BBIA has responded to a recent BBC article that compostable plastics are going to landfill in Wales rather than recycling because Welsh councils are unable to deal with them.
In a letter to the BBC, taking into account comments from BBIA members, BBIA reiterated the lower carbon impact of compostables and their ability to be able to be recycled through composting, eliminating plastic contamination of the food waste collected with them.
The issue is not with the compostables themselves, but with collection and infrastructure. To be composted, compostable plastics must be sent to a composting facility in order to biodegrade naturally at a temperature of around 58ºC. Currently, infrastructure and collection systems are insufficient and investment in these are needed to deal with compostable items coming on-stream, maintaining flexibility so that different treatment options are available to councils as waste streams change.
You can view BBIA’s response in full here.