Lifting the Lid on Plastic Recycling

Business RecyclingNewsPlastics

In the last few months, plastic has taken the media by storm. Whether watching TV, reading the newspaper or checking social media feeds, we have all been subjected to the horror stories surrounding plastic waste, and its damaging effect on the environment. Subsequently, at Printwaste, we’ve had many enquiries from customers about the recyclability of plastic. As such, we wanted to focus this month’s ‘Our News’ section on this issue.

Plastic Recycling

Firstly, it’s important to differentiate between consumer waste, which deposit schemes may work well for, and commercial waste, where deposit schemes will be more limited. For businesses, plastic bottles are still able to be collected in bags with tins and cans to go for recycling. Once recieved in-house, the contents are sorted via a machine that removes the tins and cans by magnets, leaving the plastic bottles separate. These bottles are then transported to a UK-based processor and are remade into new plastic products.

However, difficulties arise if other plastics (e.g. yoghurt pots or plastic trays) find their way into the bags for collection. These containers are made from many differing materials and have to be removed manually, leading us to pay a fee for their onward recycling.

We fully understand that plastics recycling can be confusing, but we’re always happy to help answer any questions you have – and we hope that this article has cleared things up a little. We will continue to collect and accept plastics and can also provide effective solutions within the workplace to encourage recycling.

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