HDPE milk bottle recycling rate passes the 50% mark

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30/09/2009

According to the latest figures from Recoup1, approximately 57% of HDPE milk bottles consumed and collected in the UK during 2008 were recycled - an increase of 9% on the previous year’s figures.
 
For Nampak Plastics, and the Dairy Industry, this is excellent news given their commitment to increasing the quantities of recycled HDPE in milk bottles.  By 2020 the target – according to the Milk Roadmap - is for half of all milk packaging to be made from recycled materials, a target which complements pledges by the retail industry to optimise packaging through the use of recycled content. 

James Crick, Business Development Director at Nampak, comments: “It is imperative that this upward trend in HDPE milk bottle recycling continues in order for the Dairy Industry to reach its packaging goals.  We applaud all those involved in the collection, sorting and reprocessing of HDPE for the efforts they have made to reach this landmark figure.  However, the figures also show us that approximately one third of all HDPE milk bottles are still being disposed of in landfill.

“To increase recycling rates further requires all the ‘cogs in the wheel’ to be working collectively: local authorities must continue to encourage their residents to recycle HDPE milk bottles and provide appropriate collection and bring methods (approximately 18 million households (or 70%) now have access to plastic bottle kerbside collection schemes) and additional investment will also be required in the reprocessing sector to extend capacity.  For our part, Nampak Plastics will continue to promote the recycling of HDPE milk bottles through our educational based website
http://www.bottle2bottle.com/, as well as continue to supply high-quality recycled content HDPE bottles to our customers.”

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1 Figures derived by Recoup specifically for Nampak Plastics from Recoup’s UK Household Plastics Packaging Collection Survey 2009



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