Flexible plastic policies are now firmly on the agenda. As part of Simpler Recycling reforms, the UK Government will require all local authorities to collect flexible plastics from households by 2027.

Early research from the FlexCollect project highlights the difficulty in collecting, transporting and processing this material at scale. In a recent CIWM meeting in York, Gareth Morton of Ecosurety Ltd explained that, amid these systemic challenges, one of the most impactful things householders can do for flexible plastic pollution is to use their local refill shop.

This article looks at the refill shop model in the UK, exploring how refill shops fit into wider efforts to reduce plastics, why many struggle to scale, how public perceptions may hold them back, and whether local authority support could help unlock their potential.

What Are Refill Shops?

Part of a broader zero-waste movement that emphasises sustainable, circular consumption, refill shops are independent or community-oriented stores where customers bring their own containers to fill with products such as cereals, oils, cleaning supplies and personal care items.

The goal is straightforward: minimise single-use packaging and make reuse a practical alternative to buying packaged goods. With hundreds dotted around the country, these stores are accessible to a large swathe of the community.

Why Refill Shops Matter for Plastic Reduction

Plastic pollution remains a high-profile environmental concern. National surveys show that most UK consumers are worried about plastic waste and want more reuse and refill options.

In research by GoUnpackaged, 68% of respondents said they would incorporate reuse or refill systems into their weekly shops if made convenient, and half said they prefer shopping with brands that offer this option.

Similarly, behavioural studies indicate that people are already taking action to reduce plastic use with reusable shopping bags, bottles and containers becoming more common habits. This suggests an underlying readiness to adopt refill behaviours when made easily accessible.

Based on the evidence, refill shops are not just niche sustainability icons. In theory, they provide a tangible way to reduce single-use packaging, complementing municipal recycling systems and broader waste-reduction policies such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

Successes: What Works Well

Some refill shops have managed to build strong local followings and stay open for years. As per this example in St Leonards, owners often report deep community engagement and describe customers returning regularly - often valuing the social interaction and the chance to learn new sustainable habits.

Successful shops often stock a broader range of products over time, from loose herbs and spices to plant milks on tap, showing adaptability and innovation in product choice.

Despite trials by major supermarkets proving challenging (more on this later), some larger retail experiments have indicated strong consumer interest in refills. For example, collaborations between supermarkets and sustainability groups have run pilots where refill stations allow customers to decant products into reusable containers. These experiments suggest there is appetite for the model among the public.

Challenges: Why Refill Stores Struggle

Despite a passionate core of supporters, many refill shops find it hard to thrive financially or grow beyond a limited local customer base. There are several reasons for this:

• Convenience and Habits

Shopping in refill stores is more time-consuming than a quick supermarket visit. Weighing containers, organising reusable jars and searching for products takes more effort than picking up pre-packaged goods. Many mainstream shoppers, even environmentally motivated ones, prioritise convenience over sustainability when under time pressure.

Evidence shows that while people support refill in principle, long-standing shopping habits and the convenience of traditional retail pose real barriers.

• Location and Access

Public surveys suggest that the biggest reason people do not use refill shops is simple: they don’t live close enough to one. In one survey, 67% of people who hadn’t used a refill shop or station said that this was the main reason.

• Cost and Competition

Independent refill shops often lack the purchasing power of national supermarkets. They pay more per kilo for products and face narrow profit margins. While refill products may be competitive on a per-unit basis, overheads, rent and wages in the high street environment add cost pressures that many small businesses struggle with.

The broader retail sector in the UK is under strain, with high operating costs and challenging economic conditions leading to many store closures across categories. Refill shops are not immune to these pressures, and some have closed despite strong local support.

The recent closure of a refill shop in Essex highlighted how rising costs and resource constraints can force even committed shop owners to shut up shop.

• Larger Retail Experiments Have Mixed Results

Major supermarkets have trialled refill stations, but these schemes haven’t lasted well. Many are wound down due to operational and commercial difficulties, including low customer engagement and concerns around cost and convenience. This suggests that scaling refill models within mainstream retail remains unlikely for now.

Public Perceptions: What Holds People Back?

Alongside practical challenges, perceptions also affect uptake. Some shoppers see refill shops as niche or “eco-warrior” spaces rather than mainstream retail options. Others find the process unfamiliar or confusing, especially when containers must be cleaned, weighed and managed differently in each shop. Even motivated consumers may feel uncertain about how to integrate refill shopping into their regular routines.

Perception is also linked to visibility. Most refill shops are not well advertised and can be physically distant from everyday shopping routes. This means they remain outside most people’s natural shopping patterns, reinforcing the idea that they are “not for me”.

The Refill Market: Booming or Struggling?

Market analysis paints a mixed picture. Some reports describe a refill “boom”, with refillable options gaining attention and stores opening across the UK in recent years. However, on-the-ground experience shows that many independent shops struggle to keep their doors open without sufficient footfall or broader systemic support.

It seems that consumer interest is growing: public surveys consistently show broad concern about plastic pollution and strong support for refill and reuse options. But the retail infrastructure, consumer habits, and wider policy environment have not yet aligned to make refill shops a mainstream sector.

Should Local Authorities Help Refill Shops?

Given the potential role refill shops can play in reducing plastic waste, there is a case for local authority support. This might include:

• Business rate relief or reduced rents in council-owned commercial spaces to give refill stores a better chance of survival.
• Promotion in local waste reduction campaigns to raise awareness of refill options and normalise their use.
• Collaboration on local refill events or markets that bring refill services to neighbourhoods without permanent shops.
• Incentives for supermarkets and retailers to offer refill stations, aligned with waste reduction goals and emerging regulations.

