News

Proposed increases to the recycling targets for the UK packaging industry will do little to boost the volume of recycled paper packaging, ac­­cording to the Confed­­eration of Paper Industries (CPI).

Packaging waste recovery targets for all materials have been increased by the Depart­ment for Environ­­ment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The 2010 paper target is 69.5%, but the CPI said the industry had already achieved a rate of more than 80%.

CPI recovered paper sector manager Peter Seggie said: “The existing paper recycling rate is a reflection of the ravenous demand that exists for this valuable resource, not the government-set targets.”

He added that the actual recycling rate of UK paper packaging waste was likely to be “significantly higher” than that declared within the packaging waste regulatory framework, leading to “even greater carbon savings”.

The CPI said it fully supported the call from Defra for significant improvements, but warned that it must not be looked at in isolation.

Seggie said: “Non-packaging recovery and recycling must also be borne in mind at all times.”