The British Plastics Federation (BPF) has stated that the new government target of a 32% increase over 10 years of the amount of plastic packaging to be recycled is unachievable and will be impossible to meet. The Federation said that even if new recycling facilities were built the target could still not be met.

The BPF went on to say that by aiming for such a high target it could jeopardize UK recycling by pushing the recycling industry into uneconomical and non Eco-safe measures through the heavy consumption of water and energy needed to meet such a target.

The BDF did point out they they would support any responsible plans that the Government would like to propose in stopping plastic waste from ending up at landfill, but the infrastructure to meet such high targets is not yet in place.

The new target was set in a Government paper called ‘Implementing the Packaging Strategy’ in which they proposed that 56.9% of all plastic packaging should be recycled by 2020.