Milk bottles to have 50% recycled HDPE by 2020

Around 80% of milk sold in the UK is contained in HDPE bottles, using some 120,000 tonnes of plastic. Plastics recycling body Recoup estimates that 37% of HDPE milks bottles are currently recycled, compared to the bottle average of 25%.

The roadmap sets a target for recycled material content of 10% by 2010, 30% by 2015 and 50% by 2020.

Milk bottle manufacturer Nampak Plastics, which was involved in the project, said it was in a "good position to meet the targets".

Business development director James Crick said he supported the dairy industry's focus on packaging in this scheme because milk bottles are "something people use every day".

"It's got to be the right approach, because to get recyclate we need to get people recycling."

Crick said the construction of materials recovery facilities as well as closed loop recycling plants, as well as pressure on local authorities to recycle, would help ensure the supply of recyclate.

"Everything's going in the right direction," he added.

The roadmap also commits dairy farmers to reducing greenhouses gases and boosting compliance with nutrient planning and animal health plans.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs developed the road map in conjunction with Nampak, the Waste & Resources Action Programme, retailers and dairy industry bodies.

Food and farming minister Jeff Rooker described the road map as a "major tool" to help cut the dairy industry's impact on the environment.

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