Many have been questioning the practice of sending waste plastics to China, fearful that the items are being dumped rather than being recycled. Officials obviously believe otherwise. A new report from the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) shows that the UK is doing its part by boosting plastics recycling rates - so much so that recyclers can’t process the massive amount of materials.
The report shows that sending the waste plastic bottles to China effectively uses less CO2 to be recycled as opposed to manufacturing with brand new materials. Research has shown that PET/HDPE bottles sent to China “accounted for on average less than a third of the CO2 saved by recycling”. Yet, a large number of container transportation ships used to carry goods from China to the UK make the return trip sans cargo. If the empty vessels returned with waste plastics on board, the overall transport emissions could be reduced to approximately one tenth of the total amount of CO2 saved by recycling.
The CO2 emissions study was conducted by consultancy Oakdene Hollins and its data reviewed by the ERM consultancy. Consultants believe that a similar arrangement could be beneficial in regards to paper recycling.
In an article on PRW.com, WRAP CEO, Liz Goodwin, said: “It may seem strange that transporting our unwanted paper and plastic bottles such a distance would actually be better for the environment but that is what the evidence from this study shows.”
To learn more, visit: wrap.org.uk
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