False celebratory stories about plastic recycling

Has the target for recycling plastic waste really been comfortably met in one fell swoop? If we can believe the published figures, almost half of the plastic packaging waste was collected and recycled last year. According to the providers of the figures, the deposit on plastic bottles can therefore be abolished. However, there is strong reason to doubt the accuracy of the figures. Since last year, the published recycling rates have been based on a new measurement method. According to Recycling Netwerk, this leads to poorer measurements and implausible recycling figures. The result is a 'false success story' that could cost deposit money – which ensures the best recycling – its life.

The target for 2010 was to recycle 38% of the packaging plastic put on the market. With the so-called Plastic-Hero approach, as much as 48% would now have been achieved, which would have amply met the agreements. Last year, State Secretary Atsma already anticipated these figures by speculating on a possible reward for the Plastic-Hero business community in the form of the abolition of deposits on PET bottles.

Recycling Netwerk, a coalition of environmental organizations, has looked into whether the praises could really be sung. With an input-output analysis, we looked at both the quantity of packaging put on the market and the quantity of packaging waste in all kinds of waste streams.

"Our analysis shows that figures have been juggled again to give a nice presentation of things," says Robbert van Duin of Recycling Netwerk. "The recycling of plastic packaging waste still appears to be insufficient. And we have been waiting since the last century for an effective approach that ensures waste prevention and the expansion of deposit collection."

The recycling percentage is calculated by determining what part of the packaging put on the market is actually recycled. "Companies have been made responsible for both achieving the percentages and supplying the figures. And now we are hearing false success stories. They report both too low a quantity of packaging put on the market, and too high a report of its recycling," says Van Duin.

Last year, they switched to a different measurement method, which resulted in an unprecedented 25% drop in plastic packaging waste compared to 2008. The new measurement method uses data from the Tax Administration, which has not been corrected for tax evasion, under-reported quantities and incorrectly reported materials. The spontaneous drop in the plastic packaging used also raises questions when compared to other European countries: suddenly the prosperous Netherlands has become a very light user of plastic.

Recycling Netwerk finds the situation with plastic PET bottles for soft drinks and water illustrative of the failing state of affairs. Van Duin: "Although the focus is precisely on collecting and recycling PET material, in 2010 a total of less than 5 ktons of PET came out of the sorting plants from all kinds of PET packaging. And that, while 20 ktons of PET was put on the market from those bottles alone. That figure of 48% recycling really makes no sense."

Has the target for recycling plastic waste really been comfortably met in one fell swoop? If we can believe the published figures, almost half of the plastic packaging waste was collected and recycled last year. According to the providers of the figures, the deposit on plastic bottles can therefore be abolished. However, there is strong reason to doubt the accuracy of the figures. Since last year, the published recycling rates have been based on a new measurement method. According to Recycling Netwerk, this leads to poorer measurements and implausible recycling figures. The result is a 'false success story' that could cost deposit money – which ensures the best recycling – its life.

The target for 2010 was to recycle 38% of the packaging plastic put on the market. With the so-called Plastic-Hero approach, as much as 48% would now have been achieved, which would have amply met the agreements. Last month, State Secretary Atsma already anticipated these figures by speculating on a possible reward for the Plastic-Hero business community in the form of the abolition of deposits on PET bottles. Recycling Netwerk, a coalition of environmental organizations, has looked into whether the praises could really be sung. With an input-output analysis, we looked at both the quantity of packaging put on the market and the quantity of packaging waste in all kinds of waste streams. "Our analysis shows that figures have been juggled again to give a nice presentation of things," says Robbert van Duin of Recycling Netwerk. "The recycling of plastic packaging waste still appears to be insufficient. And we have been waiting since the last century for an effective approach that ensures waste prevention and the expansion of deposit collection." The recycling percentage is calculated by determining what part of the packaging put on the market is actually recycled. "Companies have been made responsible for both achieving the percentages and supplying the figures. And now we are hearing false success stories. They report both too low a quantity of packaging put on the market, and too high a report of its recycling," says Van Duin. Last year, they switched to a different measurement method, which resulted in an unprecedented 25% drop in plastic packaging waste compared to 2008. The new measurement method uses data from the Tax Administration, which has not been corrected for tax evasion, under-reported quantities and incorrectly reported materials. The spontaneous drop in the plastic packaging used also raises questions when compared to other European countries: suddenly the prosperous Netherlands has become a very light user of plastic. Recycling Netwerk finds the situation with plastic PET bottles for soft drinks and water illustrative of the failing state of affairs. Van Duin: "Although the focus is precisely on collecting and recycling PET material, in 2010 a total of less than 5 ktons of PET came out of the sorting plants from all kinds of PET packaging. And that, while 20 ktons of PET was put on the market from those bottles alone. That figure of 48% recycling really makes no sense."