic and the Environmental Investigation Agency UK found that 70% of soft plastic waste from Sainsbury's and Tesco that reached a known destination was burned. While supermarkets maintain that their schemes encourage customers to recycle more soft plastic, critics argue that they divert attention from the excessive production of unnecessary plastic packaging.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Supermarkets that recycle soft plastics | Tesco, Sainsbury's, M&S, Co-op, New Zealand supermarkets |
| Soft plastics accepted | Bread bags, crisp packets, salad bags, shopping bags, clingfilm, plastic films, plastic wrapping, plastic pouches, peelable film lids, cereal bags, fruit and vegetable bags and nets |
| Initiatives | In-store recycling bins, kerbside collection, return to store recycling schemes, plastic reduction, plastic bottle returns, compostable packaging, refill stations |
| Challenges | Soft plastic is hard to recycle, lack of infrastructure, lack of transparency, downcycling, greenwashing |
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What You'll Learn
Soft plastic recycling schemes
In the UK, soft plastic take-back schemes have gained traction, with thousands of supermarkets, including Tesco and Sainsbury's, offering customers the opportunity to return soft plastics for recycling. However, investigations by organisations like Everyday Plastic and the Environmental Investigation Agency UK (EIA) have revealed a different story. They found that a significant portion, approximately 70%, of the tracked soft plastic collected by these supermarkets ended up being burned, not recycled. This discrepancy highlights the challenges and complexities of soft plastic recycling.
Despite the good intentions of these schemes, there are inherent difficulties in soft plastic recycling. Firstly, soft plastics are challenging to recycle due to their low grade and quality compared to hard plastics. Secondly, there is a lack of specialised infrastructure in the UK to handle soft plastic recycling, with only a few facilities equipped for the task. This lack of infrastructure leads to another issue: the absence of a market for soft plastic recycled materials, as the quality of these materials is lower than that of hard plastics and virgin plastics, making it economically unviable.
To address these challenges, some supermarkets have implemented alternative initiatives. For example, Lidl, Aldi, Asda, Waitrose, and Iceland focus on compostable packaging, refill stations, plastic reduction, and plastic bottle returns. Co-op accepts soft plastics from any brand and attempts to recycle them, although it cannot guarantee the recycling of third-party packaging. M&S offers plastic recycling units in 100 of its stores, accepting plastic items from any product, regardless of where they were purchased. These diverse approaches demonstrate the ongoing experimentation and commitment to finding effective solutions for soft plastic waste.
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Burning soft plastics for energy recovery
Soft plastics, such as plastic films, bags, wrapping, and flexible plastics, can be recycled at local supermarkets. However, soft plastics are challenging to recycle, and only a small percentage of them are recycled. An investigation by campaigners revealed that a significant portion of the soft plastics collected by supermarkets for recycling is burned instead of being recycled. This practice, known as "energy recovery," is used to address the overwhelming amount of plastic waste.
Some environmental activists and organizations support the idea of supplementing recycling with energy recovery as a strategy to tackle plastic waste. They argue that burning plastics can generate energy while reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. However, critics point out that the current waste-to-energy facilities are already operating at their maximum capacity and cannot accommodate the vast amount of plastic waste.
Furthermore, building new waste-to-energy facilities comes with its own set of challenges, especially in terms of economics and environmental concerns. The process of incinerating plastics can be costly, and the energy generated may not always cover the operating expenses of these facilities. Additionally, there are efforts to reduce the use of single-use plastics and improve recycling infrastructure, which could potentially reduce the need for burning plastics for energy recovery.
Overall, burning soft plastics for energy recovery is a controversial topic. While it offers a potential solution to the growing plastic waste problem, it also raises environmental and economic concerns. As a result, there is a continued emphasis on reducing plastic packaging, improving recycling infrastructure, and exploring alternative solutions to manage plastic waste effectively.
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Challenges of soft plastic recycling
Soft plastics, such as plastic bags, wrappers, and films, are difficult to recycle and pose several challenges. Firstly, they often contaminate other recyclable materials, making the recycling process more complex and costly. This is because soft plastics can be challenging to clean, especially when they come into contact with food waste, which can hinder their recyclability.
