Soft plastic
When recycling is collected there needs to be a viable market available for the materials to be sold on. Soft plastic is very cheap to make and buy new, so there isn’t much demand for the materials to be recycled on.
The Packaging Forum have a soft plastic recycling scheme which is 100% industry funded. Find out more about the scheme, and the location of your nearest drop-off point at The Packaging Forum
What happens to non-recyclables that are collected?
Any item that is collected and can’t be recycled is separated out and sent to landfill. Key issues the recycling team report are:
- Glass being put in the bags and wheelie bins instead of the crates, and plastic being put in the crates with glass.
- Polystyrene and food are the two most common contaminates found in the bins and bags – food like pizza in pizza boxes, or food left in plastic food containers. If the contamination is bad the recycling won’t be collected at all and the resident will be notified with a sticker on the bin.