Support could help bridge the gap between strong public environmental intentions and the everyday habits that currently favour convenient, single-use packaging.

A Tool, But Not a Silver Bullet

Refill shops are not a silver bullet for the UK’s plastic waste challenge. They are one tool in a broader toolkit - however, refill shops can play a meaningful role in shifting behaviours and reducing demand for single-use plastics.

If local authorities recognise their potential and support their viability, refill shops could become more than niche sustainability hubs. They could become part of a more circular, resilient retail setup that aligns consumer behaviour with environmental goals.

As councils prepare for new plastics collection duties and producers face rising responsibility under Simpler Recycling, encouraging refill and reuse at community level could help reduce the volume of waste entering collection streams in the first place.

For many consumers, using a refill shop may be one of the simplest ways they can reduce plastic waste today – even if it does mean a change in habits.

The post Are Refill Shops a Realistic Solution to Reduce Plastic Waste? appeared first on Integrated Skills.

Each year the seasons bring waves of consumer behaviour that create distinct challenges for waste collection and disposal services. Halloween, Easter, and Christmas are major events in the UK’s retail calendar, and their environmental footprint grows alongside consumer spending.

For local authorities, these celebrations translate into short but intense surges in waste volumes, often dominated by food, packaging, and disposable decorations that strain collection schedules, budgets, and recycling systems.

Here we’ll be highlighting the struggles Local Authorities face when handling these waste surges, as well as the environmental impact of consumer behaviour.

Halloween: A Frightening Rise in Residual Waste

Halloween is one of the fastest-growing seasonal events in the UK. In 2023, consumer spending reached an estimated £1 billion, a figure that has quadrupled in just a decade. Behind the fun and festivities, however, is a growing mountain of seasonal waste.

A recent waste composition analysis, we here at Integrated Skills revealed that in the first week of November 2024, households across six local authorities put out an average of 0.3 kg of pumpkins (here’s a reminder of how to dispose of pumpkins), decorations, and spent fireworks in their residual bins (despite food waste collections being available).

It sounds like a small amount, but as Project Director Stuart Henshaw noted, “For a typical authority of 80,000 households, that’s an additional 24 tonnes of Halloween waste. Scaled nationally, this equates to over 8,500 tonnes of residual Halloween waste to collect and dispose of.”

This data illustrates how small, one-off consumer choices can create significant operational impacts. Local authorities face not only extra collection rounds and landfill costs, but also public confusion over what can and cannot be recycled or composted. For example, while pumpkins are fully compostable, they often end up in the residual stream due to lack of awareness or convenience.

While Halloween is now the UK’s third-largest retail event, Easter falls into a close second place.

Eggs, Chocolate and Mountains of Waste

Despite its family-friendly image, the environmental impact of Easter with its packaging and food waste is striking:

• Around 8,000 tonnes of packaging are generated annually from Easter egg products.
• Roughly 3,000 tonnes of chocolate go un-eaten and discarded.
• Food waste spikes, with millions of hot cross buns, roast potatoes, and vegetable portions ending up in bins after family meals.

These figures highlight how short-lived consumption patterns, driven by marketing and convenience, continue to undermine waste reduction goals.

For local authorities, Easter’s challenge lies in collecting and processing hugely mixed waste streams: plastic inserts, cardboard boxes, and foil wrappers, all produced in vast quantities but often contaminated with food residues that make recycling all the more difficult.

Christmas: The Ultimate Test

No other time of year tests the capacity of local waste services like Christmas. Between December and early January, UK households collectively produce up to 30% more waste than at any other time of year.

For context:

• In London, households throw out an extra five bags of rubbish each, adding roughly 29,000 tonnes of waste in this one city alone.
• The country discards around 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging that goes unrecycled.
• More than one billion Christmas cards are thrown away annually.
• Food waste increases by about 30% compared to the rest of the year.

The shift to online shopping has further complicated Christmas waste management. Nearly half of all Christmas purchases are now made online, driving surges in cardboard boxes, plastic mailing bags, and filler materials as items are shipped individually. A DS Smith study found that 941 million plastic mailing bags were used by UK retailers in 2024 – that’s around 2.6 million every day.

While convenient for consumers, these trends create headaches for local authorities. They are left to process higher volumes of mixed packaging and manage overflowing recycling bins. Compounding the problem are the inevitable post-Christmas returns (especially true for the fashion sector), which generate additional transport emissions and waste when items are damaged or unsellable.

The Cost to Local Authorities

Each seasonal spike translates into tangible operational and financial impacts. Increased waste volumes require:

• Additional collection rounds, often with premium seasonal labour costs attached.
• Greater sorting and processing capacity, particularly for recyclables.
• More contamination in recycling streams as residents rush to clear festive waste.
• Higher disposal costs, especially for residual waste that cannot be recycled.

For many authorities already managing tight budgets, these short-term spikes can have long-term implications. Disposal costs rise, recycling targets are harder to meet, and collection crews face heavier workloads during periods of adverse weather and high demand.

Changing Habits and Shared Responsibility

The seasonal waste challenge highlights a broader truth: public behaviour directly shapes local waste outcomes. Convenience, habit, and awareness play powerful roles in determining whether materials are recycled, composted, or landfilled.

Encouragingly, there are signs of change. Surveys show rising public interest in sustainable packaging, with many consumers saying they would avoid brands that use excessive or non-recyclable materials. Retailers are also beginning to introduce “right-size” packaging and promote preloved or second-hand gift options.

