EPS Group Sponsors LARAC Dinner and Awards 2024

The British Plastics Federation’s EPS Group is a proud sponsor of the annual Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) Conference and Celebration Awards 2024. This prestigious event, which took place from 9–10 October at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham, is a highlight in the waste management and recycling calendar and celebrates the achievements of local authorities (LAs) in driving innovative recycling and sustainability efforts across the UK.

The LARAC Awards recognises excellence in recycling, waste management and sustainability initiatives carried out by local authorities, waste partnerships and councils. Each year, it gathers professionals and leaders from the waste and recycling sectors to honour their efforts in promoting a circular economy and environmental best practices. The event attracted over 500 attendees, representing 170 diverse authorities.

By sponsoring the event, the EPS Group aims to highlight its commitment to sustainability and its role in advancing the recycling of EPS by engaging with LAs and waste management organisations. By leveraging its industry expertise, networks, and resources the EPS Group plays a crucial role in helping LAs develop effective and cost-efficient EPS collection and recycling programs.

EPS is 100% recyclable, and the current UK packaging recycling rate is 66%* which is collected by a combination of takeback schemes, LA collections at household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) and innovative collections for example collection trials from university campuses. Once recycled this useful resource and can be repurposed into new products, including insulation materials, packaging for non-food applications, picture frames and other durable applications.

In recent years, the EPS Group has worked closely with local authorities, waste management companies and recyclers to establish a more robust infrastructure for EPS recycling in the UK. The Group is encouraging collection trials to be set up at household waste recycling centres and to promote a circular economy for EPS where more material is collected and recycled.

Sponsoring the LARAC Dinner and Awards allows the EPS Group to further its mission by engaging directly with the key stakeholders in waste management. The event provides a valuable networking opportunity to share best practices, highlight innovations in recycling collections and technology.

The group’s presence at the event reinforces the importance of collaboration between industry, waste management companies and government bodies in creating long-term solutions. The EPS Group’s sponsorship of the LARAC Dinner and Awards 2024 marks a significant step in its journey toward promoting a more sustainable future.

* Calculated by collecting raw data from UK convertors alongside UK and EU recyclers of EPS. Raw data and estimates have been used by industry experts to calculate the total recycling rate.