Why the UK’s New Simpler Recycling Legislation Isn’t Good Enough

The plastics lie 

We’ve been heading down a one-way road for decades — and the plastics industry (read: Big Oil) has been aware of recycling’s inadequacy for more than 30 years. A damning 2024 report, ‘The Fraud of Plastic Recycling’ proved that plastics producers have long known that recycling is not a viable solution for managing plastic waste. An internal 1986 report from trade association the Vinyl Institute said, “recycling cannot be considered a permanent solid waste solution [to plastics], as it merely prolongs the time until an item is disposed of.” In 1989, the founding Director of the Vinyl Institute told attendees at a trade conference, “Recycling cannot go on indefinitely, and does not solve the solid waste problem.” 

And yet, in spite of this knowledge, the industry consciously and deliberately promoted recycling to consumers and to industry. "If the public thinks that recycling is working, then they are not going to be as concerned about the environment," Larry Thomas, former president of the Society of the Plastics Industry (now called the Plastics Industry Association) said in an interview with NPR. 

The myriad failures of the plastic recycling system 

While it’s theoretically possible for most used plastic to be turned into new things, the processes of collecting it, shipping it, sorting it and melting it down are significantly more difficult — and expensive — than creating new plastics from oil and gas, and all of these processes carry their own environmental impacts. Plastic also degrades each time it is reused, meaning there’s a limit on its lifetime, even under the best circumstances. Working in combination with the bottomless greed of the oil industry, these factors render plastic recycling vastly less successful than that of aluminium, paper and glass. The global recycling rate for plastic remains at a dismal 9% and, in fact, less than 10% of plastic that has EVER been produced worldwide has been recycled. 

Instead, plastic waste is dumped in landfills, buried under the earth, burned or — in a shocking example of the wealthy Western world’s continued disregard for the Global South — shipped overseas to countries like Malaysia and Indonesia. 

We need a revolution 

Learning that we have all been duped for decades can inspire one of two responses: apathy and anger. Unfortunately, we are living at a critical moment in our planet’s history — we simply don’t have the luxury of sliding into apathy. We need to channel our anger into action. These revelations need to spark a revolution.  

The UK’s Simpler Recycling legislation will be introduced from the end of March and calls for better separation of waste from businesses. While initiatives like this are clearly a step in the right direction, they are nowhere near fast or radical enough; instead, we need measures that shift our attitudes and prevent waste being created in the first place. We desperately, urgently to end our reliance on plastic and embrace something completely different, something revolutionary in its disregard for the profit-before-everything grind of capitalism: a circular approach. 

For this to be successful, we need much more comprehensive systems put in place, worldwide. Governments need to allocate more budget for upgrading recycling infrastructures and waste processing facilities and for creating new, circular packaging options. They must place vastly more stringent legislative pressure on industry — pressure that’s predominantly focused on limiting the amount of plastic produced in the first place, rather than recycling it. 

Change is possible 

This is a challenge, but it is possible. Technological advances are increasingly finding new, plant-based and biodegradable alternatives to plastic, some of which are already growing at scale. In the meantime, one tiny island in Greece has been successful in driving its waste down to zero — an inspirational example that highlights the possibilities of a circular approach. Before its Just Go Zero project began, Tilos sent 87% of its waste to the dump; now, a firm 100% of it is diverted from landfill. The scheme has proved such a success that the island no longer has any rubbish bins and its landfill site has shut down. Instead, at the Centre for Creative Upcycling, items are repaired, reused, or turned into art supplies or building materials. Visitors to the island are required to take part; hotels have special equipment for separating rubbish, and tourists can visit the Zero Point Information Centre to get cloth bags for shopping. If an island can do this, so can a business; if a business can do it, so can an industry.

While there is an urgent need for governmental and legislative support, we can’t afford to wait. We need visionaries across every sector to lead the way. For hospitality, there is a real opportunity for hospitality businesses to re-envision how waste is prevented and managed within their own operations — and to spread this shift further throughout their supply chains and in consumer communications. The benefits are numerous: reduced costs; improved reputation and customer loyalty; tangible actions you can use in your marketing materials; and being well-prepared for tighter legislation down the line.

Tips for hospitality businesses: say ‘no’ to single-use plastic 

Look out for our case studies and interviews later this month, where we’ll be exploring creative and effective ways in which hotels and restaurants are driving their waste levels further and further down. In the meantime, sign up to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn to stay up to date with stories and insights from across our global network!