Action on plastic

Recycling involves a social contract: the public agrees to sort carefully on the understanding that the rubbish will actually be processed. But the latter part of the deal is no longer guaranteed. For years our refuse has been sent to Asia; China has now stopped taking much of it, and it’s estimated that this could displace around 111 million metric tonnes of global plastic by 2030.

Where will it all go? Landfills, incineration or even piled up and left outdoors to rot. It turns out that at least a fifth of councils have felt the direct impact of China’s action, costs are rising and things could get worse if other Asian nations follow suit. Swindon council plans to become the first to advise residents to stop recycling plastic, hopefully in the short term, as it could be a waste of time.

This is a tragic squandering of public good will. Many Britons have thrown themselves into recycling out of a sense of civic duty, and for years politicians have encouraged them – sometimes even by issuing ridiculous fines. The discovery that our hard work might go up in smoke, potentially cause pollution, or wind-up bankrolling an Easteuropean “trash mafia” makes a mockery of the endeavour and is a classic example of how too often in environmental policy a decision is pursued with scant thought of how it will be enacted or of any negative consequences.

How can this be fixed? Councils do need to be honest and the public’s confidence in recycling restored. The key issue is the mass of plastic in circulation and its nature: biodegradable plastics could be explored and businesses should think carefully about how to reduce packaging. The public is keen to help: just look at the fall in the use of plastic bags. But they will not be taken for fools.