Plastic waste management in the UK
Every year the UK generates more than two million metric tons of plastic packaging waste. This equates to roughly 36 kilograms of plastic packaging waste per person. The quantity of plastic packaging waste collected per UK household averaged 20.12 kilograms in 2019.Collection rates vary as many local authorities cannot collect certain plastic products. Currently, the share of UK local authorities collecting plastic bottles for recycling stands at 100 percent, while 84 percent of authorities collect plastic pots and trays, and just 14 percent collect plastic film. The recycling rate of plastic packaging waste in the UK currently stands at 43.8 percent. However, due to inadequate recycling facilities and infrastructure, household plastic packaging that is collected for recycling is often shipped abroad. In 2020, UK exports of plastic waste totaled 0.54 million metric tons, with the majority sent to Turkey.