With the UK recycling markets experiencing difficulty, there is an increasing reliance on the export of materials to the global commodities market. Exports however, are affected by the cost of shipping (including transport to and from the port, port fees, and so on) which can also fluctuate. Combining low market prices for recyclable materials with high shipping costs can have a significant impact on material revenues. Changing and uncertain export markets High quality is crucial for recyclable material being exported from the UK and as a result, lower quality materials may attract reduced prices or may not be appropriate for export. There have been a number of prosecutions by the Environment Agency due to breaches of quality standards. For the European market, quality requirements are high and inspections are stringent therefore, only the highest quality material is likely to be purchased, leading to low prices for other material. The Chinese market has also seen a tightening of quality requirements, which had a considerable effect in the UK. Changing waste composition Composition of waste is changing in a number of ways and for a number of reasons. For example, the rise in digital media has resulted in a corresponding drop in the demand for newsprint. These trends in turn, have an impact on the markets. In the case of paper, the UK has seen some high profile closures of paper mills including Aylesford Newsprint, which made 100% recycled newsprint using paper from the largest paper recycling factory in Europe. As a result, demand from UK-based reprocessors for paper to be recycled has reduced, making it more challenging to secure sale of material at a high price. These factors are likely to continue to influence the recyclable material markets for the foreseeable future and therefore it is necessary for a long-term waste and recycling strategy to mitigate against the impacts as far as possible, particularly by maximising recycling quality. Future waste projections and capacity requirements Population and Housing It is forecast that an average of 7,800 houses will be built every year in Kent until 2031. This will result in a population growth of 22% over 20 years (from 2011) and 18% growth from 2015. The Table below shows the projected dwellings and population.
With the UK recycling markets experiencing difficulty, there is an increasing reliance on the export of materials to the global commodities market. Exports however, are affected by the cost of shipping (including transport to and from the port, port fees, and so on) which can also fluctuate. Combining low market prices for recyclable materials with high shipping costs can have a significant impact on material revenues. Changing and uncertain export markets High quality is crucial for recyclable material being exported from the UK and as a result, lower quality materials may attract reduced prices or may not be appropriate for export. There have been a number of prosecutions by the Environment Agency due to breaches of quality standards. For the European market, quality requirements are high and inspections are stringent therefore, only the highest quality material is likely to be purchased, leading to low prices for other material. The Chinese market has also seen a tightening of quality requirements, which had a considerable effect in the UK. Changing waste composition Composition of waste is changing in a number of ways and for a number of reasons. For example, the rise in digital media has resulted in a corresponding drop in the demand for newsprint. These trends in turn, have an impact on the markets. In the case of paper, the UK has seen some high profile closures of paper mills including Aylesford Newsprint, which made 100% recycled newsprint using paper from the largest paper recycling factory in Europe. As a result, demand from UK-based reprocessors for paper to be recycled has reduced, making it more challenging to secure sale of material at a high price. These factors are likely to continue to influence the recyclable material markets for the foreseeable future and therefore it is necessary for a long-term waste and recycling strategy to mitigate against the impacts as far as possible, particularly by maximising recycling quality. Future waste projections and capacity requirements Population and Housing It is forecast that an average of 7,800 houses will be built every year in Kent until 2031. This will result in a population growth of 22% over 20 years (from 2011) and 18% growth from 2015. The Table below shows the projected dwellings and population.