The UK government’s decision to increase plastic recycling targets is a blow to the plastics industry in the UK, according to the British Plastics Federation (BPF).

The government confirmed that it will increase plastic packaging recycling by 5% a year to reach a business target of 57% in 2017.

In a statement, the BPF said the recycling targets were a blow to the plastics industry and said: “We are extremely disappointed that the government has chosen to ignore our advice. We believe that whilst recycling is a priority we should not forget the implementation of other waste management techniques such as energy from waste.”

A YouGov survey conducted in March 2012 elicited strong support for a high level of plastics packaging recovery in its broadest sense. Approximately 74% of respondents agreed with the proposition that plastics should not be buried in landfill and only 4% disagreed.