FlexCollect Trial Shows Pathway for UK Flexible Plastic Packaging Collections

The UK’s largest flexible plastic packaging (FPP) collection trial has set out a blueprint for nationwide kerbside collections, but also flagged urgent needs for capacity expansion and policy reform ahead of mandatory rollout in 2027.

The three-and-a-half-year FlexCollect project, involving ten pilot authorities and 160,000 households, collected more than 400 tonnes of FPP—equivalent to 50 million bread bags. Participation averaged 60%, with household satisfaction reaching 89%. Trials showed that bagged collections integrated smoothly into existing systems, capturing higher-quality material than loose collections.

Projections suggest England could collect over 150,000 tonnes of FPP annually from 2027, rising to nearly 300,000 tonnes by 2040. But the report highlights challenges: UK recycling capacity is limited to 25,000–50,000 tonnes per year, while gate fees during the trial ranged from £80 to over £1,000 per tonne. Without investment in infrastructure, much of the collected material risks lacking a viable end market.

Cost modelling put nationwide services at £6.56 per household, or around £188 million annually. Bagged collections were found to require minimal system changes, while fully co-mingled loose collections demanded costly advanced sorting.

The report calls for reforms to the Packaging Recovery Note (PRN) system to boost domestic recycling, tighter controls on recycled content claims, and phased rollout—starting with proven bagged systems in 2027. With incineration set to fall under the UK Emissions Trading Scheme in 2028, rising disposal costs could further incentivise recycling.

Newcastle City Council has already committed to continue bagged collections, with 140,000 households set to join the scheme by 2027.