Industry Leaders Unite at The RECOUP Summit to Shape the Future of Circular Plastics

The 2026 RECOUP Summit, sponsored by WRAP and Ecosurety, held on the 4 March in Leeds, brought together delegates from across the plastics, packaging, recycling, retail, manufacturing and policy sectors to explore the challenge of future advancements for the plastics circular economy.

A key theme was how the UK’s recycling system must adapt to reflect modern material flows. ReallyRecycle outlined a future where decentralised micromanufacturing hubs turn waste into new products locally, while Enviroo highlighted the current mismatch between supply and demand for recycled content, and the need for greater domestic processing capacity and more stable market conditions.

The role of AI, data and transparency was also emphasised. Polytag demonstrated how tracking packaging through digital markers can provide real-world insight into what happens to materials after use, supporting better design, clearer policy, and more effective recycling and reuse systems. Organisations including Sherbourne Recycling and Greyparrot highlighted how intelligent sorting and real-time data are improving material quality and enabling recovery of more challenging waste streams, while Cauli demonstrated how similar technologies are being applied to scale reuse systems.

Alongside system-level discussions, the summit showcased emerging material innovations. Developments from Woodly, Pulpex, and ReZorce demonstrated how packaging is evolving to balance performance with environmental impact from biobased plastics and fibre-based bottles to high-performance barrier materials designed with circularity in mind.

The summit concluded with a panel chaired by WRAP, featuring Borealis, Reconomy, Asda, Pepsico and IPL Brightgreen, reinforcing that no single solution will deliver circularity. Instead, progress will depend on collaboration across the value chain, supported by aligned policy, investment in infrastructure, and continued innovation.

The RECOUP Summit demonstrated that the transition to a circular economy is already underway, with innovation happening across materials, systems and infrastructure. The challenge now is to scale these solutions, align policy and investment, and ensure they work together to deliver meaningful, long-term impact.

For more information about RECOUP, visit www.recoup.org

Four out of five English local authorities without kerbside plastic film recycling collection are gearing up to launch it by 31st March 2027

Plastic resource efficiency and recycling charity RECOUP has published its annual UK Household Plastic Packaging Collection Survey, revealing that, of the English local authorities not yet offering kerbside flexible plastic packaging collections, four in five (78%) plan to do so on or before the Simpler Recycling deadline of the 31^st March 2027.

However, many appear to be leaving it late. Two thirds (67%) expect to introduce the service in early 2027, with almost half (47%) targeting the deadline day itself. Meanwhile, one in five (22%) say they do not intend to have a service in place by the required date.

Across the UK, progress to capture plastic film material remains slow. As of April 2025, only 16% of local authorities tell residents they can recycle plastic films at kerbside, a modest 2% rise on the previous year. All but one of the new adopters are in England, suggesting the change has been driven largely by upcoming legislative requirements. In 2024, just 31,000 tonnes of plastic film was estimated to be collected for recycling out of 420,500 tonnes Placed on the Market, equating to a 7% collection rate.

While initiatives such as the FlexCollect project demonstrate that collecting and sorting flexible plastics can work, a lack of economically viable recycling end markets remains a critical barrier. The 2025 RECOUP Survey shows 60% of local authorities not currently collecting plastic films and flexibles have little confidence they can find end markets, and even 29% of those already offering kerbside collections share this concern. Stable and scalable end markets are an essential part of providing a cost effective collection service.

The recycling, or reprocessing, sector is also feeling intense commercial pressure. UK recyclers are struggling to compete with low-cost imports of virgin packaging and unverified recycled-content packaging, produced in countries with far lower operating costs. Addressing this imbalance, as well as making the UK a competitive, attractive location for recycling investment, remains a complex challenge.

The report highlights positive movement elsewhere. Kerbside collections of plastic pots, tubs and trays have seen a significant 4% increase, with 93% of local authorities offering this service. This is again likely influenced by Simpler Recycling in England legislation mandating their collection by 31^st March 2026, however, the report found that 8% of English local authorities were still not collecting these formats. 100% of UK local authorities continue to collect plastic bottles, a milestone first reached in 2019.

