9 Out of 10 People Believe Plastic Recycling is Important
He said Viridor’s 2019 Recycling Index, which tracks public attitudes to recycling, found that nine in 10 (89 percent) of those polled believe that existing plastic should be used to create useful resources which that can be used again.
Mr Piddington said, “Our index also demonstrates that future buying choices will be influenced by packaging made from recyclable material (65 percent - up four points from 2018 - are more likely to buy products made from recyclable material) with 76 percent saying there should be mandatory lessons on recycling in schools.”
“The message from the public could not be clearer when it comes to recycling and putting recycled content back into the economy.”
“The UK Government, through the Resources & Waste Strategy and 2022 plastic tax, is helping to create a foundation for the investment which allows our sector to deliver sustainability targets. Avonmouth Resource Recovery Centre demonstrates Viridor’s commitment to these goals.”
Crucial Partnerships to Transition into Circular Economy
Viridor Resource Management MD Keith Trower said “Partnerships such as that with INEOS are crucial to the transition to the circular economy, where every product is comprised of a majority of recycled plastics. Viridor is putting environmental sustainability into practice working together with companies such as INEOS to create plastics with a lower carbon footprint with no compromise on technical performance.”
Mr Trower said, “This partnership brings together the expertise and investment that is the vital to translate our common sustainability targets into practical reality in the marketplace. This win-win partnership creates the important pathway to the circular economy and tackles the two tough issues of reducing the level of waste generated in cities and the creation of high value materials that can be used in high value, tailored applications across many markets. I am confident that the initiative between Viridor and INEOS will become the new paradigm in polymer manufacturing.”
“Sustainable quality, which is valued by an increasingly discerning public, is key. The UK public want to understand the environmental providence of their packaging and products and this is something we are in position to confidently offer the marketplace.”
Latest Technologies to Sort, Clean and Recycle Plastic
Viridor is using the latest technologies to sort, clean and recycle the many post-consumer plastics to the highest standards achievable with recycled plastics. INEOS applies their deep material science expertise to boost and tailor the properties of the new hybrid polymers so that they perform in the same way that customers demand.
INEOS Olefins & Polymers Business Director Liz Rittweger added, “Building up to 50 percent recycled content without losing the properties which our customers need is not a simple technical achievement. However, it is a very important milestone and demonstrates to the market that plastics can be successfully recycled and re-used in value applications.”
Since Q3 2019, INEOS has been able to offer a range of polyolefins which contain up to 50 percent recycled content without sacrificing on performance.