As temperatures soar and British BBQ season hits full swing, new research has revealed widespread confusion about the billions of pieces of plastic generated, what can be recycled, and what cannot.
From sausage packs to plastic cups, summer barbecues rack up an estimated 4.5 billion pieces of individual plastic. A new study commissioned by sustainable packaging and recycling company DS Smith has shown that over 200 million BBQ plastic meat trays alone will flood the UK recycling system. Yet one quarter of respondents admit to not recycling BBQ food packaging because of unclear labels, and, more than one in eight say they do not recycle packaging because they are unsure of the recycling rules in their local area.
Lack of understanding is a crucial issue, with nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents unconfident about how to recycle plastic meat trays and over a third (36%) of respondents unclear on where plastic recycling goes after it’s been disposed of.
Michael Orye, Managing Director of Recycling and Paper in Europe, at DS Smith said: “Having so many different ways to recycle across the UK is simply confusing for everyone, and when more plastic hits the clunky UK recycling system, it can contaminate paper and card and creates waste, which drags down how much we can recycle. We’d ask that people do their best to follow their local recycling rules, but also that the new government marinate on the UK’s rickety recycling system and give it the renovation it needs, including separate collections for paper and card.”
Last summer alone, DS Smith’s recycled paper mill had to process over 2,600 tonnes of plastic that was contaminating the paper and card, the equivalent of over 850,000 black bin bags full.
Modelling carried out by DS Smith suggests that, based on the current pathway, the UK’s paper and card recycling rate could drop from 74% to 56% by 2030.
But while the outlook may appear bleak, Brits are trying hard to avoid this plastic pile up, a positive signal for the future of recycling in the UK.
The poll reveals that almost one in six (17%) people say that fully recyclable packaging is the most important aspect when choosing what to buy for a BBQ and half of respondents (49%) feel guilty if they ever buy plastic wrapped BBQ products.
More broadly, a majority of respondents (55%) say that sustainable packaging is important when it comes to which products to buy for their BBQs.
Orye added: “Barbecues are a staple of the Great British summer, but with people wanting to live more sustainable lifestyles, they also shine a light on waste. We know people have their best intentions when they recycle their plastic, but their efforts are becoming undone due to an underperforming recycling system.”
