Clarification regarding reporting of plastic recycling in the media

In a news feature for SVT Nyheter, it was recently reported that more and more municipalities are recycling the plastic waste that is collected at the municipality’s recycling centers. This is good news, that shows that development is going in the right direction.

Aftonbladet editorial page followed up the feature with an article that it should be forbidden to burn recyclable plastic waste. In the article, the recycling of plastic waste that is left at municipal recycling centers was unfortunately mixed up with the recycling of plastic packaging that is often left at recycling stations.

 

Differentiate between plastic and plastic

Recycling stations and recycling centers are two separate collection systems for different types of waste. The municipalities collect plastic packaging from households via recycling stations or collection near the property. Näringslivets Producentansvar then collects its share of the collected packaging and is responsible for handling and recycling it, on behalf of our packaging producers.

Of our share, no plastic packaging goes directly to incineration. First, recyclable packaging is sorted out at Svensk Plaståtervinning’s Site Zero facility in Motala. Here, twelve plastic fractions can be sorted out at the world’s largest and most advanced sorting facility for plastic packaging. Packaging that cannot be recycled goes to energy extraction through incineration.

Plastic waste that is not packaging, for example broken sleds, toys and outdoor furniture, must be handed over to the municipality’s recycling centre.

 

Sort the cork, if it can be separated easily

Something that has also received a lot of media attention lately is attached caps on milk cartons. The reason more and more caps on milk packages are now attached is a new legislation that comes into force in July, which states that caps must be attached to beverage packages up to three litres. The aim is to reduce the litter caused by loose corks.

In some news features, it was claimed that corks left on the milk carton after source sorting are sent on for plastic recycling. That’s not true. However, the fact that the cork is left on the milk carton during source sorting does not affect the material recycling of the paper packaging, which makes up the largest part of the packaging. However, the plastic in the cork is not recycled if it remains on the packaging, but is extracted and used as process energy for the paper machine.

Henrik Nilsson, head of Business Development and Community Contacts, explains in P4 Sjuhärad what happens to the corks on the milk cartons and why they should be removed when sorting the packaging – scroll to 2:47:56

If you as a consumer want to make sure that the plastic cap on the milk packaging goes to material recycling, you can remove the cap from the packaging when you sort, if it is easy to do so. After that, it is important that you put the cork in the collection for plastic packaging and not throw it on the ground.

 

Litter targets collide with recycling targets

Legislation states that companies placing corked packaging on the market must ensure that the product’s cork remains attached to the packaging throughout its life, in order to reduce litter.

In the case of beverage packaging, the goal of reducing litter through attached caps collides with the goal of increasing the material recycling of packaging, by sorting out as much packaging material as possible and collecting it for material recycling.

 

More people need to sort more, not less

More plastic packaging needs to be sorted out and handed over for recycling, in order for Sweden to reach the recycling targets. We appreciate that the recycling of plastic packaging is highlighted in the media, but it is important that the facts and information are correct in the reporting. Incorrect information risks reducing consumers’ willingness to sort out their plastic packaging.

Together with our affiliated producers, we are working to ensure that more packaging is recycled, and for that to be possible, Sweden’s consumers need to continue to source-sort all their plastic packaging.