UK’s Flexible Plastic Fund unveils blueprint for recycling flexible packaging

UK – A report by the UK-based Flexible Plastic Fund (FPF) details the outcomes of its three-year FlexCollect initiative, launched in 2022, which tested recycling methods for flexible plastic packaging (FPP) across ten local authorities and 160,000 households. 

The project, the largest of its kind in the UK, collected over 400 tonnes of FPP, such as plastic bags and wrappers, offering a model for integrating these materials into household recycling systems.

SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK manage the initiative alongside RECOUP, WRAP, and Ecosurety. 

With funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK Research and Innovation, and Zero Waste Scotland, it was shown that FPP can be collected with minimal disruption. 

Dedicated bags or, in some cases, loose collection with other recyclables worked effectively across various collection systems. 

According to the report, materials recovery facilities processed FPP without significant operational changes, achieving recovery rates of about 80% for new flakes or pellets and up to 100% for plastic timber products.

Householders embraced the scheme, with 89% expressing satisfaction and nearly 90% of collected material being clean and recyclable, indicating low contamination. 

Gareth Morton, Discovery Manager at Ecosurety, stated, “This project proves collecting flexible plastics from homes is efficient and scalable, paving the way for a circular economy.” 

The report estimates that 150,000 tonnes of FPP could be collected annually by 2027, when the UK’s Simpler Recycling initiative mandates kerbside collections, funded by extended producer responsibility payments.

However, the report highlights a critical challenge: the UK lacks sufficient recycling capacity to handle future demand. 

It urges increased investment in domestic reprocessing infrastructure and stronger markets for recycled FPP. By 2030, annual collections could reach 200,000 tonnes, necessitating urgent action to scale up facilities.

In October 2024, Newcastle City Council expanded its FPF FlexCollect pilot to 35,000 households, using blue “survival bags” for FPP collection alongside regular recycling, processed by J&B Recycling.

This expansion aims to gather further data on scalability and household participation, building on the project’s success. 

Mark Penny, contract lead at J&B Recycling, noted that with the right methods, flexible plastics recycling can have a significant impact. 

The FPF is now planning a new project to explore conditions for large-scale recycling, aiming to address the capacity gap before the 2027 mandate.

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