Local authorities are making significant efforts to communicate changes to their citizens. 83% plan to run waste or recycling communication campaigns between mid-2025 and April 2026 with information regarding changes linked to the Simpler Recycling reforms being one of the most common themes, alongside introduction of a new service, and reducing contamination. Significant inconsistency remains in messaging, including around asking for lids to be on or off bottles, packaging to be empty, rinsed, washed, flattened or squashed. Clear and consistent messaging remains essential in order to maximise material capture and ensure suitability for reprocessing.

Steve Morgan reflected: “The relatively quick transition to collecting and recycling flexible plastic packaging is the most significant change for household recycling kerbside collections since they began in the 1990’s. Sourcing commercially viable recycling end markets is essential, and although packaging EPR does not financially support end markets, they need to be an integral consideration for both PackUK and local authorities. Alongside end markets, improving material quality and effective consumer communication are both key to successful recycling services, and RECOUP will continue to be active to support local authorities and service providers to deliver these initiatives.”.

RECOUP Expands Laboratory Capabilities with New Microplastic Analysis Service

RECOUP, the UK’s leading independent authority and trusted voice on plastics resource efficiency and recycling, has expanded its in‑house laboratory through significant improvements to its microplastic analysis capabilities. This marks an important development in the organisation’s ability to examine plastics at a far more detailed level, strengthening the evidence base available to industry, researchers, and policymakers.

RECOUP’s enhanced microplastic analysis capability builds on the organisation’s established laboratory services, including recyclability assessments, material identification and sorting performance evaluation. The upgraded methods allow for more precise examination of microplastics, offering clearer insight into polymer types, particle size, morphology, and behaviour.

The improved approach enables RECOUP to detect microplastics previously hidden within complex materials such as soil samples. By digesting organic matter and applying density separation, the laboratory can isolate particles that standard visual analysis may miss. Using an FTIR microscope, RECOUP can now accurately identify polymers in particles as small as 200 μm, providing stronger confirmation of material composition and fragmentation behaviour. Integrating this capability with existing testing programmes allows RECOUP to link product design and recyclability outcomes with how materials behave in real‑world systems and environmental pathways.

Richard Cham, Technical Manager at RECOUP commented, “By enhancing our microplastic analysis, we are adding greater scientific depth to the services our members and partners already rely on. This new capability helps us uncover microplastics that were previously undetected in environmental samples and enables us to evaluate plastics more fully across their lifecycle so that organisations can take evidence-based action to reduce environmental impact.”

These advancements reinforce RECOUP’s continued commitment to supporting the plastics value chain through high‑quality analysis and evidence, practical guidance, and authoritative technical expertise. The improved microplastic analysis capability will support future research collaborations, policy development, and ongoing industry efforts to address plastic fragmentation and environmental impact.

To learn more about RECOUP’s improved testing services, please contact our laboratory team at enquiry@recoup.org or visit www.recoup.org.

Defra and Environment Agency Update Guidance on Collection of Packaging EPR Data

There was updated guidance on 17 February from Defra and the Environment Agency about what packaging EPR data needs to be collected.

The guidance outlines what data packaging producers need to collect and report to comply with EPR.

There are minor amendments for clarity and the update includes:

• The reusable packaging section now explicitly states that reusable packaging must be reported twice.
• The hired or loaned section clarifies that it is the service provider who must report, not the person hiring or borrowing.
• The plastic subtypes section adds household drinks containers to the list of packaging types requiring a rigid and flexible split.
• The tertiary packaging definition has been corrected.
• The shipment packaging definition covers all tertiary packaging supplied to consumers, not just online or mail order.
• The section on packaging already supplied by another producer has been rewritten, using “supplied” rather than “reported” as the legal trigger.

The full guidance can be viewed here.