All packaging sold in the UK ‘should be 50% recycled by 2025’

All packaging sold in the UK should have to be 50% recycled by 2025 to encourage manufacturers to “harvest” rubbish from consumers, a waste and resource management company has urged.

And a “pay-as-you-throw” system for household black bin rubbish should be phased in by 2030 as part of a “revolution” in boosting recycling, Suez said.

Improving the way in which the country uses and recycles products and packaging could generate £9 billion for the economy, Suez predicts.

The call comes as a poll reveals that almost a quarter of people feel sandwich packaging or fast food containers are the main cause of litter, while almost a fifth (18%) think crisp packets and sweet wrappers are most to blame.

And one in seven (14%) thought plastic bottles were the main problem, the poll by Yougov for Suez found.

The company believes its proposals for tackling waste, which also include taxes that boost recycled content in packaging, a “deposit return scheme” for plastic drinks bottles and cans, and better design will help tackle these “on the go” causes of litter.

In its “manifesto” for cutting waste and improving how the UK uses and reuses materials, the company said it wants to see the introduction of bins with microchips that can be weighed.

If the change came alongside a series of measures to make products easier to recycle, this could allow for charges for black bin rubbish to be brought in, encouraging homes and businesses to recycle more and cutting waste.

Suez wants producers to contribute more to the costs of collecting and recycling their products such as coffee pods.

Suez chief executive David Palmer-jones said: “We believe innovative new systems will arise to capture, recycle, reuse and reform materials if packaging manufacturers are required by law to have 50% minimum recycled content in their products and adhere to common design standards.”