Clarity welcomes research highlighting impact of public confidence on recycling

A public survey by the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment (INCPEN) has highlighted the impact of transparency on public confidence in recycling.

Published on the 21 October 2021 at the Resourcing the Future conference, the survey of 2,000 citizens across England, Wales and Scotland reported that a lack of information about what happens to recyclates after collection is the top reason that negatively influences public confidence in recycling.

44% of respondents in England, 46% in Scotland and 50% in Wales said their own recycling behaviours are influenced by whether items actually get recycled. Conversely, the number of respondents saying their recycling behaviours are not influenced by whether items actually get recycled were 22% in England, 24% in Wales and 26% in Scotland.

In Wales, provision of information on what happens to recycling after collection is the top positive influence on public confidence in recycling at home. This is also the top reason in England, alongside having a good service that is reliable and well-designed. In Scotland, the top positive influence on public confidence in recycling at home is having a good service that is reliable and well-designed.

The top 4 positive influences in all three nations (in differing orders) were:

A good service that is reliable and well-designed: top in Scotland and equal first in England.
Information on what happens to recycling after collection: top in Wales and equal first in England
Information on how well the area is doing at recycling; and
Seeing lots of households in the area recycle effectively.

Other influences emerging from the survey include:

Seeing how the recycling is collected
TV news or documentaries about recycling (sixth positive influence in England and Wales)
Social media such as Facebook and Twitter; and
Word of mouth, family & friends.

Paul Vanston, CEO of INCPEN said of the survey: “A great plan now would be for the recycling supply chain to come together and shape the national and local actions to help improve public confidence because this will help with public behaviours and bolster recycling rates. INCPEN is continuing our work with those councils that have a great history of providing public information on what happens to recyclates. We are ready to broaden the partners, and the agenda, to ensure public confidence is actively supported.” 

“Everyone involved in the recycling industry needs to understand that there remains a trust issue from the public. This is not surprising: BBC, Sky and ITV reports clearly show plastic waste being mishandled when exported and Greenpeace have identified numerous instances of illegal behaviour.”

Jimmy continued: “Whilst it is clear there is much work to be done, we are proud to be doing our bit as a responsible supplier within the packaging recycling chain, developing our assurance scheme, and enabling a safer, more sustainable way for businesses to comply with the packaging regulations. We look forward to working alongside the industry to rebuild trust and share the extensive insights we are building by working alongside reprocessors to develop this.”.

Clarity’s Recycling Evidence Quality Standard

CREQS is an industry first standard for the packaging waste supply chain, providing a level of assurance to recycling evidence that has never been seen before. CREQS can ensure your business achieves safer, more responsible, and higher quality compliance with the packaging waste regulations. We are proud to lead the way in providing a more responsible and informed way for businesses to comply with the packaging regulations.