However, there is still a significant gap between intent and action. Even when residents are aware of the sustainable option, it is not always the easiest one. Collection systems must therefore be complemented by clear communication, consistent recycling infrastructure, and behavioural nudges that make the sustainable choice the default.

Working Towards Smarter Seasonal Waste Management

For local authorities, tackling seasonal waste effectively requires data-led planning and predictive insight. By analysing waste composition and collection data (something Integrated Skills supports through its advanced Waste Composition Analysis and Route Management solutions) councils can:

• Anticipate seasonal surges and adjust collection schedules.
• Target communications to reduce contamination and promote food waste recycling.
• Monitor the effectiveness of interventions year-on-year.
• Plan future infrastructure investment based on accurate evidence, not assumptions.

Seasonal waste will never disappear entirely - celebrations are part of community life. But by aligning data, policy, and public engagement, local authorities can reduce its impact, cut unnecessary costs, and move closer to a truly circular model of resource use.

For Waste Composition Analysis enquiries please get in touch below!

The post The Impact of Seasonal Waste on Local Authorities appeared first on Integrated Skills.

The Deposit Return Scheme is set to be introduced across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland in October 2027. With 75% of Britons in favour of the changes, and 65% going a step further and favouring binding recycling targets for local authorities, it’s clear that the scheme has garnered a lot of support.

As D-day draws closer, we wanted to look at the various implications the scheme will have for businesses, consumers, and the environment. We’ll also be discussing the impact the scheme will have on local authorities as they contend with the logistical challenges it will bring.

Quick-Fire Explanation of the Scheme

Following in the footsteps of many successful schemes across the world, the Deposit Return Scheme encourages individuals to return their drinks containers to be recycled.

Twenty pence is added to the price of drinks at the point of sale as a form of “deposit” which is then paid back to the customer at the point of return. No receipt or proof of purchase is necessary – this enables anyone who has or finds a drink container to return it to a suitable collector and receive the funds.

The idea is to encourage a “circular economy” where valuable materials are collected, recycled and reused.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), has high hopes for the effect of the scheme on recycling rates due to its impressive track record:

“The average return rate for European countries with a scheme is 87%, according to global eNGO Reloop, with Germany showing the best results at 98%.”

Why is the Scheme Required?

Any scheme that protects the environment is a good thing, but targeting drinks containers is likely to be hugely impactful. Here are some surprising figures on the level of waste produced by drinks containers:

• Around 5 billion single-use drinks bottles and cans are wasted each year (that’s 17 million per day).
• Keep Britain Tidy’s National Litter Survey showed that drinks containers make up 75% of the litter found on our streets.
• Marine Conservation Societyresearch shows that 97% of surveyed beaches were polluted with drinks-related items in 2023.
• The  United Nations Environment Programmeestimates that 75 - 199 million tonnes of plastic is currently found in oceans worldwide.
• Plastics break down into ‘microplastics’ – tiny pieces of plastic that enter our food chains, harming ecosystems and biodiversity.
• The horrific images from places like the Loch Long at Arrochar certainly drive the point home.

The Impact on Businesses

The whole point for the scheme is to massively increase recycling rates without creating a financial burden. The consumer pays a little more and receives that money back when they return the packaging to be recycled, creating an incentive to recycle.

Some profit may be made from deposits being paid for containers that are never brought back, but return points will need to be set up and waste management systems will need to be arranged for the contents to be transported to suitable recycling facilities.

British Soft Drinks is in favour of the scheme, with some prerequisites:

“The BSDA supports the introduction of a UK-wide DRS for all plastic (PET) and can beverage containers up to 3 litres in size. Our assessment suggests this is the best way to increase recycling levels and tackle litter. However, this must be accompanied by reform of the current producer responsibility system to create greater transparency and increased investment in UK recycling infrastructure.

The Extended Producer Responsibility initiative is designed to make producers accountable for the costs associated with the disposal of the packaging their products are supplied in. Councils are expected to receive substantial EPR funding to manage this waste (estimated at £1.1 billion for 2025-26).

The Impact on Consumers

For consumers, a small increase in the price of drinks will be felt, but hopefully that is enough to convince most of us to save our containers and return them for a refund of the deposit. Habits die hide so this change may not be immediate. It may remind some of the change in behaviour once a charge was applied for plastic bags.

Return points may be an issue. For some, they may be easily accessible – dotted around the area and simple to reach. For others, return points may only be available at large supermarkets or local leisure centres. For non-drivers, busy families, the elderly and differently abled consumers, this may become tricky.

Waste Management and the Deposit Return Scheme

For local authorities, the scheme will pose some new challenges. Despite being morally onboard with a scheme that will be highly impactful, many may struggle with the logistical planning and forecasting involved.

Return points will need to be emptied regularly. The contents will need to be taken to a suitable recycling point. Additional staff and vehicles are likely to be needed, so route analysis will be important to reduce the financial cost and environmental impact of the milage involved.

We worked with Zero Waste Scotland during their planning for the initial launch of a 2022 version of DRS, helping them to produce their Logistics & Infrastructure Plan. The primary aim of the project was to calculate the optimum number of bulking points and counting centres to minimise the cost of the DRS logistics.

We used a Geographical Information Systems approach, utilising world-leading software packages for mapping, network analysis and route optimisation. Combined with detailed information provided by Zero Waste Scotland, cost models were generated to compare scenarios and ultimately identify the optimum solution.

