News

A step-change in the technology to recover and reuse waste plastic in the milk sector has been revealed by a report on the status of, and prospects for, milk packaging in the UK.

The report from AMI Consulting said a major shift in the use of recyclate required improved collection and recycling, proof of safe use and regulatory approval.

It comes days after the government's 'milk roadmap' set a target for half of all milk packaging to be made from recycled material by 2020.

AMI's report examined how recycling would unfold in the segment and the future role for PET, rPET, HDPE, rHDPE and pouches.

John Nash, strategic research manager at AMI Consulting, said: "Consumers want more environmentally sensitive solutions in milk packaging, but they don't want to give up the functionality of existing packaging. The industry needs to develop solutions based on robust lifecycle analysis to address consumers' concerns."

Around 130,000 tonnes of plastics is used in milk packaging in the UK each year.