Fost Plus looks back on the past accreditation period with satisfaction. The EPR organisation is responsible for the recycling chain of household packaging, and is accredited to that end for 5 years at a time. 

Objective: 65% plastic recycling

Since 2019, more types of packaging can be thrown in the blue bag. This means an extra 90,000 tonnes of (mainly) plastic packaging material is collected every year, that was previously incinerated via residual waste. This increased the plastic recycling rate to 61% for 2022, well on the way towards the legal target of 65% in 2023. 

Objective: Collect 26,000 tonnes of PMD out of home

Citizens are increasingly consuming outside their home and on the go. In its policy, Fost Plus focused on workplace packaging management, on the one hand, and specific target sites on the other.

1. Despite the sorting obligation, the residual waste of more than half of the companies that were audited still contains PMD. Through a welcome bonus as part of a collaboration between Fost Plus, Valipac and the private waste operators, companies are encouraged to collect PMD separately. Between 2019 and 2022, 6,700 companies were eligible for this welcome bonus. 

1. In its approach to target sites, Fost Plus is increasingly seeking economies of scale through the smart combination of information, communication and infrastructure, as part of a sector approach. For example, Fost Plus has worked out specific sorting rules for hospitals and care institutions, and also developed a plan for recreational parks, while also working with the events sector to bring reuse obligations in line with the reality on the ground.

The objective was to increase the proportion of PMD collected out of home from 14,000 tonnes in 2018 to 26,000 tonnes in 2023. By the end of 2022, the counter was already at 24,000 tonnes. 

Objective: 100% recyclable packaging

Packaging is sustainable only when it is conceived that way right from the design phase. Packaging companies are committed to eliminate all non-recyclable packaging from their ranges by 2025. Between 2019 and 2022, some 2,500 tonnes of non-recyclable packaging disappeared from shop shelves. In addition, there are a lot of packaging shifts in the pipeline that will become visible over the coming months and years. 

Fost Plus is working with the industry on operational solutions to integrate certain packaging types into existing systems. In 2023, some 3,000 tons of opaque PET bottles and small aluminiums could be sorted and recycled as a separate material type. 

In future, companies will continue to focus on making the value chain more sustainable. An EPR organization such as Fost Plus can play a role in the shift towards reuse and prevention. It concerns a broad social and societal role, which further builds on the strong foundation that exists today. The new accreditation application for the period 2024-2029 anchors these ambitions.