Plastic recycling news from the world of waste in May

It’s time for the next instalment of our brand-new blog series, bringing you the latest interesting developments from the waste and recycling industry.

As we approach the month of June, it’s been interesting to discover the latest trials and initiatives that industries and companies alike are adopting in order to foster a greener solution for the planet and the consumer.

Here’s the latest insight from the past month…

UK plastics sent for recycling in Turkey dumped and burned, Greenpeace finds

Receiving around 30% of the UK’s plastic waste exports, Turkey has become a key destination for discarded plastic packaging.

After discovering that plastic had been found burned and dumped in fields, near rivers, and on train tracks, Greenpeace has called on the UK government to ban all plastic waste exports to countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Turkey has now banned plastic imports from the UK.

Aldi launches in-store soft plastics recycling points

With only one fifth of plastic bags and wrapping being recycled in the UK every year, supermarket retailer Aldi has rolled out a new in-store recycling scheme. It aims to encourage shoppers to recycle any clean, unused plastic – from salad and carrier bags to crisp packets.

The new initiative is set to launch across 70 stores before it is fully implemented in Aldi’s 900 nationwide locations. By 2022, the supermarket chain aims to make 100% of its own-label packaging sustainable.

WRAP calls on retailers to collect plastic bags

“Through the UK Plastics Pact, the proportion of the population able to recycle all types of plastic bags and wrapping at supermarkets is on the increase, and we expect that by the end of the year it will be widely available.” confirms Marcus Gover, WRAP’s CEO.

Now that the majority of UK supermarkets have launched their own collection trial periods, it has been noted that this plays a crucial step in helping to divert more of this waste stream away from being landfilled or incinerated.

How rivals can work together to stop plastic waste

With more than 300 million tonnes of plastic waste being produced each year, it is clear that there is an urgent need for collaborative and innovative system-wide changes, in order to help preserve the planet and its resources.

With consumers today being more environmentally conscious than ever before, it is within every industry’s best interest to work towards safeguarding the earth – reaping ethical and financial benefits in the process.

Keep up to date with our favourite news stories next month, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, for more recycling updates and news from Indigo Environmental.