Plastic Recycling

Which plastics can you recycle using the weekly collection service?

RECYCLE PLEASE

All plastic bottles including milk, detergent, shampoo, fizzy drinks and water bottles.
All plastic yoghurt and dipping sauce pots.
Fruit and vegetable punnets. Margarine, ice cream, salad and takeaway tubs.
Ready meal and biscuits trays.

NO THANKS

Plastic bags.
Plastic film.
Polystyrene (cups, trays, boxes, chips and protective packaging).
Plastic cups, plates and cuttlery.
Shrink wrap.
Bubble wrap.
Plastic toys.
CD's or DVD's and their cases.
Crisp packets.

Items listed apply for all recycling containers - blue bins, boxes, sacks and communal bins. Where possible please wash and squash items.

The plastic you recycle is sent to Warwickshire for sorting. It is then ground down into flakes, washed, then melted and turned into pellets for manufacturing. The plastic is then made into new products such as clothing and carpets, traffic cones, garden pipes and more plastic bottles.

Since 2005 we have increased the tonnage of recycled plastic bottles by 1/3. This now equates to each resident of the Borough recycling about 132 plastic bottles a year. This is fantastic and now there is more we can all do, let's try and increase it by another 1/3. Keep up the good work!

Are there any alternatives?

Some localised or smaller schemes can sometimes be found for other types of plastic.

Plastic film and bags - you can recycle plastic film and plastic bags at branches of Asda, the Co-op, Morrison's, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose. They will accept plastic wrapping from bakery goods, breakfast cereal liners, packaging for household goods such as toilet roll wrap, plastic wrapped grocery products and multipack shrink wrap. These are often turned into garden benches and furniture for local charity schemes.

Plastic wrap - polythene packaging and wrap used on magazines and mailings can be posted to:
Polyprint Mailing Films Ltd, Unit 21a, Mackintosh Road, Rackheath Estate, Rackheath, Norwich, NR13 6LJ.
Please note that the company only recycles HDPE and LDPE i.e. polymer symbols numbers 2 and 4.

Flower pots - if the flower pots are still in relatively good condition (not split or cracked) then some garden centres will take them back to be reused. Try the Braywick Heath Nursery Scheme, Braywick Road, Maidenhead.

If you would like more information, please contact the Customer Service Centre on 01628 683801 or complete the CSC on-line form

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