The detailed analysis identified the most cost-effective solution, considering the full container journey from purchase point, to return point, to bulking location and the final journey to a counting centre or reprocessing facility. This provided Zero Waste Scotland with a range of options to approach the logistical challenge and a comprehensive fact-file crucial to the decision-making process to ensure the operation could be delivered cost-effectively.

The DRS Scheme Administrator is to be appointed in the spring of 2025. They face a significant challenge to meet the deadlines set by government. Contact us today – we’d be happy to assist.

The post The Unending Impact of the Deposit Return Scheme appeared first on Integrated Skills.

Waste Composition Analysis is a service Integrated Skills have been providing since 2010, but recent policy changes mean that requests for our assistance are on the rise. Here we’ll be briefly explaining what WCA is, as well as outlining the multiple reasons for increased uptake by local authorities.

What is Waste Composition Analysis?

WCA is the process of physically separating, weighing, and analysing the waste and recycling collected by local authorities, or being delivered by the public and businesses to Household Waste & Recycling Sites.

Categories include:

• Paper
• Cardboard
• Plastics
• Glass
• Metals
• Textiles
• Absorbent Hygiene Products
• Food Waste
• Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
• Miscellaneous Combustibles
• Non-Recyclable Combustibles
• Garden Waste/Organics
• Household Hazardous Waste

Each of these categories is further separated into sub-categories to give a detailed view of exactly what is being collected.

What is WCA Used For?

Each authority we work with will have specific objectives in mind, but the most common theme is to find out which waste streams are contaminated, to what extent, and by what materials (e.g. recyclable material in residual collections).

This arms authorities with the data needed to:

• Develop new recycling schemes to suit the needs of the community
• Access the success or failure of any recent public engagement drives
• Tailor educational programmes to better-engage the community
• Strategically plan for all waste services

As part of our summer series of webinars in 2019, ISL presented a masterclass detailing the most effective approach to undertaking a WCA- have a watch if you’d like more information.

What is Boosting Interest in WCA?

Recent policy changes and upcoming deadlines for earlier schemes have driven uptake. Namely:

• The Deposit Return Scheme
• Extended Producer Responsibility
• Emissions Trading Scheme
• Simpler Recycling 2026 and 2027
• The proposals around the kerbside collection of electrical appliances

Let’s look at each in turn:

The Deposit Return Scheme

The Government released their latest press release on this subject in January 2023. They describe it as “a new cash incentive system, placing deposits on drinks bottles and cans, which will boost recycling from 2025”.

In a nutshell, consumers will be incentivised to return used drinks containers to “reverse vending machines” for recycling, and will receive a cash incentive in return. This will apply to England, Wales and Northern Ireland by October 2025.

Materials falling under the scheme are:

• Single-use drinks containers from 50ml to 3 litres
• Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, steel cans and aluminium cans will be included for England, Northern Ireland, and Wales
• Glass bottles will be included for Wales only.

Waste Composition Analysis will show authorities the quantities of each container type they are currently receiving via all their waste management channels; giving them a baseline to measure the impact of DRS.

Extended Producer Responsibility

The government last updated their guidance for the EPR scheme in January 2024, with changes to come into effect from 2025. This policy essentially makes manufacturers financially responsible for the post-consumer disposal of their packaging.

WCA is essential for EPR to be effective. Without accurate measurement, manufacturers can’t be charged accurately to cover their products’ contribution to recycling costs. Of course, if all authorities collected refuse and recycling in the same ways, this analysis would be far easier to average out for the country as a whole. As that’s not the case, individual authorities will need their own WCA.

Emissions Trading Scheme

This scheme focuses on carbon dioxide emissions, in line with the UK’s plans for Net Zero. The Government’s policy paper was released in December 2023 and the scheme is a replacement for the UK’s participation in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS).

Essentially, companies and organisations (including local authorities) will need to “buy allowances” from the Government to emit carbon dioxide. These allowances will be reduced in number, year on year, resulting in price increases. The idea is that businesses will strive to move to more eco-friendly operations to avoid the additional costs.

For local authorities, allowances will need to be purchased for all fossil-derived material (mainly textiles and plastics) processed through Energy from Waste Plants (currently landfill and anaerobic digestion are outside of scope).

Compliance with the scheme will require accurate data on the waste being collected by individual authorities- another reason for our recent uptick in WCA enquiries.

Simpler Recycling Proposals

You can read in-depth info on this in our recent blog, but to summarise: the updated rules will include a weekly food collection service (which should be in place across the country by March 2026), as well as unified rules for what can be recycled for all residents, educational establishments and businesses.

With the standardisation of recycling rules across the country aside (as deadlines are still being confirmed), the food waste collection element alone will require huge changes from local authorities. WCA will be vital for estimating the amount of food waste that will need to be collected.

Thoughts from Integrated Skills

Having been providing WCA services for nearly 15 years, we fully understand the wealth of information that can come from professional analysis. Our WCA clients currently include West London Waste Authority, Luton Borough Council, States of Guernsey, South Gloucestershire Council, Wigan Council, and City of London Corporation, amongst others.

With so many changes on the horizon, knowing what is currently being collected and how your collections could be altered to suit your community, your budget, and the new policies coming into play is essential.

We’ll leave you with a word from our Director of Business Development, Stuart Henshaw:

“After a policy drought for some time, the recent deluge of new policy from Government and its three-letter acronyms, DRS, EPR & now ETS, together with Simpler Recycling (2026 and 2027 versions), has got many Local Authorities thinking about Waste Composition Analysis services to help to steer a course through this legislation.

