Much has been written recently about the UK Plastics Pact – the collaborative initiative that has been designed to create a circular economy for plastics by stimulating innovative new business models to reduce the total amount of plastic packaging. But how can we ensure it works?

It’s a complicated issue but a big part of the answer lies in recycling and the roles everyone can play to ensure recycling rates increase. First of all, packaging manufacturers need to simplify the types of plastics which are used. Some plastics can be recycled and some can’t and we need to make it easier for consumers to tell the difference between the two.

Next, we must change attitudes to recycling generally and this is something we can all take responsibility for. Everyone needs to put their money where their mouth is and ensure they are putting the correct items in the correct recycling bins.

Last of all, the government and local authorities need to put new recycling systems in place that guarantee that what is being put out for recycling is actually being recycled. Incidents of huge amounts of plastic being sent to landfill instead of being recycled must be stamped out as a matter of urgency because, as well as being extremely bad news for the environment, they also serve to undermine the efforts being made in the minds of the general public.

The UK Plastics Pact can be transformative for society but, if it’s going to succeed, everyone – from businesses, to NGOs, to civilians - needs to support it.