Plastic bottle collections up by 50% << Back to Main News Page Added: Wednesday, 3 March 2004 A 50% increase in plastic bottle collections over the past two years has been revealed by research funded by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) and carried out by Recoup. With data provided by all 477 UK local authorities, the research provides the most detailed reference source for information on UK household plastic bottle collection performance to date and provides a comprehensive reference tool for the plastics sector. The report reveals that by the end of 2003, plastic bottle collection levels in the UK had risen to an estimated 24,300 tonnes per annum. Approximately 75% of these bottles were collected from kerbside collections, with the remaining 25% coming from bring schemes. Key findings of the research include: 62% of all UK local councils now offer collection facilities for plastic bottles 295 local authority recycling managers confirmed plastic bottle collection facilities within their council area The number of plastic bottle collection schemes has increased by 24% 57 new plastic bottle collection schemes have been initiated since the beginning of 2002 Included in the report is performance and costs analysis of different collection approaches adopted by councils throughout the UK, together with predictions for the future of household plastic bottle collections and an important finding of the research is that there is no correlation between recycling rates and waste management expenditure. The report forecasts that at least 30,000 tonnes/annum of plastic bottles will be collected by 2006. Andrew Simmons, Chief Executive Officer of Recoup said: "Using the data provided, it is estimated that the provision of plastic bottle recycling within kerbside collections will exceed 6.4 million households during 2005, representing over a quarter of all UK households. Should all kerbside schemes in the UK include plastic bottles, over 100,000 tonnes of bottles would be generated for recycling." Linda Crichton, Head of WRAP's ROTATE Programme said: "This research has identified a clear opportunity for Local Authorities to increase the collections of plastic bottles and improve the performance of existing schemes through best practice information and improved communications with householders. "The WRAP ROTATE programme will be rolled out in April and will provide Local authorities with this guidance and will be key to raising the average participation rate for kerbside recycling schemes." The full report is available from both WRAP and Recoup