More plastic recycling capacity required

Plastic packaging tax (PPT) receipts in 2022-23 totalled £276m according to HMRC statistics. Fully 39% of the total plastic packaging manufactured in and imported into the UK was declared as taxable under the PPT. Of the remaining 61% declared 40% contained 30% or more recycled plastic 21% was either exported intended for export or converted and less than 1% was exempt because it was used for the immediate packaging of human medicines.

Noting that the amount of packaging in the UK containing recycled plastic rose from 31% of all packaging to 44% within the first six months of the PPT’s introduction Abigail McGregor legal director at Pinsent Masons said that the surge in business usage of recycled plastic within the first two quarters suggests that the tax has had the intended impact. However she warns that figures in...