Local authorities in the UK are required to significantly expand their plastic collection services by March 2027 to meet new regulatory requirements, as highlighted in RECOUP's UK Household Plastic Packaging Collection Survey.

In 2023, the UK generated around 2.2 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste, with a recycling rate of only 52.5%, indicating that nearly half of this waste remains unrecycled.

Households in the UK discard an estimated 100 billion pieces of plastic packaging annually, which translates to an average of 66 items per household each week.

Collection rates for plastic pots, tubs, and trays have seen a slight increase from 88% to 89%, marking the first improvement in six years, although 39 councils still need to add these materials to their collections to comply with new regulations.

Currently, only 14% of councils collect plastic films and flexibles, which means that 312 local authorities must implement these collections within the next two years.

Beginning in October 2024, the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) will impose charges on producers for managing packaging waste, building on the Plastic Packaging Tax introduced in April 2022, which has already raised £268 million in the 2023-24 financial year.

A concerning one-third of local authorities are unaware of the upcoming expansion of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to include waste incineration and energy from waste, which is set to take effect in 2028.

Local authorities have rated their preparedness for changes related to the ETS as low, with 37% scoring three or below on a scale of 1-10, and no authority claiming to be fully prepared.

Ongoing FlexCollect trials, involving nine councils and 46,000 households, show strong public engagement with an impressive 89% resident satisfaction rate, although they also reveal infrastructure challenges in processing.

While 85% of councils advise that recyclable items should be empty and rinsed, guidance on specific items varies widely, particularly regarding plastic bottle lids, with 40% suggesting to leave lids on and others providing no guidance.

The survey has uncovered significant inconsistencies in recycling instructions across local authorities, which could lead to confusion and contamination in recycling efforts.