Stop sending waste abroad is message from UK public

WITH recycling week in full swing, a new survey has revealed that 80% of people want the UK to stop exporting waste as national concern over plastic surges.

Waste company Viridor’s UK Recycling Index 2018 shows public concern over plastics use is at an all-time high. Key observations from the index show 80% of people are concerned about plastics in the ocean, while 61% of people are more likely to buy products with recycled packaging and almost half of those polled (45%) sat they are willing to pay additional tax on non-recyclable plastics.

While 51% of respondents believe businesses are responsible for recycling, less than one in 10 (9%) trust businesses to play their role in ensuring waste is recycled properly.

Almost four in five (78%) want more transparency over what happens to their waste.

The poll also shows the public want plastic created in the UK to remain in the country, with recycled material used to manufacture new products.

With public awareness heightened by television programmes such as Blue Planet, public concern over plastics is at an all-time high with fears of ‘floating islands of rubbish’ in the UK in the next 50 years if more is not done to capture and recycle plastic.

Phil Piddington, managing director of Viridor, said: “Public concern over the environmental impact of plastics continues to gain momentum in the UK, in parallel to a broader awareness of the importance of recycling generally.

“The index shows that not only are people increasingly confused over what and how they can recycle, they’re also becoming less confident that businesses or the Government are playing their roles in ensuring resources are given new life. We are working closely with retailers and packaging manufacturers to make products, including plastics, more recyclable. Viridor also wants the UK to make it easier for the public to recycle more

Plastics being sorted for recycling at a Viridor facility and to introduce policies that encourage additional investment in UK recycling. There are currently hundreds of different approaches to waste collection in the UK. A more standardised approach across local authority boundaries would encourage more infra- structure in the right places. People do want to do the right thing, but they need a clear and concise message from the Gov- ernment and their local authorities to collectively improve recycling performance and reach national targets.”