A survey commissioned by compostable packaging provider TIPA has revealed that a majority of adults in the UK support replacing plastic packaging with compostable alternatives.
Conducted by YouGov, the survey involved 1,734 UK adults and was carried out online from 15 to 16 November.
The data show that 85% of respondents would back a ban on conventional plastic packaging if compostable solutions are available, while 89% called on local councils to collect all recyclable or compostable packaging from households.
The survey also showed that more than 60% of people across the UK are concerned about the increase of plastic waste in their daily life.
In addition, YouGov found that 86% of people supported the collection of compostable packaging alongside food waste.
The UK aims to make all plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025 and recycle or compost 70% of plastic packaging in this timeframe.
TIPA co-founder and CEO Daphna Nissenbaum said: “It is encouraging to see such public support for compostables, but without government investment and the appropriate policy frameworks, the required collection infrastructure is unlikely to be in place to respond to overwhelming consumer appetite to mainstream compostable packaging.
“A few weeks ago, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee concluded that (the) government should reinvest any income raised from Extended Producer Responsibility fees and the Plastic Packaging Tax into recycling infrastructure, including compostable plastics, which appear to offer the best means of managing necessary, but difficult to recycle plastic, such as plastic film.
“If the government is committed to achieving its plastic reduction targets by 2025, it should consider supporting the development and growth of the compostables industry – or risk handing the advantage to polluting conventional plastic.”
In September this year, a group of five PhD students from the University of Portsmouth secured funding to study the problem of marine pollution caused by plastic packaging.
