The Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging (SSPP) ‘collecting flexible plastic packaging waste at home’ competition opens on 27 February. Hosted by UK Research and Innovation’s SSPP Challenge and the Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), the competition is looking for innovative design solutions to capture household flexible plastics for recycling.
Anyone interested in applying can register for an online competition briefing on 22 February, which will provide additional information and support for potential applicants.
The deadline for applications is 12 April and winners will be eligible to receive a grant between £25,000 and £50,000 from Innovate UK to develop their ideas. They will also have the opportunity to present and prototype their winning solution as part of a nationwide trial to collect flexible plastic packaging waste from UK households.
Proposed solutions must be easy to carry and store in the home, as well as designed to encourage the collection of as much material as possible – ideally with a volume reduction capability to squeeze the air out of the packaging and compress the flexible plastics down. Designs must also be user-friendly for all households and easy to clean if designed for multi-use, or able to be recycled along with the collected materials.
As local authorities are expected to introduce household flexible plastic packaging collections for recycling by 2027, plus a growing number of supermarkets are now offering in-store collection points, containment solutions are likely to become more important. The competition is looking for solutions which encourage and support households to collect and store this type of packaging.
The competition also supports the objectives of the FPF FlexCollect project, the most extensive pilot for household collection and recycling of flexible packaging to be undertaken in the UK to date.
Flexible plastic packaging represents nearly a quarter of all UK consumer plastic packaging and is responsible for keeping safe 40 per cent of products. However, only around 6 per cent of the 895,000 tonnes placed on the UK market every year is recycled. Common examples include any soft packaging such as plastic film, cling film, metallic layered plastics (such as crisp packets) and pouches.
Nick Cliffe, the SSPP’s deputy director, commented: “One of the key barriers to developing an effective recycling route for household flexible plastic packaging is that it needs to be separated from other recyclables.
“The SSPP-funded competition is looking for innovative, user-friendly solutions to help householders collect flexible packaging as a separate waste stream for collection at the kerbside or to take to a supermarket collection point.”
The UKRI’s Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge
UK Research and Innovation’s Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge aims to establish the UK as a leading innovator in smart and sustainable plastic packaging, driving cleaner growth across the supply chain, and delivering a significant reduction in plastic waste entering the environment by 2025. The Challenge brings together academia, the full plastic packaging value chain and other key stakeholders and supports the delivery of the 2025 UK Plastics Pact targets.
Get our weekly digest
resource.co article ai
How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.