About the BPF Recycling Group

Members are required to promote the reprocessing and mechanical recycling of plastics and to work in co-operation to promote growth and development of the plastics recycling sector and the objectives of the BPF Recycling Group.

The Recycling Group represents organisations involved in the collection, sorting and reprocessing of plastic waste together with companies that convert waste plastics back into new polymer materials and products.

The Group is made up of companies at the forefront of UK plastics recycling and includes plastics reprocessors, waste management companies (with plastic sorting and/or recycling facilities), distributors/traders, consultants and other relevant organisations such as government bodies and academic institutions.

Membership enables the Group to act as a focal point for information, experience and valued opinion to industry, the government and the public.

Member firms activities include the recycling of:

• Plastic bottles and other packaging from UK household collections
• Flexible film recycling both post-consumer and post-industrial sources
• Rigid plastics and Waste Electrical Equipment and End-of-Life Vehicles
• Plastics from construction
• Agricultural and Horticultural plastics
• Industrial and production waste

The Group works closely with other recycling organisations in the UK and abroad and is itself a member of EuPR, the European Plastics Recycling organisation.

Mission Statement

"To be the primary voice for the UK plastics recycling industry"

Groups' Objectives

The primary objectives of the Recycling Group are:

To promote and encourage the development of mechanical recycling and reprocessing of plastic waste.
To promote resource efficiency and the environmentally responsible management of plastic waste.
To promote co-operation between recyclers and reprocessors and with stakeholders throughout the supply chain.
To promote the growth of sustainable markets for plastic recyclate.

Key Facts

Plastics Recycling in the UK

900,000 tonnes of plastics were recovered for recycling in the UK in 2009.
590,000 tonnes of the plastics packaging was recycled in the UK 2009.
The recycling of PVC-U building products reached 49,343 tonnes in the UK in 2010.

The BPF Recycling Group Contribution

Members of the BPF Recycling Group handled 582,000 tonnes of plastics waste in 2009.
Members of the BPF Recycling Group directly employ over 2,100 staff.

UK plastics packaging recycling targets are set to increase in 2012, the UK plastics industry under the banner of the ‘Plastics 2020 Challenge’ has committed to work in partnership with the whole value chain and all levels of government to double the plastics packaging recycling rate to 50% by 2020.

Management Committee

The Recycling Group management committee meets regularly to administer the activities of the Working Groups and its members. The full Recycling Group meets quarterly to report to members and discuss ‘live issues’ in the sector. At the majority of these meetings invited speakers are arranged to focus on particular subjects of general interest to plastics recyclers.

The current members of the BPFRG management committee are:

Chairman

Roger Baynham: Managing Director, Philip Tyler Polymers Ltd

Roger has 25 years experience in the industry , originally with Philip Tyler Ltd and since 1994 as Managing Director of Philip Tyler Polymers LTD. Additionally he was appointed as a non – executive Director of Environmental Recycling Technologies PLC in 2006 and has more recently taken up an executive position as Managing Director . Roger is also Chairman of the WRAP Plastics Forum.

Vice-Chairman

Keith Freegard: Director of Axion Recycling Ltd

Keith is a Director of Axion Recycling Ltd, with over 25 years of operational management experience in a wide range of production environments. As a Chartered Chemical Engineer, Keith believes in applying the best processing technology to extract maximum yield and value from plastic waste streams. In recent years he has been developing Axion’s unique plastics recycling business in Manchester with a focus on sales and marketing of high-quality polymers made from recovered WEEE plastic waste.

Vice-Chairman

Bernard Chase: Purchasing Director of REGAIN Polymers Limited

Bernard’s recycling roots can be traced back uninterrupted through 3 generations to his grandfather’s scrap rubber business founded in the 1920s. A graduate of Warwick University with a degree in Philosophy & Politics, Bernard’s career in plastics recycling has spanned nearly 40 years from Directorship of Chase Plastics Ltd, the family business specialising in Polythene film recycling, to his current role as Purchasing Director for Regain Polymers Limited (formerly Linpac Plastics Recycling) one of the largest UK specialists in rigid plastics recycling.

As well as his position as vice chair of the BPFRG Bernard is also a member of the WRAP Plastics Forum and a regular contributor to other Industry and Government Forums. Bernard campaigns tirelessly to promote the delivery of quality throughout the plastics recycling supply chain in order to maximize the delivery of value and sustainable jobs within the UK economy.

Other members of the BPFRG Management Committee are...

Stephen Lambert:	T D G	Represents the Films Working Group
Stephen Smith:	JFC Plastics Ltd

Contact The BPF Recycling Group Management Committee

Please complete the form below if you wish to contact the BPFRG Management Committee (please note your query will automatically be forward to all committee members)