Stratford-upon-Avon - The PackFlow group have worked under the support and guidance of the Valpak Consulting team to produce an up-to-date PackFlow report. DEFRA, BIS and the devolved administrations agreed a watching brief on the research and the report in order to have access to the information without directly influencing its outcome. The work was started by the group in 2005 and has been updated on a regular basis to provide a clear and agreed view of packaging and packaging flows in the UK and areas which should be of concern or opportunity in the future. The PackFlow group includes organisations and experts such as Valpak, INCPEN, Alupro, Corus, British Glass, RECOUP, WRAP and other material organisations and trade associations.

Steve Gough, Valpak CEO, commented: "The PackFlow project is an impressive piece of work, with each member of the stakeholder group bringing its own knowledge and support to the project. I am sure you can see that the findings of the report are significant and provide direction to many involved in this sector in facing the problems of reducing waste and thinking of packaging as a resource to be reclaimed, recovered and recycled. I would like to thank the Valpak Consulting staff for having the skill and expertise to take this complex area and break it down into a simple report."

The report uses complex predictive modelling techniques to map the flow of packaging by material into the UK waste streams and predicts future recycling trends. It also projects the gap between what is presently collected and what we need to recycle in the future. Using expert advice, reports and published statistics it builds a truly unique and detailed picture of the issue.

The key findings of the report are:

* the last four years has seen steady growth in the quantity of packaging flowing onto the UK market, despite the fact that all material streams have been continually working towards light-weighting of individual packs
* over the last four years total UK packaging recycling has increased from 50 percent to 60-62 percent, and is projected to reach between 68 percent and 72 percent by 2012
* recycling of household consumer packaging now makes up almost 45 percent of the total, and is increasing more rapidly than commercial and industrial packaging
* the highest growth rates in future are likely to be seen in Away from Home collections
* collections of household packaging are now widely available throughout the country, and the greatest opportunities for future increases lie in increasing the capture rates from existing schemes rather than relying on major new facilities
* if packaging recycling increases as predicted, then an additional approximately 1.1 million tonnes of carbon emissions will be saved (vs. 2006)
* the greatest opportunities lie in increasing aluminium and plastic packaging recycling

This tremendously detailed report is now available with the executive summary being released into the public domain today. A briefing seminar is also being held with Local Authorities, media representatives and other interested parties being invited to come and find out more details. This event is planned to take place early in 2010. A copy of the executive summary can be downloaded from the Valpak website under valpak.co.uk.

Quelle: Valpak

Zurück