Plastic

Current estimates are that there was 2,400,000 tonnes of plastic packaging waste placed on the market in 2017 with a further 2,500,000 tonnes of non-packaging plastic primarily from the construction sector. There is some debate around the accuracy of these figures, with earlier reports on non-packaging waste closer to 1,5000,000 tonnes.

Overview

Plastics are defined as 'any of numerous organic synthetic or processed materials that are mostly thermoplastic or thermosetting polymers of high molecular weight and that can be made into objects, films, or filaments' . Although plastics present many benefits, plastic waste, generally, does not decompose and therefore persists in the environment presenting a variety of wide-reaching environmental issues, polluting soils, rivers and oceans, and harming the creatures that inhabit them .

Plastic waste reported as being sent to Landfill is decreasing; between 2012 and 2016 the tonnage dropped from 122,400 to 53,400. This is due to an increase in plastic waste being recycled or sent to Energy Recovery, with these treatment methods dealing with 91% of plastic waste in 2016 and the remaining 9% being sent to landfill.

The current focus in the media on the harm that plastic causes in the environment often does not consider the benefits that plastics can bring in a number of ways, including food preservation. The debate on the merits or otherwise of plastics use, and alternatives, is gathering momentum in the UK at present.

A recently published House of Commons Library Briefing Paper (7th January 2020) sets out some further issues and a link to all relevant legislation and policy issues at the present time.

Macro Tonnage

The most recent information published by DEFRA is summarized in the pie chart below, with 1,528,527 tonnes of plastic wastes generated in the UK in 2016 as part of the broader tonnage reported in UK Waste Tonnage:

Plastic Wastes
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Data Table
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (AFF)	138,126
Mining and Quarrying (MQ)	766
Industrial (Ind)	373,144
Construction (Con)	67,445
Commercial (Com)	822,233
Household (HH)	127,842

The macro numbers above under report the total plastics put into the market, as the macro numbers exclude tonnage which would otherwise be captured in mixed categories. The macro numbers also do not breakdown the component elements of plastic, but the following headers in the page are the materials as handled by local authorities and as reported through WasteDataFlow.

WRAP in their most recent report identify 2,400,000 tonnes of plastic packaging waste placed on the market in 2017 (of which around 550,000 tonnes was collected by local authorities) with a further 2,500,000 tonnes of non-packaging plastic primarily from the construction sector. There is some debate around the accuracy of these figures, and an earlier evolution of this report in 2016 reported non-packaging waste closer to 1,5000,000 tonnes.

Indeed earlier plastics reports by WRAP acknowledge the challenges and accuracy around estimating plastic tonnage in the UK (in many cases relying on plastics placed on the market rather than plastics actually recycled to derive figures due to the poor quality of waste figures).

Assuming the total plastics placed on the market at the WRAP figure of 4,900,000 tonnes, this represents 2.2% of total UK Waste Tonnage but when taking out of consideration the categories of mineral waste (from construction and demolition and mines and quarries), soils, dredging spoils and sludges it represents 7.1% of total waste generated.

The headers below presently only capture the tonnage collected and reported by local authorities through WasteDataFlow.

PET (1)

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 200 tonnes of PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) to a single waste operator.

Authority	Stream	Facility	Operator	Address	Material	Tonnes

HDPE (2)

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 200 tonnes of HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) to a single waste operator.

Authority	Stream	Facility	Operator	Address	Material	Tonnes

PVC (3)

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 200 tonnes of PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) to a single waste operator.

Authority	Stream	Facility	Operator	Address	Material	Tonnes

LDPE (4)

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 100 tonnes of LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) to a single waste operator.

Authority	Stream	Facility	Operator	Address	Material	Tonnes

PP (5)

Below is a list of local authorities that sends any tonnage of PP (Polypropylene) to a single waste operator.

Authority	Stream	Facility	Operator	Address	Material	Tonnes

PS (6)

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 100 tonnes of PS (Polystyrene) to a single waste operator.

Authority	Stream	Facility	Operator	Address	Material	Tonnes

OTHER PLASTICS (7)

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 1000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.

