Simpler Recycling: It’s Not The Silver Bullet

The deadline for the first phase of Simpler Recycling last month has highlighted the importance of keeping all materials in circulation for as long as possible.

Although the Simpler Recycling rules are welcome for many reasons – not least that it will standardise recycling collections across the UK, increase the recovery of high-quality materials on an industrial scale and spark more investment in infrastructure – it’s not a fix-all. Valuable material will still go to landfill or for incineration.

Why?

The government predicts that Simpler Recycling will improve the recycling rate by 20% – taking the UK from 45% to 65%. However, 35% of all waste will still not be recycled. This 35% is residual, hard-to-recycle waste, and it needs greater attention and investment if the UK is to maximise materials recovery and reduce its reliance on traditional disposal methods.

This waste is typically sent to landfill or for low-level incineration because it’s contaminated with organic matter, which makes it unsuitable for segregation, sorting and recycling. It exists primarily because of human behaviour, and currently, the UK generates a staggering 14.8 million tonnes of it yearly.

Changing behaviour

Greater consistency about what, how, and where we recycle is the foundation for positive change in the industry and the key to moving closer to a circular economy. It’s hugely welcome, but the rules do not go far enough to tackle contamination in recycling.

The broader hope is that the move to Simpler Recycling will turn the sustained decline in household recycling around. More education about recycling and the need to keep material in circulation for as long as possible should translate into improved habits, such as emptying a half-drunk bottle before putting it in the recycling bin, thereby reducing contamination.

Simpler Recycling looks set to reduce the volume of residual hard-to-recycle waste at scale – but it won’t eradicate this waste stream and organic matter will still make it into recycling bins.

Timely innovation

Greater adoption of innovation and new methods can add significant value here – making it possible to address the waste streams these rules don’t address.

Numerous hard-to-handle waste streams contain valuable material that should and can be reclaimed for further use. Waste such as AD rejects, residual hard-to-recycle and offensive washroom waste are perfect examples – typically sent to landfill or for incineration because they are challenging to handle due to cost, the nature of the waste, or lack of offtake routes.

However, technology can tackle these waste streams and support the move towards greater circularity. For example, these waste streams can be converted into solid recovered fuel (SRF), which is in high demand from energy-intensive industries such as cement manufacturing as they strive to decarbonise.

The waste industry and legislators must be realistic about what Simpler Recycling can deliver. The rules alone aren’t enough. A holistic view of all waste is required in order to tackle even the most challenging waste streams.