From: Packaging News

A new poll reveals some uncertainty about who is responsible for the quality of packaging that can be recycled.

Research commissioned by the Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) has revealed that when asked to choose who is most responsible for ensuring that recyclable packaging from the home is of good enough quality to be recycled, 45% of respondents said the onus was on the household, while 38% believed that it was down to the packaging manufacturers or the reprocessors of recyclable material, with a further 8% believing it should be down to local authorities.

A nationwide survey conducted by YouGov also found that more than half (55%) of 2,163 respondents would recycle paper and cardboard soiled with grease (for example a takeaway pizza box) because they thought it was the right thing to do, or were under the impression that the waste processing plant could remove it if it was not recyclable.

The poll reveals that many households acknowledge their responsibility for achieving good recyclate quality and suggests they may be willing to help reverse the recent rise in general recycling rejection rates, with the right guidance. The poll’s findings also reveal a misconception among some residents that there is a sorting mechanism somewhere in the process that can guarantee separating contaminated paper or cardboard and are unaware that material spoiled by food and grease from items like takeaway containers can get through to reprocessing plants where it could cause the whole recycling batch to be treated as waste.

The findings of the poll supports the premise behind work being carried out by WRAP which aims to help local authorities achieve greater consistency both in collection methodology and in what can and cannot be recycled by residents. The WRAP Recycling Guidelines launched earlier in the year are designed to help local authorities inform the public what they should and should not recycle and are the culmination of work carried out with reprocessing to agree a common list of do’s and don’ts.

Greasy food packaging such as pizza boxes are specifically referenced in the guidelines, which suggests they should be put in the residual general waste not in recycling, and demonstrates the importance of the need to continue efforts to educate a willing public about recycling.

CPI’s director of packaging affairs, Andy Barnetson, said: “The Corrugated Industry is proud of its recycling heritage – every year, an amount of material is recycled, which if laid flat would cover an area the size of Greater London three times over – but corrugated contaminated with food or grease cannot be recycled due to hygiene concerns.” He added: “From a domestic perspective, the message about the benefits of recycling cardboard is clearly getting through, and the public does realise its role in the process which is vital. However, we need to offer guidance about the impact of poor quality recycled packaging, and consistent and precise information for households does provide greater clarity and simplicity.”