Integrated Skills have been building these policy requirements into our analysis so we can tailor our reports and provide our clients with details of their exposure to this new legislation as well as the more familiar answers provided by waste composition analysis.

Government’s inclusion of Energy from Waste plants into the UK Emissions Trading Scheme will have a major impact on UK local authority waste services. The cost to already cash-strapped authorities will be huge, and the measures that will be required to alleviate these costs will mean a significant change in producer, consumer, and recycling behaviour.”

The post Waste Composition Analysis: A Service on the Rise appeared first on Integrated Skills.

Simpler Recycling Reforms Laid Out After Two Year Wait

In late October 2023, the Government released the details of their recycling reform plan for England. It’s the first time we’ve heard from them on this subject for a couple of years, and the plans have been largely well-received.

The updated rules include a weekly food collection service (which should be in place across the country by March 2026), as well as unified rules for what can be recycled for all residents, educational establishments and businesses.

The aim is to “boost recycling rates and protect the environment”, but some industry experts are raising the usual questions of funding while also asking, do the new rules go far enough to really have an impact?

Here we’ll be discussing the effect of the new rules on local authorities, including their current fleets, future replenishment programs, route-planning, and budgets.

What Are the New Rules?

The Government announced their new rules via a press release on the 21^st October 2023. Billed as a “new, simpler, common-sense approach to recycling”, the two-pronged rules state that:

• All local authorities will need to provide recycling services for a standardised list of materials regardless of location or current infrastructure (no deadline expressed) and
• Provide weekly food waste collections by 2026

Still in the proposal stage and subject to consultation with local authorities, the details (such as by which date the ability to handle the list of recyclable materials must be in place) will be confirmed in statutory guidance.

Currently, food waste is largely taken to landfill. This is obviously less than ideal as food waste could be utilised for bio-fuel, and, as the UK sent 6.8 million tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) to landfill in 2021 (up from 6.1 million tonnes in 2020), something definitely needs to be done to reduce this wastage. Unfortunately, food waste poses a couple of issues:

• It’s extremely heavy
• It must be separated out from all other forms of refuse
• It must be collected in a timely fashion to prevent odours and pests

Currently, only about 50% of English councils collect food waste separately, due to the above, and due to a lack of funding or infrastructure for the waste to be dealt with in a suitable manner. Most are waiting to see just where the funding will come from for the weekly food waste collection requirement.

What Challenges Will the New Rules Pose for Local Authorities?

The logistics behind such a huge change in requirements will be an issue that’s looming large for local councils. Even with the standardised list of recyclable materials put aside for now (due to a lack of deadline) they’ll be tackling some complex decisions to fall in line with food waste collection rules.

They’ll be faced with augmenting existing fleets (which may be owned outright, held on leases or a mixture of the two) and planning fuel-efficient routes for heavy food waste to be collected- all with no current guarantees around additional funding.

“The new rules on food waste collection are welcomed by the industry, but they do create some challenges for local councils- especially when considering the makeup of the existing fleet. Do they have the most suitable mix of vehicles to manage an increase in food waste collection? They will need to do lots of modelling of food collection tonnages by household and property type and match that to their current fleet capacity” Stuart Henshaw, Director of Business Development at Integrated Skills

Some may be able to exit leases just at the right moment, or to sell vehicles they own outright, enabling them to opt for more eco-friendly, electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles. They may even be able to obtain food waste-specific vehicles.

“Here is an excellent opportunity for city authorities especially to roll out electric or hydrogen vehicles, dedicated to food waste collection. In recent years there have been several food waste collection trials using electric vehicles which have proven to be very suitable and cost-effective in the city environment.” Alan Paget, CEO at Integrated Skills

For others who own their fleets, adapting current vehicles with food waste pods may be their only option, although this isn’t possible for all models.

A Question of Funding

Whichever options local councils go for, it’s clear that government funding will be required, however, no details have been released on that particular subject.

A National Association of Waste Disposal Officers spokesperson said “We do not have certainty with regards to funding, whether that is coming from the Government under the New Burdens doctrine for food waste, or from producers through EPR for packaging. Funding certainty is critical for local authorities to be able to make investment decisions at a time when they face increasing levels of financial pressure. 

In a time of squeezed budgets and financial uncertainty, we hope the consultation stages culminate in a clear funding plan for local councils to work with.

Will the Rules be Effective?

While dedicated food waste collections have been welcomed, the Governments continuing commitment to provide at least fortnightly residual waste collections has been seen as an undercut to the aims of the proposals. Many industry experts believe that, without a reduction in these collections, households will continue to dispose of food waste in their residual refuse bins.

Cathy Cook, Chair of the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee, has challenged the idea that weekly food waste collections will reduce landfill waste:

“We find the proposal to restrict residual waste collections to at least fortnightly disappointing. Collection Blueprints in Wales and Scotland have shown how limiting residual collections while providing weekly food waste collections is instrumental in encouraging recycling and minimising non-recyclable waste.

Feedback from our members underscores that, on average, 40% of household rubbish is food waste. Weekly and fortnightly refuse collections do not incentivise food waste recycling.”

Nina Schrank from Greenpeace gave her opinion to BBC News:

"The government is fiddling with a system that's fundamentally broken… they need to get serious and back measures to cut the amount of plastic packaging we produce as a country in the first place."

How Can Integrated Skills Help?

Regardless of the chatter around whether the new rules will have the desired impact, we’re poised to support local authorities through this transition.