Another issue is the limited infrastructure for processing soft plastics. In the UK, very few facilities have the capability to recycle soft plastics, resulting in most collected soft plastics being burned or exported for recycling. While supermarkets have introduced takeback schemes, these have been criticised as a diversion from the real issue of excessive plastic packaging production.
The incompatibility of different plastic types poses a significant challenge in soft plastic recycling. Most plastic types are inherently immiscible at the molecular level and have distinct processing requirements, making it difficult to produce recycled resins from plastic wastes. Additionally, the low collection rate of soft plastics at the kerbside, currently at only 12% of local authorities, hinders the ability to recycle soft plastics on a large scale.
Furthermore, the economic factors influencing the viability of soft plastic recycling cannot be overlooked. The cost of recycling compared to alternative disposal methods and the price of recycled polymers compared to virgin polymers play a crucial role in the challenges of soft plastic recycling. These factors, along with variations in the quantity and quality of supply, impact the overall feasibility of soft plastic recycling.
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Supermarket initiatives for soft plastic recycling
Soft plastic recycling is challenging due to the lack of specialised facilities and the low quality of the recycled material. However, recognising the need to address this issue, several supermarkets have implemented initiatives to tackle soft plastic waste.
Tesco, for instance, has soft plastics collection points in its stores for customers, acknowledging the difficulties of collecting such materials at kerbside. While Tesco aims to recycle these materials, they also use them for energy recovery to avoid landfill disposal. Sainsbury's operates a similar scheme, collecting soft plastics in-store and recycling those in good condition. Sainsbury's also acknowledges the possibility of converting soiled or damaged plastics into energy.
Co-op stands out with its comprehensive approach, accepting soft plastics from any brand for recycling, although they provide a guarantee for third-party packaging. Marks & Spencer (M&S) offers a similar scheme, providing Plastic Recycling Units in 100 of its stores to accept plastic waste from any product, regardless of the original purchase location.
In New Zealand, the Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme enables residents to recycle soft plastic bags and wrappers. This scheme involves collection bins placed in supermarkets and other stores, specifically looking for green and white soft plastic recycling bins.
While these supermarket initiatives are a step in the right direction, critics argue that they might divert attention from the core issue of excessive plastic packaging. There are also concerns about the fate of collected soft plastics, with investigations revealing that a significant portion ends up being burned or downcycled rather than genuinely recycled.
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Recycling soft plastics in New Zealand
Soft plastics are notoriously difficult to recycle, and only a small percentage of local authorities collect them at the kerbside. In the UK, supermarkets have started to implement in-store recycling schemes for soft plastics, but there are concerns that these schemes are ineffective, with some investigations finding that the majority of soft plastics collected through these schemes are burned rather than recycled.
In New Zealand, there is a Government-accredited voluntary product stewardship programme called the Love NZ Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme. This scheme allows New Zealanders to recycle soft plastic bags and wrappers at participating supermarkets and other stores. To recycle your soft plastics through this scheme, collect all your clean, dry, and empty soft plastic packaging at home and drop it into the designated bins at the participating locations. It is important to note that only soft plastics that can be scrunched into a ball are accepted, and food scraps and liquids are not permitted as they can contaminate other bags in the bin.
The Packaging Forum, which runs the Love NZ scheme, has worked hard to find New Zealand processors that can turn soft plastics into new products. Examples of such products include fence posts, buckets, and matting. To achieve a sustainable circular economy, it is essential that industries, councils, and government departments purchase these products made from recycled soft plastics.
To find out if your local supermarket participates in the Love NZ scheme or offers other soft plastics recycling options, you can check their website or contact them directly. Additionally, look out for the "soft plastic recycle at store" logo on product packaging, which indicates that the soft plastic can be recycled in-store.
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Frequently asked questions
Tesco, Sainsbury's, M&S, and Co-op are some of the supermarkets in the UK that recycle soft plastics.
New Zealanders can recycle soft plastics at The Warehouse on Leven Street in Invercargill.
Bread bags, crisp packets, salad bags, plastic films, shopping bags, and plastic wrapping are some examples of soft plastics that can be recycled at supermarkets.
