The Flexible Plastic Fund, together with Suez, Recoup and Wrap, has presented the results of the three-and-a-half-year FlexCollect project. The final report outlines how flexible plastic packaging can be collected and recycled nationwide in the UK via home collection - financed by extended producer responsibility. Among others, the British government, Innovate UK and numerous brand manufacturers were involved in and supported the project.
The study focuses on a large material flow: An estimated 1.7 million tonnes of flexible plastic packaging comes onto the market in the UK every year. From April 2027, kerbside collections will be mandatory; FlexCollect shows that integration into existing systems is possible with little effort. Ten very different local authorities took part, from urban to rural and with different collection systems.
Results for collection, sorting and recycling
The core finding is that flex packaging can be collected in all common collection variants using the collection bag provided - either in the existing containers or, with the appropriate technology, also loose in the mixed collection. A 40-micron bag is considered the standard for the so-called „survival bag“ process; source-separated systems can also use thinner bags in some cases. Where households used their own bags, participation and quality fell.
The material quality proved to be high. According to the composition analysis, the input consisted mainly of target material, clean and free of food waste; the chart on page 6 shows 82 % „Plastic bags and wrapping“. Model calculations based on demographics indicate a good 150,000 tonnes collected in 2027 and around 200,000 tonnes by 2030.
On the processing side, many sorting plants can handle bag collections with additional gripping forces and possibly minor adjustments; larger conversions are necessary for loose flex fractions. Experience from Sherbourne shows that complete mixed fractions including flex material can be technically separated, but with lower efficiencies. especially if paper and cardboard are included in the mixture.
In the end markets, the recycling routes tested achieved high recovery rates of mostly over 80 %. Mechanically recycled material could be used as „jazz“ PE for flexible applications and as PP for rigid applications; full utilisation in „plastic lumber“ was also possible. Small test quantities confirmed the general suitability for various chemical processes. At the same time, there is currently still a capacity gap in the UK; plants currently under construction and free European capacities could close this gap significantly from 2027.
Costs and scaling
For an example municipality with 75,000 households, the modelled total costs would be £6.56 per household per year. This includes collection, additional labour costs for removing the bags from the sorting line, moderate system adjustments and gate fees for the recyclers. Converted, this corresponds to around £1,671 per tonne or around 0.12 pence per saleable product unit on the market. While market prices fluctuated during the project period, the most frequently paid gate fee was £650 per tonne.
Classification for packers and municipalities
For local authorities, the report suggests a pragmatic starting path: comprehensive bag distribution at the beginning, continuous replenishment on demand or via distribution points and close coordination with the sorting companies on acceptance and picking processes. For distributors, the cost allocation provides a reliable basis for EPR calculations and shows that reliable input quantities can accelerate investments in British end markets. Overall, FlexCollect describes a feasible, data-based path to more recyclable flex packaging - with manageable additional operational costs, but a clear need for rapid capacity expansion in recycling, according to the report.
Source: Flexible Plastic Fund