Regardless of fleet types, route optimisation will be essential to keep costs and emissions to a minimum and to enable teams to plan for any new vehicles or adaptations to existing fleets.

We have worked with many local authorities to model the logistics of whether separate food waste collection vehicles should be a separate fleet or introduced as food waste pods on new RCVs being purchased.

Some Councils use both, a great example of which can look like this for fortnightly collections:

• Week one: Food waste is collected by the main, frontline vehicles (with pods)
• Week two: Food waste is collected by lower cost, lower impact food waste vehicles

If you’re not already working with us, get in touch today!

The post “Simpler Recycling” Reforms appeared first on Integrated Skills.

An opinion piece by Alan Paget, CEO of ISL

Last month the EU announced plans for legally binding food waste reduction targets for member countries. In the UK the government ditched proposals to force companies to report on food waste and has “no plans” for mandatory targets for prevention.

Yet another U-turn by the UK government on a key environmental pledge? A consultation ended a year ago on annual reporting of food surplus & waste plans first promised by ex-Defra environment secretary Michael Gove in 2018, to be followed up by mandatory targets “should progress be insufficient”. Gove was praised for taking bold action to tackle food waste one of the main causes of carbon emissions.

Interestingly the government secured the ability in the Environment Act to impose mandatory targets. The move comes despite supermarkets & food waste experts warning that progress was being undermined by a lack of mandatory reporting, and that mandatory food waste reporting is essential if UK wants to meet Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 - to halve food waste by 2030 (Sustainable consumption and production | Department of Economic and Social Affairs (un.org)).

The European Commission, on the other hand, has set out proposals for legally binding targets to reduce food waste by 2030, including a 30% reduction for households, restaurants, and retail. Under the plans, member states will be legally obliged to reduce overall food waste in stores, restaurants and households by 30% per capita by the end of 2030 while food manufacturers will be set a lower target of 10%.

The UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has also recently delayed the roll-out of EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility - a policy holding producers responsible for the collection, sorting, recycling or disposal of their product packaging). His government put the kybosh on the DRS (Deposit Recycle Scheme) in Scotland that resulted in Circularity Scotland going into administration with debts and liabilities of £86 million. In addition the prime minister has also ‘tweaked’ other green policies, such as delaying a target for improving home insulation, and ordering a review of low-traffic neighbourhoods in England.

Is this a shift away from green policies in light of political pressure from net-zero sceptics in the Conservative Party? "In terms of policy, little has actually changed," according to Jack Richardson, the head of energy and environment at the centre-right Onward think tank. But there has been a shift in messaging, he adds. "The majority of people across all demographics, regions, and major political parties back net zero and want to tackle climate change, but they do not want unfair costs put on them to get there." Opinion polls back this up, suggesting climate action that involves personal costs or changes to lifestyle is not popular - Net zero sceptics warm to Rishi Sunak's climate shift - BBC News

Simon Roberts, CEO of Sainsbury’s, was recently quoted as saying “The [EPR] decision is also an important step in minimising further pressure on food inflation…”. Regarding EPR specifically, Steve Gough, CEO at Reconomy brand Valpak, states that “In the current economic climate, stakeholders face tough choices. With consumers under significant pressure from the cost-of-living crisis, both government and businesses are struggling to balance budgets against a commitment to progress with environmental improvements”.

So why has the UK government taken such decisions? During times of national financial difficulty progressive environmental programmes are, it appears, an easy target and one of the first items on the UK Government agenda to be delayed. Or should that read ‘during times of political uncertainty, with a general election looming, progressive environmental programmes are easy targets for politicking’, and food recycling is just one of many environmental initiatives to be affected.

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It’s been all over the news. Westminster ‘scuppering’ Scotland’s DRS by insisting that glass containers are excluded or, depending on your political leaning, Westminster making a pragmatic decision about how recycling is managed throughout the UK. And for the conspiracists, the lobbying by the UK glass recycling sector of Conservative politicians has unduly influenced centralised decision making with the devolved government left powerless.

So why is glass so important? Any benefits gained from glass deposit return are complicated by the fact that there is already a well-honed system of kerbside recycling in place, operated by local authorities directly or via their external contractors that feeds into a mature and highly competitive recycled glass market.

After collection the glass recyclate is processed and sold on. Many people think that recycled glass bottles are used to make more glass bottles. In fact, most of the collected glass containers is used to make other, lower-value materials like fibreglass and sand. The UK’s current glass recycling is not 100% based on a “closed-loop” model. The UK’s closed loop recycling rates for glass is just 43 percent, compared to 61 percent in France and 77 percent in Germany. These continental countries operate localised DRS schemes a number of which include glass. All evidence suggests that including glass containers in DRS provides the biggest benefits, economically, financially and environmentally.

Collecting glass for onward recycling presents several challenges and local authorities spend millions of pounds each year in their glass collection operations. Glass is heavy and bulky, making transportation and storage more challenging compared to other recyclable materials. Specialised collection and transportation infrastructure is required to handle the weight and fragility of glass, and the capital investment required to process glass is considerable.

The investment is made worthwhile due to market demand and economics. Like all recyclable materials, there is a market demand and economics that affects their viability in the circular economy. The demand for recycled glass can fluctuate based on factors such as the availability of cheaper virgin materials and market conditions. If the demand for recycled glass is low, it can create challenges in finding viable markets for the recycled glass. The value of glass is a major factor in the debate round Deposit Return Schemes. With the UK’s internal market being structured as is, having one devolved nation collecting glass in a DRS would, according to the UK government based in Westminster, create a permanent divergence of the Internal Market Act (the Act which that ensures the free flow of trade within the borders of the UK).

