Way back in the twentieth century, governments and emergency services were meeting to hammer out the allocation of energy in the event of a worldwide shutdown caused by Y2K.
Today, as we again face the challenge of allocating and reducing energy, the recycling and resource management sector has a major role to play.
As a result of Russian disruption to gas supplies, the EU has already asked countries such as France and Germany to cut gas demand by 15 per cent. So far, the UK has not followed suit, but the energy price cap of April this year will increase by a further 80 per cent in October. The annual increases to April 2022 were already the largest recorded since 1970*, and consumers and businesses alike will face huge hikes in energy costs. There has never been a better time to look for ways to reduce our reliance on virgin fossil fuels.
In the recycling sector, we not only preserve natural resources and keep waste out of landfill; each year, we also help to save vast amounts of energy. According to the British Plastics Federation, recycling a single plastic bottle can save enough energy to light a 10W LED bulb for up to 36 hours, while the use of scrap steel saves up to 74 per cent of the energy needed to manufacture steel from virgin materials.
Many of the carbon benefits associated with our industry, such as the avoided emissions that are achieved on the drive to net zero, will be claimed at different stages of the supply chain. While our sector may not record these reductions, it is important to remember the scale and impact of our work. According to the Environmental Services Association (ESA), the UK waste sector manages 221 million tonnes – over three tonnes per person – of waste each year.
We have come a long way since the advent of the Packaging Waste Regulations in 1997, but we could do much more. At Valpak, a Reconomy Group company, we have been involved in the consultation on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging Waste since the outset. Proposed changes, such as the modulated fee system, will incentivise design for recyclability and help to save energy.
While acknowledging that under our current system some waste will always prove too contaminated or problematic to recycle, the UK’s recycling rate of 44.4 per cent still offers scope to recycle more. Even Wales, which stands at 56.5 per cent, has some way to go to challenge Germany’s lead.
With every extra tonne recycled, we save precious energy that could be used to heat homes or safeguard our food-producing businesses. With even greater levels of recycling, we will create the optimum environment for change.
*https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9491/
