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More than recycling?

Recently EU reports raised concerns about the future of recycling in Europe. Despite having advanced and mature recycling systems, indications are that it’s not sustainable. Some people aren’t surprised by this, given that EU municipal recycling rates sit at around 40%. The UK, however isn’t faring much better with municipal recycling rates averaging 44%.

It’s unfair to take a blanket approach and say that recycling simply doesn’t work. In many ways it does and the methods and capabilities have expanded to include many more materials. Government policies such as the simpler recycling reforms are aimed and helping resource management become more effective.

Some sectors such as packaging achieved up to 75% recycling rates in 2024 which are comparable with The Netherlands 80% average. Will it ever get close to 100% recycling rates? Or is the circular economy an elusive dream?

Recycling challenges:

The reality is that as much as we’d like to, we can’t simply bend existing business models to become circular. They’re too entrenched. There are too many aspects that work against the circular principles and frustrate them. The market economics impacting recycling are just one example of this.

Virgin plastic is still much cheaper than recycled plastic which is a disincentive for companies to opt for recycled materials. In some countries there are age old subsidies ensuring the scales remain tipped in favour of virgin plastic production. Getting these subsidies removed or reduced involves going up against fossil fuel giants. As the recent failed plastics treaty talk demonstrated, their reach is wide and influential.

Many countries have implemented regulations requiring a certain percentage of packaging to be made from recycled plastic. There are two challenges that come with this. First is that major manufacturers often secure the majority of the recycled materials at a discounted rate. This once again tips the economies of scale making it less profitable for recyclers. It also ends up excluding smaller brands as they are unable to secure the recycled materials they need. Adding to the complexity is that blending materials makes the packaging harder to recycle and more costly, too.

Beyond recycling

As much as recycling efforts have improved and become more efficient, the question remains as the whether it’ll be enough. If the volumes of plastic and other materials continually entering the marketplace can’t be slowed, what other methods can be employed to manage waste streams more effectively? How can the resource management sector influence decisions being made about packaging and products to guide towards a more circular economy?

It's becoming increasingly evident that there’s no single solution. A switchover to a circular economy is likely to remain frustratingly slow because systems can’t be bent. They need to be redesigned and rebuilt. Everyone is looking for efficiency, for small incremental gains that can add up. If this cannot be achieved with pricing and getting more value for recycled materials, is there a way to achieve this through decarbonization? Both in recycling and further down the supply chain?

More than many other industry sectors, resource management understands the complexity of materials management. From collecting, sorting and processing to knowing the value different materials hold, once processed. They also understand the industrial inputs – energy, water, and how to manage and rehabilitate these resources.

It’s not just new legislation requiring companies to report on emissions that matters. Material costs are squeezing margins. Processes based on energy and resource intensive systems are resulting in waste – excess heat, polluted water, chemical by-products. Perhaps in trying to make manufacturing and the supply chain more profitable, the focus should switch from volume to making better use of what is being used.

Simpler processing

For decades the default has been recycling, yet with some products the more efficient route is to remove them from the recycling stream. Not to be dumped in landfill, but to be refurbished, repurposed and reused. This effectively reduces the resources required to retain value. Less processing, less energy, less water, less chemicals. Retaining the value of what exists rather than trying to reinvent it, can go a long way to help decarbonise industries.

It's about simplifying processes so that less inputs are required, but that products remain useful and valuable. A few examples of this: Office equipment – refurbishing and reusing desks and chairs, even cabinets and drawers, rather than replacing them with new or sending them to recycling. In construction, turning rubble into aggregates, reusing pallets, rather than breaking them up and scrapping them, delivering bricks strapped into crates rather than wrapped in plastic.

In processing: Water recovery systems that filter and reuse water, recycling it through processes. Heat recovery systems that capture and divert steam and heat to be used in alternate processes rather than letting it escape, reduce the energy requirement to create additional heat sources.

Green skills advantage

In resource management there are site managers, chemists, plant operators, maintenance technicians and more, that have a detailed understanding of the complexities of processing. If anyone is positioned to identify where processes can be simplified, it’s those with existing green skills.