However, the rules around recycling such plastics are set to change significantly in 2027, when the government’s Simpler Recycling scheme comes into force.<\/p>\n
From that point, all councils in England will accept flexible plastics as part of kerbside collections for all households.<\/p>\n
What is the problem with flexible plastics?<\/p>\n
James Piper, recycling expert and host of the Talking Rubbish<\/a> podcast, says that ignorance around such plastics<\/a> is widespread \u2013 as it stands, flexible plastic should not be going anywhere near normal recycling bins.<\/p>\n “It needs to be collected separately,” he told Yahoo News. “Flexibles are a bit weird because they tend to clog up recycling machinery. So recyclers want them to be separated. If you try to put them in with your normal plastic, they’re very difficult to sort.”<\/p>\n Read more: The big plastic recycling changes coming to England\u2019s bins in 2027<\/a><\/p>\n The problem is that such plastics look and act like paper, which make them difficult to sort automatically in recycling facilities.<\/p>\n “So recyclers are set up to sort things based on look, size, shape \u2013 they use magnets to get steel and air jets to get paper out,” says Piper.<\/p>\n “The problem is that flexible plastics act and look like paper. So they’re going to do one of two things: clog up plastic recycling machinery, because they’re not meant to be there, or they’re going to behave like paper.”<\/p>\n What is changing in 2027?<\/p>\n The big change<\/a> is that from March 2027 flexible plastic such as films and bags, wrappers, zip-lock pouches, sachets and bread bags will be recycled.<\/p>\n Advancements at sorting facilities will improve the ability to separate and process plastics, Piper explains.<\/p>\n Flexible plastics refer to packaging which flex easily, which can be made of both single and multiple layers of materials, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).<\/p>\n Adam Herriott, senior specialist at plastic environmental action group WRAP, told Yahoo News, “Flexible plastics are items like plastic bags, bread bags, wrappers and film.<\/p>\n Flexible plastic can be very difficult to recycle because it gets mixed up with paper. (AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n “They make up almost a quarter of all household plastic packaging in the UK. They\u2019re lightweight, protect food, and are widely used, but they\u2019ve historically been hard to recycle through kerbside systems with a recycling rate of around 7%.”<\/p>\n WRAP has worked with industry partners on the FPF FlexCollect project (the UK\u2019s largest pilot of kerbside collection scheme) and recently launched its final report after a three-year project that helped set out a blueprint for the planned nationwide collections<\/a>.<\/p>\n The project has shown it can work: more than 160,000 households across 10 local authorities have taken part, with high participation and low contamination rates.<\/p>\n Why does this matter?<\/p>\n Piper was one of the people who began the Flexible Plastic Fund, which funded the recent FlexCollect research.<\/p>\n He says that the law change in 2027 will mean that recyclers will invest in the technology to recycle flexible plastics.<\/p>\n For some time, people have known that such plastics can be recycled and go on to become trays, or flexible plastics or furniture without the collection, recyclers have not invested in such technology.<\/p>\n Read more: The plastic recycling mistakes every parent should know about<\/a><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/64e9f210-8d57-11f0-af2a-f54899f8bb5b.jpeg\"\/)
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