Recoup (Peterborough / UK; www.recoup.org) has published the provisional Q2 packaging recycling results, based on data recently released by the UK’s National Packaging Waste Database. The figures show that 213,755 t of plastic packaging was recycled in the UK in Q2, up 7% over the first quarter of this year (199,245 t). However, whereas 59% of plastic packaging was exported for recycling in Q1, that figure rose to 61% in Q2. Conversely, the amount of plastic packaging that remained in the UK for recycling fell from 41% in the first quarter to 39% in Q2.

The total amount of plastic packaging recycled in the first six months of this year comes to 413,000 t, which translates into 47% of the UK’s annual goal for 2015. The country aims to recycle 880,000 t of plastic packaging this year.

In June this year, the Plastics 2020 consortium launched “PIRAP” (Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan) to drive through the initiatives required to meet the UK’s target of 57% of plastic packaging to be recycled by 2017. Upon its founding, PIRAP pointed out the difficulty of achieving that goal, saying that another 100,000 t/y of plastic packaging needed to be identified, collected and recycled to meet it – for more details, see Plasteurope.com of 23.06.2015.