When thinking of collected glass containers as a commodity, there is host of factors that affect its value.

Glass comes in different colours, such as clear, green, and brown. Sorting glass by colour is essential for producing high-quality recycled glass products. However, colour sorting can be challenging and requires additional processing steps that adds additional cost.

Glass is often broken into small pieces during collection and transportation, making it difficult to separate from other materials. Contamination from non-glass items, such as plastics or paper, can also occur, reducing the quality of the recycled glass. Conversely, broken glass can downgrade the quality of other dry recyclate, especially paper and card.

Handling and processing glass waste can be hazardous due to sharp edges and the risk of injury. Proper safety measures need to be in place for workers involved in collecting, sorting, and processing glass.

Addressing these challenges through improved collection methods, advanced sorting technologies, public awareness campaigns, and the development of markets for recycled glass products is an ongoing process. The DRS debate adds yet another level of complexity to an already complicated technical process and business model.

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The UK has come a long way in terms of the volume of disposable waste it now recycles. However, there is clearly room for improvement, with sharp differences in recycling levels between different parts of the country and different industry sectors.
The UK government is committed to increasing overall levels of recycling, having signed up to EU quotas and initiating domestic legislation to encourage recycling. Local authorities play an important role in encouraging greater recycling, arguably of equal importance to the actions of central government.
In this article we look at the UK’s current recycling targets, what incentivised recycling schemes actually are, and the potential role they play in meeting these targets.
What Are The UK’s Recycling Targets?

Had we written this article in August 2015 it would have been far easier to explain what the UK’s recycling targets were and what they were going to be for the next 15 years to 2030! In the last two years, however, there have been a lot of changes. Brexit is a wildcard as it places a question mark over the extent to which the EU’s 2020 and 2030 recycling targets will still form the basis of UK policy. This will become clearer over the next five years. The UK government also revised its own independent recycling targets in the Spring Budgets of 2016 and 2017.
EU Recycling Targets
The EU has issued a range of ambitious recycling regulations that enjoin member states to meet demanding recycling targets for household waste, landfill, municipal waste, paper, plastic, wood and metal recycling.
By 2020, member states should be able to demonstrate that 50% of household waste is being recycled. It is an open question at the moment whether or not the UK will reach this goal (if the target still stands at all, as the UK will no longer be an EU member at this stage.) However, in 2013/14 household waste recycling figures for England stood at 44.2%, according to DEFRA’s own estimates.1 This was an increase of only 0.1% on the figures for 2012/13, so many observers are concerned that, unless there is a step change in recycling policy, the UK will fall short of its target.
EU targets up to 2030 are even more ambitious. Propositions introduced at the end of 2014 suggested 70% recycling levels for municipal and household waste, with 90% for paper, 80% for wood, 90% for metal and glass, and 60% for plastics. The UK government has been critical of these proposals since 2015, refusing to formalise its stance on the matter. Meanwhile, the European Commission settled on a final figure of 65% for overall recycling for all member states by 2030, along with measures to reduce landfill and cut back on packaging disposal.
UK Recycling Targets
In March 2017, Chancellor Philip Hammond revealed a new raft of recycling targets up to 2020 as part of the 2017 Spring Budget2. These mostly cover packaging materials, with glass and plastic materials being covered by the 2016 Spring Budget. Targets include 75% recycling for paper, 80% for glass, 64% for aluminium, 85% for steel, 57% for plastic, 48% for wood and 75.4% for general municipal and household waste. These plans are ambitious and exceed the targets set by the EU. For wood recycling, for instance, the recycled volume is targeted to more than double from its 2016 level (22%) by 2020 (48%).
What Are Incentivised Recycling Schemes?
Local recycling incentivised recycling schemes have been in place in various forms throughout the country for a number of years. The more expansive schemes are currently operated by local authorities in London, Manchester and Milton Keynes, financed by £2 million in public funding made available through a former Coalition Government’s Reward & Recognition scheme. The primary guiding ethos behind these incentive schemes is to offer local householders redeemable incentive points for increasing their rate of recycling that can be ‘cashed in’ for use at local community services or shops.
These all look good on paper, but do they work? There is a body of research for both a positive effect, and not so positive. Research carried out by Serco in 20143 was sceptical about the impact of recycling incentive schemes. The analysis showed that, on average, authorities operating an incentive scheme experienced an 8% increase in recycling, with a 4% decrease in the volume of waste sent to landfill sites - compared to neighbouring local authorities that were not operating a scheme.
The survey interviewed 7,000 householders across the country, which indicated that only 25% were encouraged to increase their recycling efforts in response to the incentive scheme. 75% of respondents said they were already recycling as much as they could before the scheme was put in place.
The Verdict
So are incentive schemes the sole answer to the UK’s recycling problems? Probably not, at least not on their own. Incentivised recycling schemes do play a role in encouraging greater awareness of recycling among householders. However, unless they are adequately funded and publicised, incentive schemes are likely to have comparatively little impact on public attitudes to recycling: It is clear that if such schemes are to be deployed, they have to go hand-in-hand with greater education among businesses and the public about the value of recycling and the means to cut down on waste production.
www.ukisl.com/en/waste-management-consultancy/key-services/waste-and-resources-management/

