Plastic bags and wrapping recycling local collections pilot

FPF FlexCollect participant doorstepping results

Ahead of the introduction of recyclable plastic bags and wrapping collections across the UK by 2027, WRAP is working with SUEZ, RECOUP, EcoSurety and a number of local authorities to deliver the Flexible Packaging Fund (FPF) FlexCollect project over the course of 3 years.

The aim of the project is to trial kerbside collections of flexible plastics to increase capture and inform government and industry on the introduction of these items to existing collection services.

This doorstepping research looks at how residents in the four pioneer areas (Cheltenham Borough Council, South Gloucester Council, Maldon District Council & Newcastle City Council) have interacted with the new service, their satisfaction with communications and highlights any underlying operational issues.

• The trial in South Gloucestershire performed very well – with high recall of communications and receipt of bags; high levels of recycling in the trial collection; and high levels of satisfaction. The only issues of note were high non-targeted recycling of items not accepted, as well as some suggestions to improve the quality/weight of the bags to avoid them blowing in the wind.
• The trial in Cheltenham, by comparison, suffered from apparent issues distributing the bags and, to a lesser extent, the communications. However, among those who received both the bags and communications, participation and satisfaction were both very high.
• The picture in Maldon was somewhat similar to Cheltenham – albeit the issue here appeared to be the distribution of the communications, rather than the bags. Nonetheless, among those who received the communications and the bags, the trial had a highly positive impact with high participation, additional recycling, high levels of satisfaction and strong ratings for the communications. Furthermore, there was less reported issues with non-targeted recycling.
• The results suggest that the Newcastle trial was delivered very effectively. Just over three quarters of residents recalled the communications and received the collection bags. Recall of receiving bags (91%) was somewhat higher than recall of communications (77%), although it is strong for both.