Resources

This programme of research addresses the lack of quality data on household and municipal waste collected by local authorities in the UK. It looks at the quantity of different materials in mixed residual waste in order to broaden the data available, and to support policy development. Five outputs have been derived from this research, outlined below.

The UK Plastics Pact is leading a global wave of change in the way we make, use, reuse and dispose of plastic. The UK's model is being replicated in other countries to form a powerful global movement as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy initiative. Since April 2018 the Pact has made meaningful progress working towards the four ambitious targets.

WRAP has launched a series of market situation reports providing in-depth information on the latest economic trends and developments facing the UK’s recycling industry. Each report focuses on a different material stream and is presented in a compact, easily digestible format.

WRAP’s Gate Fees reports summarise the fees charged for a range of waste treatment, recovery and disposal options. It aims to assist local authorities in making better informed decisions about waste management options and to benchmark what they might be expected to pay.

This report has been produced to support Defra in its understanding of the current levels of on-the-go (OTG) single use drinks containers that are placed on the market (POM), consumed, recycled or disposed of in the UK. Specifically, metal drinks cans, plastic and glass drinks bottles, drinks cartons and drinks pouches were researched. Defra requires estimates that are as accurate as possible for its packaging policy
work, therefore every effort has been made to provide error margins and robust assessments wherever possible.

This report details compositional analysis of plastics received and produced by UK Material Recovery Facilities and Plastic Recovery Facilities. 

This study aims to examine the potential factors that may affect high reject rates at Materials Recovery Facilities (MRF), in order to help suggest areas to focus interventions on and also improve data quality.

The circular economy as a route to opportunity

A summary of pilot projects looking at the local business case for adopting common service profiles consistent with the Framework for greater consistency in household recycling in England.

This research and development project has identified a number of solutions that would reduce contamination in the recycling process and enable the production of milk bottles that are visually acceptable with at least 30% rHDPE content.