Archived press release

Government announces flawed recycling laws

28 January 1997

Research by Friends of the Earth shows that Britain lags far behind its European neighbours in recycling packaging [1], and proposed new Government regulations,expected to be laid before Parliament today, are designed to get away with the minimum permissible under European law [2]. The proposed regulations are seriously out of step with Europe because:

. The UK is aiming to recycle just over a quarter of packaging - the minimum allowed under European law. In contrast, Germany is already recycling over three quarters,and the Netherlands half.

. To hit the UK recycling target, the Government will only need to increase overall packaging recycling by 4%. Claims that it is technically too difficult to increase recycling faster than this are shown to be false by Germany almost doubling its recycling of paper and tin packaging in two years, and increasing aluminium recycling ten times [3].

. The UK has no targets for reducing the amount of packaging. In Germany the amount of packaging has decreased by 12 per cent over the last 5 years whilst the packaging industry in the UK are planning for an increase of 10 per cent by 2000.

. The UK Government has failed to implement European packaging law. Amongst other things the Government are illegally planning to exclude wood packaging -which accounts for 13% of packaging consumption - from the recycling targets,thereby committing about 1 million tonnes of wood to landfill.

Dr Anna Thomas, Recycling Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:

"The materials that make up packaging aren't just created, they're made from natural resources. When we use packaging once and chuck it into stinking holes in the ground it doesn't disappear, it takes up land, causes seeping pollution, and adds to climate change.

The UK Government is seeing if it can get away with not quite keeping to the rules, whilst other countries understand that resources have to be used more wisely, and are charging ahead. We need tougher targets for packaging recycling, we need targets for reducing packaging, and at the very least we need to implement European law properly."

NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1] 1995 recycling rates for glass and steel packaging were as follows:

Glass Steel
Netherlands 80% Germany 67%
Germany 75% Netherlands 58%
Belgium 67% France 40%
Denmark 63% Belgium 30%
Sweden 61% Spain 17%
Italy 53% UK 16%
Finland 50%
France 50%
Portugal 42%
Ireland 39%
Greece 35%
Spain 32%
UK 27%
(Source: European Glass Container (Source: Association of Producers of
Federation) Packaging Steel)

[2] 'The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations - A Consultation Paper' was published in July 1996. It contained an outline and a working draft of the UK's transposition of European Directive 94/62/EC on Packaging and Packaging Waste. On 18th December, the Secretary of State for the Environment issued a statement of modifications to the draft regulations. The final regulations are expected to be laid before Parliament today or tomorrow. It is not expected that the targets will have changed.

The UK is aiming to recycle 15% of each packaging material (the minimum specified in the Directive), and 26% overall (the Directive says that states must recycle between 25% and 45% of packaging overall). The UK is currently recycling 22% of packaging overall.

[3] German recycling of household packaging
1993 1995
Glass 62% 82%
Paper/cardboard 55% 90%
Plastics 29% 60%
Tinplate 35% 64%
Composites 26% 51%
Aluminium 7% 70%
(source: Duales System Deutschland)

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust