It can be difficult to reduce our plastic consumption to zero overnight. That’s where recycling comes in.
There are more than 50 different types of plastics, which can make the recycling process difficult. This means that only about a third of items are recycled, with the rest sent to landfill. However, up to 80% of packaging could be made more recyclable. Often packaging can consist of more than one polymer type, which makes it more difficult to recycle.
A bottle and a food tray, for example, can’t be recycled together as they melt at different temperatures. Black food trays cause a problem as black is the only colour that can’t be easily scanned by recycling machines.
A large amount of the plastic food containers that we wash out after use and put in the recycling bin cannot actually be recycled due to a mixture of plastics that cannot be easily separated.
Cost is another factor. It is usually cheaper to make new plastic items rather than use recycled materials. This is where government legislation may be needed, for example to ban plastic straws or cotton buds.
Items that are difficult to recycle
Problematic plastics include citrus fruit netting, pill packets, and the black plastic food trays used by many supermarkets. Microwave meals are often supplied in black plastic material – changing the colour of these items could significantly increase the amount that could be recycled.
Yoghurt pots made from polystyrene are not usually easily recycled. However some companies now use pots made out of polyethylene terephthalate – the same material that is used for plastic bottles, which makes them easier to recycle. Why not
- Use yoghurt pots and other small plastic pots to start growing fruit and veg in before moving them to the garden
- Cut up large yoghurt pots into strips to make plant labels
Clingfilm is made with PVC, which gives off dangerous fumes when its structure is altered, making it impossible to recycle.
Margarine and ice cream tubs are often made from a wide range of polymers such as polypropylene which is very difficult to recycle. These items are often shipped abroad for recycling.
Squeezable tubes of toothpaste and creams are difficult for collections schemes to recycle. However, the pump action toothpaste tubes are made from a different type of plastic and are easier to recycle.
Liquid soap pump dispensers cannot usually be recycled.
The silicone in plastic bottles of sauce such as ketchup contaminates recycling.
Recycling tips
Put trigger spray tops back on bottles.
Rinsing packaging, for example food trays, ensures that any food residue doesn’t contaminate other materials, particularly if they are collected together with paper.
Check to find out what you can re-cycle locally.
Plastic Recycling Symbols
Not all product packaging will display a recycling label but this doesn’t mean you can’t recycle it.
Widely Recycled
The widely recycled label is applied to packaging that is collected by 75% or more of local authorities across the UK, for example plastic bottles.
This symbol indicates that the bottle is widely recycled, while the sleeve is not yet recycled. Sometimes the sleeves are not recyclable and therefore the instruction is to remove the sleeve and put it in the waste bin.
Plastic film, wrap and bags (PE)
Some plastic films can be recycled at supermarket’s carrier bag collection points. For example: toilet and kitchen roll wraps, bread bags, multipack shrink wrap and newspaper and magazine wraps.
Not Yet Recycled
This label is applied to packaging when less than 20% of local authorities collect it across the UK, for example crisp packets.
Plastic resin codes
This identifies the type of plastic resin used to make the item by providing a ‘Resin Identification Code’. It contains a number between 1 and 7 that defines the resin used.