News from Southampton Labour

Sustainable waste MP reinforces call for recycled packaging

Major packaging companies are not stepping up to the mark and using available recycled product. That’s according to Labour MP Alan Whitehead who today visited Closed Loop Recycling’s innovative plastic bottle recycling facility in London.

The Southampton MP, who in the past has called for the introduction of a ‘Renewable Content Obligation’ requiring some packaging such as plastic bottles to contain a minimal level of recycled material by law, toured the state-of-the-art facility and learnt first-hand that certain parts of the packaging industry are not taking up the current supply of recycled material available.

Commenting at the Closed Loop plant, Alan Whitehead said:

“Retailers and packaging manufacturers have a responsibility to the public and the environment to ensure they are doing all they can to sustain the life of the packaging they produce, thus preventing thousands of tonnes of this resource ending up in landfill or being exported overseas.

“It is quite clear that here in the UK we now have the technology to ensure that viable alternatives to virgin materials can be produced for packaging use, such as plastic bottles. But it seems that some parts of the industry are not fulfilling their obligation and are instead continuing to use virgin instead of recycled material. The milk packaging industry in particular is way behind in this respect.”

Closed Loop Recycling is the World’s first food grade PET and HDPE plastic bottle recycling plant, capable of taking 35,000 tonnes of recovered plastic bottles, including milk and soft drink bottles, and turning them back into recycled raw material for new food and drink packaging. The plant diverts a significant amount of waste from both landfill and export and using the recycled plastic produced to make new bottles can reduce their carbon footprint by up to 25%. The first customers to purchase the recycled food grade plastic from the plant include Coca-Cola Enterprises, Britvic, Marks & Spencer and Solo Cup (Europe).

“We are delighted that Alan came to the plant to see for himself that, with the right technology, consumer packaging waste is a resource that can be turned into valuable material to be reused by the packaging industry,” explains Chris Dow, Managing Director, Closed Loop Recycling.

“But in order to really ‘close the loop’ on recycling in the UK, it requires full commitment on all sides to ensure there is enough supply and demand to keep the wheel turning. Consumers are increasingly doing their bit by recycling more and more of their household waste. Some sectors of the packaging industry still need to step up to the mark.”

Using leading edge technologies, Closed Loop Recycling turns the waste that may have been previously exported to developing countries at low value or discarded into landfill into new material suitable for food and drink packaging. This creates a circle of constantly recycled plastic and the “Closed Loop” philosophy. Closed Loop Recycling has already announced its expansion within the UK demonstrating its position as a leader in high grade plastics recycling.

The plant has been funded by private equity, with Foresight Group providing the majority of financing alongside seed funding from Closed Loop Environmental Solutions in Australia and grants from WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme), the Government-backed waste minimisation and recycling body, and the London Development Agency. The company has secured banking facilities from Allied Irish Bank.