Waste recycling warning for celebrity TV campaigner
The Industry Council for Research on Packaging and the Environment (INCPEN) has warned of the costs of recycling, as Fearnley-Whittingstall takes on giants such as Amazon, Starbucks, Costa and Café Nero about their record on recycling and packaging.
The programme – to be broadcast on BBC One on Thursday July 28 – is set to reveal that the UK throws away 2.5bn cardboard coffee cups every year, with virtually none being recycled.
While the trade association has welcomed the attention focused on recycling, it warned that, in many cases, collecting, sorting and cleaning could use more resources than would be reclaimed.
Carried its own environmental burden
INCPEN said most people did not realise that recycling carried its own environmental burden. It consumed: energy, water, cleaning chemicals, transport and money to collect, sort and clean waste.
Technically, all packaging can be recycled but the environmental and economic costs might not be worth the effort, the trade association revealed. It said that previous experience of cup recycling showed that it was highly resource-intensive.
INCPEN director Jane Bickerstaffe said: “Whether a cup is recycled or not, let’s enjoy drinks on-the- go and put the empty cups in a bin – and be grateful that packaging enables us to live the lifestyle we want.”
INCPEN has campaigned for recycling for many years and has agued there is still great potential for more people to sort and recycle more bottles, cans, newspapers and other items.
It suggested that the focus should be on that recycling. It said small dirty items could be treated with residual waste where at least 20% would be used to generate energy, which would reduce the UK’s reliance on imported energy.
Meanwhile, Hugh’s War on Waste will be broadcast on BBC One on Thursday at 21.00.
According to a BBC statement: “Hugh’s hoping that he can build on the successes his campaign on food waste is having on the supermarkets.
“Last year he uncovered the shocking amounts of food that was being thrown away on British farms because their produce didn’t fit the supermarketsv strict cosmetic standards, but since 300,000 people signed his pledge to end this waste, all of the major supermarkets have taken steps to increase the amount of ‘wonky’ veg they now sell.”
