Recycling rate of plastic packaging waste in the UK 2012-2023

The recycling rate of plastic packaging in the United Kingdom stood at 52.5 percent in 2023, an increase in comparison to the previous year, when it reached a high of 51.4 percent. Although the amount of plastic packaging recycled in the UK has nearly doubled since 2012, progress has slowed down in recent years. How is plastic recycled in the UK?One of the most important steps in the recycling process of plastic waste is the collection of recyclables. In 2021, 100 percent of local authorities in the UK offered curbside collection of plastic bottles, while 88 percent also offered collection of plastic pots, tubs, and trays. After collection, the plastic waste is transported to a recycling center where it can be sorted and cleaned. The plastic is then shredded, melted and pelletized so that it can be ultimately used as raw material for manufacturing new plastic products. Plastic waste that is not collected for recycling is either sent to landfill sites or incinerated for energy recovery. Collected does not mean recycledMany nations – including the United Kingdom – export part of their waste to other countries because they either lack the recycling infrastructure to manage the volume of waste generated or because it is cheaper to ship their waste to countries with lower labor and processing costs. Historically, the UK exported most of its plastic waste to China. However, due to the import ban implemented by the Asian country on certain types of waste in 2018 and recent changes to the Basel Convention, European countries are now the leading destinations of UK plastic waste exports.

2023年，英国塑料包装的回收率达到了52.5%，较上一年有所上升，当年该比率达到了51.4%的峰值。尽管自2012年以来，英国回收的塑料包装数量几乎翻倍，但近年来的进展速度已有所放缓。英国是如何进行塑料回收的呢？在塑料废物回收流程中，收集可回收物是至关重要的一个步骤。2021年，英国所有地方当局均提供了塑料瓶的上门回收服务，其中88%的地方当局还提供了塑料盆、桶和托盘的回收服务。收集完毕后，塑料废物被运送至回收中心进行分类和清洗。随后，塑料被切碎、熔化并制成颗粒，以便最终作为制造新型塑料产品的原材料。未被收集用于回收的塑料废物要么被送往垃圾填埋场，要么被焚烧以回收能源。收集并不意味着回收。许多国家，包括英国，将部分废物出口到其他国家，原因在于它们要么缺乏处理产生的大量废物的回收基础设施，要么是因为将废物运送到劳动力成本和处理成本较低的国家更为经济。从历史上看，英国大部分塑料废物被出口至中国。然而，由于亚洲国家在2018年实施的某些类型废物的进口禁令以及《巴塞尔公约》的近期调整，欧洲国家现在已成为英国塑料废物出口的主要目的地。