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It was recently discovered that the recycling rates of England’s households had dropped at the end of last year for the first time. But what happened? We were doing so well, steadily increasing the amounts of waste we recycled year on year. See sources listed below.
England’s total waste recycled between 2014 and 2015 dropped 0.9%. Although this may not seem like a lot, it actually reflects the rate of waste that was being recycled in 2012. This drop in rate has brought about much discussion. It has also served to reveal that many companies as well as residents are confused about what can and cannot go into their recycling bins. Furthermore, it was discovered that insufficient promotion of the benefits of recycling, and how to do it properly, was another issue. See sources listed below.
The good news is that the UK is still recycling four times the waste than it was in 2000. However, there is still much work that needs to be done in order to reach recycling and waste targets.
The Issue With UK Local Authorities
One possible reason for the decline in recycling rates of late could relate to the reduction in funding from central government to local authorities (they are primarily responsible for collecting recycling in the UK). A clear correlation between slow recycling rates and austerity-driven budget cuts to local authorities has been identified. See sources listed below.
In 2015, for example, local authority budget cuts occurred at the same time as a drop in commodity markets for recycled materials. This ‘perfect storm’ came with a warning from the Environmental Services Association that the recycling rate would drop if some kind of policy intervention did not occur.
What The Private Sector Can Do
Despite the recent budget cuts, there is much that companies in the private sector can do to ensure that their own rates for recycling don’t drop. The regular review of waste management protocols needs to take place for several reasons, one being that regulations can change at any time. The government continues to work on ways to reduce waste being sent to landfill, and the regulations are bound to change as a result.
The advent of new recycling technologies can mean that items not able to be recycled previously can be recycled now. The type of waste a company produces can also be a factor. For example, if a business changes its manufacturing process, the types of materials it uses for manufacture can change as well.
Taxation On Packaging
One private waste company suggested that a tax be placed on companies that manufacture packaging. The suggestion outlined a sliding scale that would tax manufacturers according to the amount of packaging that was and was not able to be recycled. The importance of such ideas was echoed by at least one individual in government, namely Liberal Democrat shadow secretary Kate Parminter, who opined that the government needed to act now to offer some form of incentive that would boost recycling rates. See sources listed below.
The bottom line is that anything that cannot be recycled will cost a company or local authority to transport and deposit it in landfill. Frequent audits of the waste management process, policy and operational activity can reveal areas where improvement is needed.
Budget cuts and the inefficient promotion of recycling benefits do not take away from the fact that most individuals and many businesses already know how to properly recycle their waste, and are well placed to make improvements on the way they recycle to ensure diversion from landfill.
Sources:

1. http://www.adjacentopenaccess.org/farming-environment-marine-sustainable-news/recycling-rates-england-drop/30690/
2. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/15/recycling-rates-england-drop-first-time

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With more people on the planet than ever, consumption of food, electronics and other items continues to rise. By 2050, it’s estimated that the amount of raw materials needed to satisfy this demand will be equal to the output of 2.5 planet Earths.
The UK is currently diverting just under 40% of its municipal waste to landfill. This number puts the country behind others in Europe including Denmark, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. And with the rise of the Zero Waste movement, there is increasing pressure on countries to divert even more from landfill. The approach to waste policy obviously needs to change, and with technology having a greater influence than ever, there is some hope that this will be possible.

The Manufacturing Industry: The role of Technology

Ideally, changes to the amount of waste generated would be implemented right from the manufacturing stage, with a change in direction from disposable short-life products that encourage waste generation to life-lengthening actions like the introduction of software updates and incentives for keeping devices and other products for longer, as well as the easy conversion of products from their initial use to other uses.

The reuse and repair industry has certainly made much headway in changing what is largely a ‘disposable economy’. However, some questions remain with regard to how many times a product can be reused and repaired before it is no longer viable. But the quality of products can be increased through the design and manufacturing processes, thereby lengthening their life.

Technology’s impact on the manufacturing industry has certainly been a positive one; industry can now recover their waste via the process of “urban mining”. The safety of materials recovery, such as the recovery of copper have also been increased by the introduction of technology.

End-of-life plastics too are enjoying more capability for energy recovery thanks to technology, as well as being able to be placed back into recycling via reprocessing.

Technology and Waste Reduction in the Home

CRM software, as well as engagement with citizens via social media on smartphones and tablets, has had a positive impact on the type and amount of products that are being reused and recycled by residents. Waste management collection organisations, such as local authorities and their contractors, that use CRM software have benefited from more collaboration thanks to the opportunities that social engagement has provided.

Through citizens’ communication of their preferences and ideas via social media, waste management and recycling companies have been able to create marking campaigns over multiple channels that are tailored to customer preferences and needs. Social media has also helped companies to improve the quality of the service they provide.

Technology within the Recycling Industry

In using software that was specifically designed for use by waste & recycling collection companies, there have also been many benefits. Not only has technology helped companies reduce carbon emissions through optimised collection routes (using route optimisation software), but also with the processing and storage of the waste they collect. Such technology has also helped companies to achieve more integrated and productive operations producing ‘cleaner’ batches of recyclate for onward processing.

The Future of the Recycling Industry

With the integration of all manner of waste & recycling processing technology poised to continue, the role of waste management companies will increase in importance, whether they serve the commercial, industrial or residential sectors.
When combined with the efforts being made to communicate with individuals via tailored marketing and information campaigns as well as via social media, and individuals being more willing to communicate with local authorities and their contractors, it is expected that the entire industry will increase its efficiency, productivity and quality of service. And that means a healthier environment for all, regardless of their geographical location.

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