Despite strong political attention and public support, the UK plastics recycling industry is in sharp decline. A Guardian investigation revealed that 21 recycling facilities have shut down in the past two years. This threatens a sector with a potential value of £2 billion and the capacity to support 5,000 jobs, and the closures undermine government ambitions to end the “throwaway society” under its forthcoming Circular Economy Strategy. This briefing explains the causes of the decline and outlines how the market could be improved.