Plastic waste like crisp packets, bubble wrap and plastic bags around groceries are one of the most persistent environmental stuggles. These soft, stretchy plastics cannot be recycled in your usual recycling, and so if you live in the UK, it can be a challenge to dispose of them properly.
These plastics cannot be recycled with your general recycling as they need to be processed at specialist plants which the UK doesn’t have enough of. According to consumer group Which? most of the soft plastics that are collected and recycled now are actually turned into bin bags or plastic garden furniture because they are of lower quality.
So unlike milk bottles or drink bottles that are turned into more bottles, soft plastics are downcycled.
While some councils offer kerbside soft plastics recycling, it’s not common.
Instead, it’s advisable to collect all your soft plastics and take them to a large supermarket near you. Many large supermarkets have a soft plastics collection point where you can turn in your plastic
If soft plastics do get into general recycling, they can cause major issues. The Independent spoke with Erha Andini, a Delaware-based chemical engineering expert and science communicator.
She said: “Once they get shredded or even before, a lot of times they just clog recycling equipment.”
If the equipment is clogged, it can halt the process and damage machinery.
According to figures from the Waste and Resources Action Program (WRAP) 81% of people are putting non-recyclable items in recycling bins.
Contamination remains a persistent issue, especially for items like drinking glasses and food and drink foil pouches.
Although there is a lack of facilities in the UK to process what’s collected, if the demand increases then so will the supply. That’s why it’s important to carefully recycle your soft plastics