To understand the scale of the challenge, we have to look at what's actually being put onto the market.
Recent PackUK submission data reveals that paper and card makes up 32% of the total packaging by proportion, the second-largest material stream after glass (37%).
So what happens to it once it's served its purpose, is thrown in the bin and collected for recycling?
Last year, working hand in hand with the recycling industry:
"Greyparrot analysed over 17 billion waste objects across recovery facilities processing roughly 20% of England's entire recycling stream.
Our 2025 analysis shows that although facilities successfully sort the vast majority of fibre, it remains the largest missed recycling opportunity: 29.3% still ends up in the residue line, destined for landfill or incineration, followed by plastics."
This, despite 76% of paper and card being classified as widely recyclable by PackUK.
Aside from problematic packaging formats not designed for recycling – such as composite cartons, waxed or plastic-coated cardboard and padded paper mailers – co-mingled collection remains one of the most significant systemic barriers to improving fibre recovery rates. When paper and card are mixed with glass, plastics and metals quality degrades fast. Good material becomes unrecoverable and value is lost.
Our AI waste recognition units tell a clear story from inside the sorting facility itself:
"During the recovery facility sorting process, we find that on average, 98.3% of material on the fibre belt is target recyclable paper and card. The remaining 1.7% is non-target contamination plastics, metals, glass and non-recyclable paper, with plastic alone accounting for around 1%.
That fraction sounds small, but it isn't. Reprocessors operate to tight quality thresholds, and reject entire bales on this basis – meaning good fibre gets lost with the bad."
Simpler Recycling requires separate collection of paper and card at source to protect quality and reduce contamination. As more households and businesses separate paper and card from other recyclables, it will arrive at MRFs with fewer contaminants and at higher volumes. Combined with EPR reform, it also creates a real incentive for producers and retailers to design packaging that works in real-world processing conditions.
With this move, we predict more fibre will be recovered from what's already in the system, strengthening feedstock for UK reprocessors.
For brands, this is a promising shift. As cleaner, separated streams become the norm, well-designed packaging will deliver on its recyclability goals. This unlocks environmental impact and real economic value."
As Simpler Recycling is implemented in the months ahead, we expect our data to show lower contamination rates, higher quality fibre products and less valuable material dropping out of the circular economy. We will be tracking its impact.