The trial marked a significant collaboration among members of the UK Plastic Pact, encompassing waste management companies such as Jayplas, Viridor, and Roydon, alongside the Faerch recycler Cirrec. This collective effort brought together key players in the food and drink sustainability sector.
Food manufacturers, including Pilgrims Food Masters and Bakkavor, collaborated with prominent retailers like Waitrose and Tesco. Together, they successfully showcased and validated the concept of tray recycling, positioning it as a viable solution in the realm of sustainable packaging.
The core objective was to establish a circular process, effectively demonstrating that tray recycling within the UK is indeed achievable, thanks to productive end markets. By reprocessing waste trays into new ones, the group asserts they can achieve ‘full circularity,’ a process that can be replicated indefinitely. This approach not only prevents loss to export and downcycling but also aligns with the latest food and drink consumer trends.
Jonathan Moore, sector specialist packaging at WRAP, stated: “Through the UK Plastics Pact we have identified the lack of circularity in PET trays as a priority for action and crucial to increasing average recycled content. To address this shortfall, we convened a collaborative group focused in this area two years ago. We are really delighted by the collaborative efforts of members of this sprint group who’ve delivered an impressive trial. This clearly demonstrates the potential that UK household-collected PET trays have to form a circular material – becoming new PET trays after use, and reducing the need for virgin polymers. One step closer to a circular economy for plastics.”
