Capturing and Processing Compostable Packaging - Behaviour Change Interventions and Infrastructure Considerations

Compostable plastic packaging is increasingly prevalent in both the retail (physical and online) and catering sectors. Predominantly it comes in the form of food service-ware and bags (carrier and those for loose fresh produce), but increasingly it is used for flexible packaging for fresh produce, small format such as twist wraps, crisp bags and non-packaging applications like coffee pods. In these formats, compostability presents a new opportunity for increasing circularity: for transferring organic waste to composting, to enable the (organic) recycling of the food contaminated unrecyclable packaging or simply a solution for which no mechanical or other recycling route exists at scale today.

Using a multi-disciplinary approach, this project will for the first time, quantify the _environmental and economic_ impacts of applying compostable plastic packaging in a trio of established UK supply system models: food service ware in established closed loop systems, retail bags (repurposed as organic waste bags) alongside other compostables in a municipal collection and flexible produce packaging in an online retailer's take back scheme. Behavioural insights will be gathered, and targeted consumer interventions developed, tested then deployed to increase the organic recycling of compostable plastic packaging whilst optimising the potential for compostable plastic packaging in aiding the recovery of organic waste where applicable.

Working closely with the UK's leading in-vessel composting operator, the project will deliver the first full-scale use of a protocol designed to quantify packaging and other plastics arriving at organic waste facilities. Further to providing a robust methodology for accounting for compostables into organic recycling processes, it will also identify the most common non-compostable plastic formats which can then be targeted for recycling campaigns or redesign. Within the take-back loop the packaging will be composted in the retailer's decentralised facility.

The compostable plastic packaging will be traced through the centralised (municipal) and decentralised composting processes with compost quality to PAS100 assessed.

For products which do not have an established route to organic recycling such as coffee pods and small format wrappings, it is important to clarify their performance with both the consumer and the composter. Selected households will be provided with products which will then be traced through the municipal organic waste system back to the final compost.

Further to extensive reporting, the project will deliver open access communication tools based on the learnings from this UK first project.