KENT UNDERSTANDING PLASTICS 'LIVE LAB' UP PROJECT

This project is aimed at understanding more about the relationship between plastics recycling communications and behaviour change. What works, what does not, in a live lab situation supported by experts from across the plastics recycling value chain and delivered by plastics recycling member-based charity, RECOUP.

It is accepted that citizens remain confused as to what can and cannot be recycled with regard to plastics packaging. This type of packaging is complex, different shapes, sizes, and colours all of which provide a challenge when it comes to giving clear and unambiguous guidelines.

To give plastics packaging a second life and recycle into new products relies on the consumer doing their bit. If not placed for recycling then the packaging is lost, the resource is wasted, and it has the potential to pollute the environment. This will result in more virgin plastics will be used.

In order to invest in UK infrastructure and drive end markets to a circular economy the supply of feedstock via kerbside systems needs to be high quality and quantity. It is crucial that we are able to drive the UK domestic market and the industry is no longer reliant on unstable export markets. In 2019 the UK exported (61%) 688,000 tonnes of plastic packaging for recycling.

This project is aimed at engaging with citizens to reduce their confusion of plastics packaging and will use different communications methodologies and evaluate their effectiveness both in terms of tonnage rates, contamination and consumer perception, as well as taking account of socio economics and service provision.

Citizens surveys will be conducted throughout the project to assess citizen understanding and evaluate communication effectiveness against investment, recycling rates and contamination levels.

The project will be delivered by RECOUP, in Kent, across 13 Kent Councils (630,000 homes, 1.5m citizens) in partnership with Kent Resource Partnership, PPS Recovery Systems Ltd, Veolia, Viridor, Ecosurety, Plastics Europe and the British Plastics Federation, in a unique piece of industry led practical research and demonstration of value chain commitment to increasing plastics recycling capture and reduction of plastics pollution. The project is also supported by OPRL, Ocado, and WRAP.

The resulting learnings from the project will be used to produce a blue print/best practice that will be produced that can be used in a national programme to educate on plastics recycling and drive plastics recycling recovery rates to 2025 PACT targets.