Recycling plastic waste

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caff

caff

Soldato
Joined
8 Feb 2004
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London
I was recently made aware of a logo on most plastic food wrapping that will either say:

"Recycle at home" or more recently "Recycle at store - not at home".

It appears that some larger supermarkets offer the "Recycle at store" facility. Formerly I would just chuck everything in either the recyling bin, or the main bin.

I suppose if this could be a poll, it would be:

1) Do you know about "recycle at store" and do it
2) Do you know about "recycle at store" but don't do it, just chuck those plastics in the main waste
3) Do you know nothing about this, but will pay more attention in future
4) Do you chuck everything in the home recycling if it's plastic/can/paper, and let the council deal with it (and hope they will deal with it properly one day)
5) Do you hate Greta Thunberg and look forward to a nice toasty Armageddon?
 
Heard of it, don't do it as it's just another bag of stuff to find somewhere to keep it until I remember to take it with me and find a shop that actually empties their soft plastic bin.
 
I'd be interested to know if anything different happens to when compared with just putting it in my home recycling collection. Its all collected and taken 'somewhere' for processing and surely there's not a special plant to handle just what comes from a supermarket public bin different to a domestic collection. The different plastics still need to be sorted and incorrect items removed.
 
peterwalkley said:
I'd be interested to know if anything different happens to when compared with just putting it in my home recycling collection. Its all collected and taken 'somewhere' for processing and surely there's not a special plant to handle just what comes from a supermarket public bin different to a domestic collection. The different plastics still need to be sorted and incorrect items removed.
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The vast majority of stuff you put in your recycling bin is probably incorrect. The trucks can deal with basic plastics or aluminium. Everything else is wish-cycling.

Plastic bags are in that category.
 
Been recycling plastics at stores now for the best part of 2 years I'd say. It makes a hell of a difference to the amount being thrown in the bin.

I've definitely noticed more and more products from supermarkets that use plastic wrapping are now of the recyclable type. I just wish our council would collect this sort of stuff as it would encourage more people to do it.
 
peterwalkley said:
I'd be interested to know if anything different happens to when compared with just putting it in my home recycling collection. Its all collected and taken 'somewhere' for processing and surely there's not a special plant to handle just what comes from a supermarket public bin different to a domestic collection. The different plastics still need to be sorted and incorrect items removed.
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They get sorted at a collection depot, if non recyclables are mixed in then it might get classed as contaminated and diverted to general waste.
 
dLockers said:
In this instance any 'recycle at store' stuff would be considered contamination and be dumped.
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I'd imagine it goes through the same process but at a different depot, maybe one that specialises in these types of plastics. Our council will pick up things like plastic bottles of any shape or kind (drink/milk/shampoo etc) but plenty of things like plastic trays which should be recycled, or yogurt pots they don't pick up.
 
I'm aware of the recycle at store thing for some plastic bags / wrapping, but never use it. I don't think the Aldi that we normally go to does it so would have to save it up for a trip to one of the other shops (and tbh don't know where to take it at the other shops either), which is quite rare now we get shopping delivered occasionally. The actual amount of plastic involved is very small so it seems like a lot of effort for something that I imagine only has a marginal benefit to the environment.
 
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Stu999 said:
Just wait until you find out that the majority of plastic doesn't get recycled anyway.
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