Developing the evidence for plastics recycling report

It is recognised that decisions on investment in new facilities can only be based on a robust understanding of the market opportunity.

The Developing the Evidence Base for Plastics Recycling in Scotland report is the first stage of a broader project which will also identify the potential reprocessing and recycling of waste plastic in Scotland.

Based on the analysis carried out it is concluded that:

• It is necessary for collection, management and reprocessing activities to all be developed to increase plastic recycling levels in Scotland
• These must be developed in parallel. It is not economically practical to expect one stage of the supply chain to be developed in advance of others
• There is significant value in optimising the integration of each part of the supply chain, to optimise the quantity and quality of materials available for reprocessing
• Scotland must be considered as an integral part of the UK plastic recycling infrastructure. New initiatives that complement existing UK recycling capability will offer maximum benefit to Scotland
• Increasing the quality (in terms of materials specificity, cleanliness and contamination) of materials collected will increase the potential for local (UK) recycling of materials