Authority	Stream	Facility	Operator	Address	Material	Tonnes

Mixed Plastic Bottles

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.

Authority	Stream	Facility	Operator	Address	Material	Tonnes
Gloucestershire County Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Smiths ( Gloucester ) Ltd	The Old Airfield, Moreton Valence, Gloucestershire	Mixed Plastic Bottles	5,161.63	{{{date}}}
Ryedale District Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Yorwaste Ltd	Seamer Landfill Site, Dunslow Road, Seamer, Scarborough, North Yorkshire	Mixed Plastic Bottles	5,037.96	{{{date}}}
Dumfries & Galloway	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Not Available	Not Available	Mixed Plastic Bottles	4,853.02	{{{date}}}
Bristol City Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	J. And A. Young (Leicester) Limited	Unit 15, Saxon Way East, Oakley Hay Industrial Estate, Corby, Northamptonshire	Mixed Plastic Bottles	3,956.46	{{{date}}}
Nottinghamshire County Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Veolia E S Nottinghamshire Ltd	Warren Way, Crown Farm Ind Est, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire	Mixed Plastic Bottles	3,480.71	{{{date}}}
Newport City Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	J & A Young ( Leicester ) Ltd	J & A Young ( Leicester), Berristow Lane, South Normanton, Derbyshire	Mixed Plastic Bottles	3,024.54	{{{date}}}
Neath Port Talbot CBC	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	P M K Recycling Limited	P M K Recycling, Baston Outgang Road, Baston, Peterborough, Cambs	Mixed Plastic Bottles	2,257.00	{{{date}}}
Richmondshire District Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Yorwaste Ltd	Tancred Quarry, Scorton, Richmond, North Yorkshire	Mixed Plastic Bottles	2,151.48	{{{date}}}

Mixed Plastics

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 5000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.

Authority	Stream	Facility	Operator	Address	Material	Tonnes
Merseyside WDA (MBC)	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	S Norton & Co Ltd	Bankfield House, Bankfield Mill, Regent Road, Liverpool, Merseyside	Mixed Plastics	17,486.76	{{{date}}}
Cheshire West and Chester	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Viridor Waste Management Ltd	Salmon Pastures Transfer Station, Attercliffe Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire	Mixed Plastics	12,195.26	{{{date}}}
Vale of Glamorgan Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Cowbridge Compost Ltd	The Lodge, Llwynhelig, Gibbots Hill, Cowbridge, Vale Of Glamorgan	Mixed Plastics	8,502.31	{{{date}}}
Swindon Borough Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Jeremy Mark Freeth	Kingshill Recycling Centre, Cricklade, Swindon, Wiltshire	Mixed Plastics	8,326.98	{{{date}}}
St Helens MBC	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Biffa Waste Services Ltd	Pocket Nook Resource Management Centre, Pocket Nook Street, St Helens, Warrington, Cheshire	Mixed Plastics	7,451.41	{{{date}}}

Video tapes, DVDs and CDs

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 500 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.

Authority	Stream	Facility	Operator	Address	Material	Tonnes
Kingston-upon-Hull City Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Other/Exempt	JMP WILCOX & CO LTD, BELDRAY WORKS, BELDRAY ROAD BILSTON, WOLVERHAMPTON, WEST MIDLANDS , WV14 7NH	Video tapes, DVDs and CDs	713.07	{{{date}}}
Conwy CBC	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Other/Exempt	Crest Brierley HouseFerry Farm Roadllandudno JunctionConwy LL31 9SFTel 596783	Video tapes, DVDs and CDs	548.60	{{{date}}}
East Riding of Yorkshire Council	Source segregated recyclate	Reprocessor - recycling (qu19)	Other/Exempt	Wilcox Industrial Supply Co. Beldray Works, Beldray Road Bilston, West Midlands WV14 7NH	Video tapes, DVDs and CDs	527.00	{{{date}}}
Derbyshire County Council	Source segregated recyclate	Exporter - recycling (qu19)	Other/Exempt	Savanna; Savanna Mill, Forest Road, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire (EPR/XE5987WJ)	Video tapes, DVDs and CDs	508.84	{{{date}}}