The British Plastics Federation (BPF), which represents the whole supply chain of the UK plastics industry, has published a position paper supporting the aims of the Norway proposal on plastic waste exports.
The proposal has been tabled under the United Nations’ Basel Convention to ensure plastic waste exports are treated in an environmentally sound manner once they reach their final destination.
The BPF says it believes that low-grade, mixed plastic waste exports should undergo tighter controls, irrespective of their destination.
BPF Director-General Philip Law – “Improving the quality of plastic waste exports has the highly important potential to boost the recycling industry and can contribute toward reducing the over-reliance on plastic waste exports and in developing a domestic recycling culture.”
It says this will create a “strong driver” for an improvement in the quality of sorted plastics being produced in the primary sorting Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) across the UK.
The BPF says the dependence upon the export of plastic waste has left the UK “exposed to criticism” that it is contributing to overseas sources of marine plastic pollution.
In recent years, several developing countries have sent a strong signal that the quality of plastic waste reaching their borders needs to be improved.
BPF Director-General Philip Law states: “Improving the quality of plastic waste exports has the highly important potential to boost the recycling industry and can contribute toward reducing the over-reliance on plastic waste exports and in developing a domestic recycling culture.”
The BPF has been vocal in the past about the need for the UK to reduce its reliance on plastic waste exports and, at the same time, drive investment to expand national recycling capacity.
To view the full position paper, click here