The UK’s Natural Source Waters Association (NSWA; www.naturalsourcewaters.org.uk), which represents companies in the beverage industry, is concerned that the term “single-use” is repeated too often, and that British consumers do not understand it. This, it says, is having a negative impact on recycling. In a recent study conducted for the association, 46% of respondents said they thought the term meant the item described had to go to landfill or for incineration. In an attempt to differentiate between non-deposit bottles and unrecyclable plastic products that are in the process of being banned, such as cotton buds or balloon sticks, the industry body stresses that PET bottles are completely recyclable.

Repeated use of the term without thought of the unintended consequences might explain why 30% of respondents did not know that plastic drinks bottles are 100% recyclable, the association believes. “If we’re really going to improve recycling rates we all need to use clear, positive language,” says Bryan McCluskey, circularity director at NSWA. “The term ‘single-use plastics’ is not helping people to do the right thing with their plastic bottles.”

NSWA points out that water bottlers are increasingly using recycled plastics in their packaging, as outlined in the UK “Plastic Pact” 2018 report published in 2019 – see Plasteurope.com of 07.06.2019. According to McCluskey, NSWA members’ bottles in some cases use as much 100% recycled content, and the association is working with the Scottish and UK governments on the introduction of deposit return systems.

The need for a clear and balanced discussion on packaging was highlighted in the “Plastic Promises” report of the UK’s Green Alliance (www.green-alliance.org.uk). The alliance, which bills itself as a charity and an independent think-tank for the environment, “has warned against the consequences of demonising plastics and rushing to find alternatives, thereby running the risk of simply substituting current environmental problems with new ones,” as the association notes.

To help improve recycling rates, it is important to have positive messaging that encourages people to put items such as PET drinks bottles in the recycling containers, the bottlers stress. This, they say, will prevent the containers ending up in landfill or being littered and also help secure the recycled material producers are keen to use in packaging.

At least one environment NGO in the UK takes a dramatically different view of where the problem lies. Sian Sutherland, a campaigner with the group A Plastic Planet, told the trade journal Food Navigator that the issue here is not primarily one of recycling. “Surely 91% of all plastics is actually single-use. It is always eventually going to be incinerated, end up in landfill or pollute our planet,” Sutherland said. Rather than “spinning language” to justify plastics use, the drinks industry should take responsibility for the crisis and stop using it.