Polytag expands packaging detection network with Biffa partnership

Polytag has installed its packaging detection technology at Biffa's Edmonton Materials Recovery Facility in North London, marking the seventh installation in the company's Ecotrace Program launched in July 2024.

The installation extends Polytag's network coverage across the UK and provides real-time packaging traceability data for household brands in London. Polytag's technology utilizes invisible UV tags on packaging to track materials throughout the recycling process, providing barcode-level insights into packaging journey data.

Biffa's Edmonton MRF, one of the UK's largest facilities, handles approximately 250,000 tons of waste annually from household recycling collections, primarily in London and the surrounding counties. The high-volume facility represents a significant step toward understanding and optimizing data capture in recycling for Polytag's brand clients.

The collaboration supports Polytag's mission to install 12 plastic detection units at MRFs across the UK, providing coverage of more than 50 percent of the UK's household recycling stream through the Ecotrace Program.

'As extended producer responsibility and simpler recycling regulations come into effect, businesses face a pressing need for accurate, real-time data about the lifecycle of recycled packaging materials,' said Alice Rackley, CEO of Polytag. 'Developing our collaboration with Biffa comes at the perfect moment for us, granting access to barcode-level packaging data within the UK's most populated city for the first time.'

The partnership follows Polytag's recent collaboration with Citeo, a global packaging compliance leader, to track detection success rates at one of Europe's busiest MRFs in France. Live test results found a 100 percent success rate in detecting UV tags, demonstrating the technology's effectiveness.

Polytag's technology builds on the 'Bottle to Bottle' pilot project led by the company in partnership with Recoup in 2023. The project tracked Co-op water bottles alongside Aldi and Ocado Retail milk bottles, marked with UV tags, at Biffa's Teesside MRF in northeast England.

The invisible UV tags blend with packaging and are captured by Polytag's plastic detection units. Data on when, where and how much packaging is recovered is available to brand clients in real-time through the Polytag dashboard.

Craig Konczak, business director for Biffa MRFs and PRFs, said digital tracking tools have the potential to revolutionize recycling. 'In the future, tools such as these have the potential to improve the visibility of material flows in the UK, provide greater insights into recycling behavior and help to inform strategic decision-making and recycling policy in the UK.'