Cheltenham and South Gloucestershire have agreed to trial kerbside collections of flexible plastic packaging under the Flexible Plastic Fund (FPF) FlexCollect project – making them the first local authorities to do so.

Cheltenham Borough Council launched trial collections on 7 October 2022 and the South Gloucestershire pilot collections will begin on 17 October 2022.

The South Gloucestershire trial will be rolled out to approximately 2,000 selected households from parts of Bradley Stoke, Chipping Sodbury, Alveston and Olveston, providing them with ‘greater accessibility for the collection and recycling of their flexible plastics’.

Launched in May 2022, the £3 million FPF FlexCollect project has been presented as an ‘extensive pilot for household collection and recycling of flexible packaging’ in the UK, seeking to understand how to incorporate flexibles into existing collection services across different geographies and demographics.

Throughout the three-year project, up to nine councils are expected to participate voluntarily – each will receive financial support to roll out and operate the kerbside collections.

South Gloucestershire Council and Cheltenham Borough Council are now part of the initial ‘Pioneer Stage’ which will involve a series of flexible plastics household collection and recycling pilots across four local authorities.

In 2023, five local authorities will join them for the second ‘Industrialisation Stage’, which aims to provide an opportunity to build on the knowledge gained during the first stage.

This second stage will assist in the project's objective to build ‘an evidence base’ through which the industry can share learning and develop best practice with ‘key insights into the operational issues, yields and recyclability of flexible packaging, effective communications with residents, and the costs of incorporating it into the UK’s current recycling system.’

Speaking to Resource, Ecosurety said: "We will be looking into a range of recycling options, both here in the UK and in Europe. This is a research project and every aspect from collection to recycling will be under scrutiny – we will know where all the material goes and what happens to it."

FPF FlexCollect is co-funded by the Flexible Plastic Fund, Defra, UKRI’s Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge (SSPP), RECOUP and Zero Waste Scotland.

The pilot is co-managed by a consortium comprising the project co-funders, Ecosurety, SUEZ recycling and recovery UK and WRAP and benefits from industry and government partners, including Defra, LARAC and ESA.

Trudy Harrison, Resources and Waste Minister, said: “We know consumers want to do the right thing and these two local authorities are leading the way in ensuring more plastic film and flexible packaging is recycled.

“This innovative project will provide valuable evidence to support our proposals to roll out nationwide collections of plastic film from all households and businesses.

“This builds on our plans for major waste reforms which will boost recycling rates and create jobs in the waste management sector – driving real sustainable growth for the economy.”

Gareth Morton, Ecosurety’s lead for FPF FlexCollect, added: “We are thrilled to welcome Cheltenham and South Gloucestershire as our first pilot local authorities. This is a truly collaborative endeavour by a wide partnership of organisations with a critical interest in the outcomes, and we’re looking forward to working closely with everyone over the next three years to build an understanding of how the UK is going to, not only collect but also recycle flexible plastic packaging once EPR is introduced.”

Thomas Merry, Technical Development Manager for SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, the project managers for FPF FlexCollect, also commented: “A great deal of work by all partners has gone into getting these first collections off the ground in Cheltenham and South Gloucestershire and we’re delighted to see local residents embracing the opportunity to recycle more of their plastic packaging.

“Whilst Government finalises the detail of its waste reforms, the pilot is gathering valuable insights that will ease the way for the widespread roll out of collections of flexible plastic packaging, which will not only help to increase our recycling rate but also help to decarbonise our residual waste.”

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