Why might my local authority not accept the plastic pot and over-cap for recycling?
Local councils have prioritised the recycling of plastic bottles because they are easy to clean, the plastics used (largely PET and HDPE) are of higher value, and therefore plenty of recycling plants in the UK will re-process them. In contrast pots, trays and caps come in a wide variety of types of plastics and colours, are more likely to contain food residues, and, until recently, there was little opportunity to recycle them here. However the good news is that situation is improving and we now have 2, soon to be 3, major mixed plastics recycling facilities open in the UK. These plants are highly automated and efficient and are able to recycle mixed plastics – of different polymer types and different packaging formats – including plastic pots and over caps such as ours. By moving to PET, and especially clear PET, we are helping the advance of plastic recycling and increasing the likelihood of more councils collecting pots as unlike PS, it can be recycled back into high value food packa
