So, why is it important to recycle plastic?
Here at Springpack we take plastic wastage and plastic recycling seriously.
Across the UK local authorities now offer domestic and commercial collection facilities for plastic bottles either through household recycling collections or at recycling centres.
Mixed plastic products can also recycled with some local authorities offering collections for packaging including pots, trays and tubs.
Recycling / Reusing plastic is very important?
Did you know? – The first manmade plastic was parkesine, invented by Alexander Parkes (UK) (1813-1890). Derived from plant cellulose, the shape of parkesine could be moulded when heated, but it kept its shape once cooled. He unveiled his invention at the Great International Exhibition in London, UK in 1862. You can read more about this here
Since this plastic has become a very popular and highly versatile material. Re-using and recycling items as many times as possible can reduce our need to create new plastic.
This means we can:
- reduce the consumption of non-renewable fossil fuels
- reduce the consumption of energy used in the production of new plastic
- reduce the amount of solid waste going to landfill
- reduce emission of gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Not using plastic or reducing the amount used is during its production is also key. This is why here at Springpack we have a our ECO RANGE of environmentally friendly packaging. From Gummed Paper Tape to Biodegradable Loosefill and Pure Kraft Paper Rolls, our range is always growing. Eco friendly packaging solutions will help you move away from traditional plastic products.
How is plastic recycled?
It is a two-stage process:
After waste collection, sorting and cleaning plastic is mainly done automatically, with a manual sort to ensure all contaminants are removed. Once sorted and cleaned, plastic can be recycled into new products, but some still goes to landfill, is incinerated, or is transported abroad for recycling.
How to recycle plastic
Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays
PET and HDPE are the 2 most common forms of plastic used in plastic bottles and are easy to recycle.
UK local authorities now offer collection facilities for plastic bottles either through household collections or at Recycling Centres. In addition, more and more local authorities are also now offering collections for mixed plastics packaging such as pots, tubs and trays.
Many people are already recycling these types of plastic but by entering your postcode into the Recycling Locator tool at the end of this article, you can check which types of plastic your local authority collects to ensure you are recycling as many plastics as possible.
Plastic bags and wrappings
Supermarkets and retails have also started placing collection points within specific stores to allow certain plastic products such as begs and to be returned and then recycled.
Recently, some supermarkets and retailers have started collecting a wider range of plastic bags and wrappings, or soft plastics as they are sometimes called. This means that it is now possible to recycle packaging such as baby and pet food pouches, crisp and sweet packets, delivery bags and salad bags along with plastic carrier bags and bread bags at these stores – find your nearest on our How to recycle plastic bags and wrapping page.
Compostable plastic
Some types of plastic waste are marked as compostable for home composting. However, these types of plastic cannot be recycled in the same way as non-biodegradable plastic, so they should not be placed in your dry recycling collection or garden waste bin.
Where is there a recycling centre near me?
Find out which plastics you can recycle near you and find household waste recycling centre by simply clicking here: Some you don’t need to book a slot!
Keep in the know
If you’d like further information on the services offer by Springpack, get in touch with the Packaging Pros today! Give us a call on 01905 457 000, or you can email us at [email protected]. You can also stay up to date with every update and new product by following our social media channels. Click here to see more
