All you need to know about soft plastics and recycling (2024)

FAQs

All you need to know about soft plastics and recycling? ›

Much of soft plastic is for food waste, such as bread bags or shrink wraps. Due to this, they'll often have bits of food or sauce on them. These cannot be recycled, as the food waste will rot during transit, as well as many other problems. Instead, cleaning the recycling can make it safe and sanitary.

Soft plastics can be recycled, although in some countries this may be considered specialist recycling. Soft plastics cannot be recycled in your kerbside bins and will need to go to a soft plastics recycling depot, or more commonly, taken to participating supermarkets who house dedicated soft plastic recycling bins.

Examples of non-recyclable plastics include bioplastics, composite plastic, plastic-coated wrapping paper and polycarbonate. Well known non-recyclable plastics include cling film and blister packaging.

You can recycle plastic pots, tubs, trays and bottles from home and take soft plastics to your local supermarket to be recycled. To make it even easier for you this guide will take you through each room in your house and show you which plastics can be recycled using your green recycling bin.

Polyvinyl chloride (or PVC). It contains a toxic substance called nonylphenol, which does not prevent it from being used in a wide range of products, from door frames to credit cards to various construction materials. It is one of the most difficult plastics to recycle.

Soft plastics from consumers are one of the most difficult materials to recycle. They are frequently contaminated with food and often made from different types of plastics that are not easily processed.

Much of soft plastic is for food waste, such as bread bags or shrink wraps. Due to this, they'll often have bits of food or sauce on them. These cannot be recycled, as the food waste will rot during transit, as well as many other problems.

Avoid these if possible. Number 4 plastics are of low-density polyethylene and are usually soft and flexible. These include grocery bags, dry cleaning bags, plastic food wrap, and squeezable bottles like ketchup or syrup bottles. The plastic bags and films are rarely recyclable, but the squeezable bottles may be.

Is bubble wrap recyclable? Bubble wrap is recyclable. It's made from LDPE plastic, which is the same material used to create plastic carrier bags. You can recycle bubble wrap alongside plastic bags in designated carrier bag recycling bins found in many large supermarkets.

Soft plastics aren't usually accepted because they can get caught in the sorting machinery at recycling facilities. This causes jams and delays which makes soft plastics recycling more expensive and undesirable.

Can plastic toothpaste tubes be recycled? ›

Pump action toothpaste tubes are easier to recycle and can be placed in the recycling if your local authority also collects plastic pots, tubs and trays.

Plastics are nearly impossible to recycle because of the many different types that cannot be recycled together. Thousands of different chemical additives make plastics soft, fire resistant or give them other properties, Enck says.

PVC is one of the least recycled materials; generally less than 1% of PVC plastic is recycled each year. It has been called the “poison plastic”because it contains numerous toxins and is harmful to our health and the environment.

Cigarette butts — whose filters contain tiny plastic fibers — are the most common type of plastic waste found in the environment. Food wrappers, plastic bottles, plastic bottle caps, plastic grocery bags, plastic straws, and stirrers are the next most common items.

Plastic Recycling Facts

Just 9% has been recycled out of the 8.3 billion metric tons estimate produced since 1950, and the remnant is sent to landfill or incineration. The plastic recycling business is expected to be worth $56 billion come 2026 — As it stands, the global plastic recycling market is about $34 billion.

In addition to saving money, it is possible to actually make money through your waste collection. Some companies will pay for your soft plastic waste, which can then be reused by other companies to make products and packaging – helping to create a circular economy.

Soft plastics include items like plastic bags, food wrappers, plastic film, pouches, and flexible packaging commonly used for products like snacks, personal care items, and household goods.