Too much plastic packaging waste incinerated rather than recycled, says EPA

 

Irish Times, 13.9.2022

Ireland is falling short on its commitments to recycle plastic packaging waste, and 2020 plastic packaging recycling rates were “a long way off” the 2025 EU target of 50 per cent, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has warned.

According to the EPA’s latest figures on packaging waste issued on Monday, recycling rates remain low for plastic at 29 per cent, with share of plastic packaging treated by incineration at 71 per cent.

Demanding EU targets on plastics are seeking to reduce associated carbon emissions and marine pollution, particularly from single-use items.

“Diversion to energy recovery [incineration] is happening due to poor segregation at businesses and homes, and challenges finding financially viable markets for lightweight and low-quality plastics,” the EPA says.

TRASH AND BURN: BIG BRANDS STOKE CEMENT KILNS WITH PLASTIC WASTE AS RECYCLING FALTERS

 An excellent Reuters report on Cement Kilns.

Trash and Burn

By Joe Brock in Singapore, Yuddy Cahya Budiman in Jakarta, John Geddie in Cauldon and Valerie Volcovici in Washington; additional reporting by Willy Kurniawan in Jakarta, Siddharth Cavale in Bangalore, David Stanway in Shanghai and Kate Abnett in Brussels

Graphics: Aditi Bhandari

Photo editing: Simon Newman

Video: Yuddy Cahya Budiman and Libby Hogan

Art direction: John Emerson

Edited by Marla Dickerson

Plastic in animal feeds

this report on the Guardian reveals that a bit of plastic in the animal feeds is ok ...and Legal!!!

A picture taken by farmer Alex Rock of some of the pellets of animal feed. Photograph: Alex Rock

More than 650,000 tonnes of unused food, from loaves of bread to Mars bars, are saved from landfill each year in the UK by being turned into animal feed. The system that strips off the plastic wrappings can’t capture it all, and so in the UK a limit of 0.15% of plastic is allowed by the Food Standards Agency.
The official EU level for plastic permitted in animal feed is zero although in reality many other countries operate within the same 0.15% limit.

Question: is UK part of EU? Yes! 
Question No 2: if so, why European laws are not followed in UK?
 

A moving front page on Plastic Plague