The HTA has called on local authorities to collect plant pots in kerbside collections. It’s urging members to contact their local council. It wants to encourage them to commit to collecting and recycling non-black plant pots.
As well as providing a template letter, the HTA will write to the Local Government Association. It will highlight the issue and stress the need for consistency on collection.
This follows the publication released by RECOUP. It’s their 2019 ‘Household Plastics Collections Survey’.
It shows that 10% of councils collect plant pots as part of their kerbside collections.
This amounts to 40 councils; demonstrating an increase on previous estimates.
RECOUP’s ‘report provides the technical assurance that recyclable pots are recyclable.
This document outlines that there’s a demand among plastic reprocessors for non-black polypropylene. This is the material used to make the recyclable pots. Any concerns over pot contamination should not present any issues – if the pots are empty.
There is an increasing desire amongst consumers to ‘do the right thing’. They are looking to their local councils to help them achieve this.
The HTA says signs are encouraging, but more to be done
HTA Director of Policy and Communications James Clark comments, “While it is encouraging to see the number of local authorities collecting recyclable plant pots from the kerbside has increased, there is more work to do.
“There is no reason why all local councils could not collect recyclable pots. We’re calling on HTA member businesses to contact their local councillors to highlight the issue.
“This is part of our wider strategy to engage with local authorities and waste management companies. We want them to close the loop ensuring that an estimated 8,000 tonnes of pots are recycled from the kerbside.”
Stuart Foster, CEO of RECOUP, adds, “The positive response to our question on plant pot collection in our recent Household Plastics Collection Survey means that we are starting to gather more detailed information from local councils.
RECOUP has 30 years’ experience of working across the whole plastics resource and packaging industry. We’re now being approached by industries keen to explore how they can help create a circular and resource.”
