Resources
Produced in association with RECOUP this guide provides and highlights priority issues reported by those sorting and reprocessing rigid plastic packaging, together with solutions.
- Plastic Packaging
- Eliminating problem plastics
- The UK Plastics Pact
- Plastic packaging design
- Manufacturers
- Retailers and brands
- Waste management and reprocessors
- Packaging producers
New insights designed to help the food and drink sector transform the food system by changing the way consumers buy fresh fruit and veg in the UK.
- Plastic Packaging
- Eliminating problem plastics
- The UK Plastics Pact
- Film and flexible packaging
- Food and drink
- Reducing and preventing food waste
- Courtauld Commitment
- Food Waste Reduction Roadmap
- Household food waste
- Behaviour change interventions
- Farmers and growers
- Hospitality and food service
- Retailers and brands
- Waste management and reprocessors
- Local Authorities
- Packaging producers
- National government and departments
A new plastic bags and wrapping recycling trial service has been introduced in a select few local areas. A small number of households in selected areas across England will be able to recycle their plastic bags and wrapping from their home.
The trial will be available to a small number of residents at the start, but it will gradually expand to more residents in the selected areas over the next 2-3 years.
- Plastic Packaging
- Eliminating problem plastics
- The UK Plastics Pact
- Film and flexible packaging
- Waste management and end markets
- Retailers and brands
- Waste management and reprocessors
- Local Authorities
- Packaging producers
- National government and departments
- The UK Plastics Pact
- Manufacturers
- Retailers and brands
The 2022 Plastics Market Situation report updates on the amount of plastic packaging Placed On the Market (POM), collection rates, recycling rates, and provides an update on key developments over the past few years highlighting the challenges and opportunities ahead.
- Fall in plastic packaging placed on the market
- Movement away from rigid plastic packaging towards lightweight and flexible plastics in the consumer sector.
- Domestic recycling of plastic has increased to 53%.
- Planned recycling capacity increases will be a boost but will still fall well below current levels of plastic packaging consumption.
- Collection rates are improving for plastic packaging with more flexible plastic, rigid plastics, plastic bottles and PTTs being collected at kerbside.
- Plastic Packaging
- The UK Plastics Pact
- Plastic packaging design
- Global Plastics Pacts
- Film and flexible packaging
- Waste management and end markets
- Market situation reports
- Manufacturers
- Retailers and brands
- Waste management and reprocessors
- Local Authorities
- Packaging producers
- National government and departments
- Non-governmental organisations
In late 2022, WRAP, in conjunction with reusable packaging experts Unpackaged, brought together members of The UK Plastics Pact to deliver a series of industry roundtables. The roundtables considered the barriers and opportunities for category-focused collaboration, with the aim of driving increased uptake of reusable packaging across a selection of high impact product categories. The following report summarises the insights and recommendations gathered through this rich, industry focused series of dialogues.
- Plastic Packaging
- The UK Plastics Pact
- Reuse and refill
- Retailers and brands
- Eliminating problem plastics
- The UK Plastics Pact
- Plastic packaging design
- Global Plastics Pacts
- Reuse and refill
- Film and flexible packaging
- Food and drink
- Reducing and preventing food waste
- Courtauld Commitment
- Food Waste Reduction Roadmap
- Fresh produce sector
- Household food waste
- Behaviour change interventions
- Manufacturers
- Retailers and brands
With government plans to introduce mandatory kerbside collections for films and flexibles by 2027 there is a growing need for a consistent terminology to effectively communicate to citizens. Between March 2020 and October 2022 WRAP undertook three rounds of citizen testing to measure the clarity and effectiveness of a wide range in terminology, with a clear preference presenting itself, as well as key principles for communicating positive recycling behaviour.
- Eliminating problem plastics
- The UK Plastics Pact
- Film and flexible packaging
- Waste management and end markets
- Behaviour change interventions
- Collections & recycling
- Consistency in collections
- Service design
- Communicating with residents
- Contamination prevention
- Collections and sorting
- Kerbside collection
- Recycling in urban areas
- Manufacturers
- Retailers and brands
- Waste management and reprocessors
- Local Authorities
- Packaging producers
- Trade associations
- National government and departments
- Non-governmental organisations
A review of plastic waste management practices, life cycle assessments, challenges and opportunities
This report provides an overview of current waste management practices for plastic waste in the UK and critically reviews end of life plastic waste life cycle assessments to highlight best practice waste management methods. The report further identifies challenges and potential solutions to help move UK plastic waste up the waste hierarchy.
- Plastic Packaging
- Eliminating problem plastics
- The UK Plastics Pact
- Global Plastics Pacts
- Waste management and end markets
- Re-use and recycling
Through The UK Plastics Pact we are redesigning the plastics system, working across the entire plastics value chain to reduce its climate impact, by stopping plastic waste, and the harmful emissions of new plastic production, keeping the material in the economy and out of the environment.
We are over halfway to The UK Plastics Pact targets and our 2021-22 annual report gives an honest appraisal of progress and challenges.
- Eliminating problem plastics
- The UK Plastics Pact
- Plastic packaging design
- Global Plastics Pacts
- Reuse and refill
- Film and flexible packaging
- Waste management and end markets
- Collections & recycling
- Consistency in collections
- Contamination prevention
- Collections and sorting
- Kerbside collection
- Re-use
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
- Market situation reports
- Hospitality and food service
- Manufacturers
- Retailers and brands
- Waste management and reprocessors
- Local Authorities
- Packaging producers
- Trade associations
- National government and departments
- Non-governmental organisations
Setting out the UK’s vision for best in class design in rigid household plastic packaging. Includes plastic packaging currently classed as recyclable and the ambition for recycled content.
Updated Guidance: November 2022
- Plastic Packaging
- Eliminating problem plastics
- The UK Plastics Pact
- Plastic packaging design
- Manufacturers
- Retailers and brands
- Waste management and reprocessors
- Local Authorities
- Packaging producers
- Trade associations
We need to radically transform our relationship with single-use plastic packaging and a key part of this will be the move to reuse and refill for many everyday items we purchase.
Our latest report and research explores citizen behaviours around reuse and refill. In partnership with Asda and Unilever, we shadowed research participants across the whole of their shopping journey. From pre-shop preparation to instore experience, we evaluated how our trial participants interacted with refill zones and developed and tested a series of instore behaviour change interventions. All designed to improve the reuse and refill shopping experience for our participants.
- Plastic Packaging
- Eliminating problem plastics
- The UK Plastics Pact
- Plastic packaging design
- Global Plastics Pacts
- Reuse and refill
- Film and flexible packaging
- Reducing and preventing food waste
- Hospitality and food service
- Retailers and brands
- Trade associations
- National government and departments
- Non-governmental organisations