PRESS RELEASE - SMURFIT KAPPA BACKS PAPERCHAIN AND THE CAMPAIGN FOR REAL RECYCLING
Smurfit Kappa Recycling, which provides sustainable paper and packaging recycling solutions via its reprocessing mills in Birmingham and Kent, is backing the UK’s Campaign for Real Recycling through its renewed membership of PaperChain.
Smurfit Kappa Recycling rejoined PaperChain in August and as a result PaperChain now represents over 82% of UK recovered fibre usage.
The Campaign for Real Recycling is supported by a number of influential materials reprocessors and calls for urgent action from government and local authorities to improve the quality of recycled material in the UK. Smurfit Kappa wholeheartedly supports this endeavour.
In an effort to improve their recycling rates, many local authorities are choosing single stream (co-mingled) recycling collection systems where residents can mix a range of materials in one bag or bin. The materials then have to be transported to a recycling facility to be sorted but this can result in serious contamination. Materials collected and sorted in this way can often be of such low quality that they are unfit to be reprocessed in the UK and on some occasions are only fit for incineration or landfill.
Simon Weston, managing director at Smurfit Kappa Recycling says, “Collecting high quality materials close to home and then reprocessing them at UK mills is clearly in the best interests of society, the environment and UK industry. This is why we wholeheartedly support PaperChain and its involvement with the Campaign for Real Recycling.”
Martin Green, chairman of PaperChain commented: “PaperChain remained in close contact with Smurfit Kappa throughout the merger process and knew they shared many of PaperChain’s concerns about the declining quality of UK-sourced recovered paper, particularly from the municipal waste stream. It was great to welcome them back into the organisation, and when you are voicing the opinion of over 82% of the industry you must be listened to!”
Smurfit Kappa Recycling provides tailored and sustainable recovery of all forms of paper-based packaging, mixed paper, office paper and security shredding. It is a division of the Smurfit Kappa Group that was formed in December 2005, when Jefferson Smurfit and Kappa Packaging united to form the largest fibre based packaging company in the world. The organisation is also the biggest consumer of packaging-grade recovered fibre in Europe.