Key findings from what’s described as the UK’s biggest flexible plastic kerbside recycling collection project (known as the FlexCollect initiative) appear to show that commingled flexible plastic collections are achievable, if state-of-the-art infrastructure receives sufficient investment. Envirotec offers perspective on how technology is enabling this progress, with material provided by Sherbourne Recycling, which provided one of the MRFs monitored in the study.
With mandatory kerbside collections set to be rolled out from 2027, a key objective is to help local authorities, packaging producers, policy makers and the wider plastics value chain better understand consumer behaviours and be armed to tackle common barriers. As part of the initiative, collection trials have been undertaken across nine different waste collection authorities over a three-year period.
The major takeaway is that flexible plastic packaging can be effectively and practically incorporated into existing collection systems and infrastructure, with minimal disruption to authorities or operators. Detailed modelling shows that using a 40-micron collection bag (i.e., 40 microns thick), filled and placed inside or next to an existing recycling container, offers a robust and efficient way to capture flexible plastic packaging without the need for extra crew or revised rounds.
One of the sites used for the trial was a materials recycling facility (MRF) in Coventry run by Sherbourne Recycling, a company run as a joint partnership between eight local authorities in the West Midlands. Data from the facility exemplified the overall findings that fully commingled processing of flexible plastic packaging, loose with other dry mixed recycling (DMR), is possible with sufficient investment in sorting infrastructure.
The site was used specifically to identify baseline data for flexible plastic recovery in commingled collections.
Greg Paradowski, technical and operations director at Sherbourne Recycling, said: “The FlexCollect project was a significant piece of work and it’s a real privilege to have contributed so impactfully to the resulting report alongside our partner authority, Warwick District Council who played a vital role.
“We harness the very latest in AI and robotics equipment to separate material to a more intricate degree than many other operational sites in Europe. While our line hadn’t necessarily been fully optimised to separate flexible plastic during the trial, we demonstrated the real-world capability of advanced sorting infrastructure.
“Indeed, our data was highlighted within the report as a demonstration of both current and future potential. With no modifications needed (such as additional bays or picking resources), our site validated the idea that the fully comingled processing of loose flexible plastic packaging is perfectly possible with the right investment and design.
“Even more interestingly, since the trial in 2024, our sorting accuracy has increased, and the capture rate ceiling is far higher than the initial results, giving us a great baseline on which to improve further. We’ve already been able to refine our calibration and improve our precision, thanks to the flexibility and adaptability of the plant. This means that, for householders within the local authorities we handle recycling from, their flexible plastics can be separated from a comingled recycling bin, a service we have launched already to six of the eight partner councils well ahead of 2027 policy implementation.”
“As the UK edges ever closer to new guidance around flexible plastics, driven in the main by Simpler Recycling legislation, a solution clearly exists to successfully capture material for recycling. For much of the UK’s existing recycling infrastructure, collecting flexible plastics in separate bags is absolutely the easiest and most cost-effective solution. In the future, however, as more MRFs begin to invest in truly state-of-the-art technologies, it’s clear to see that optimal results can be achieved.
“From a consumer engagement perspective, this is obviously the preference. As an industry, our goal must be to eliminate any complexity and confusion of kerbside recycling. This will prove instrumental in driving further recycling improvements and accelerating national progress towards a more circular packaging economy. From a local authority budget perspective, this would also reduce costs in the long-term. A win-win situation.”
