How we recycle plastics

Did you know that we can recycle some plastics you collect at home into new products?

Sadly, we can't recycle all plastics, such as bags and soft plastics yet. So, we need your help to sort out your items before you put them on the kerbside.

If you recycle plastic bags or soft plastics, when they arrive at our sorting facility, they can:

• get caught in our machines
• wrap around other items
• slow everything down

Read tips about recycling your plastics at home.

Sorting out your plastics

When your recycling gets to our sorting facility, we sort out your plastics.

We then move them to our reprocessing facilities, where we wash them. Once they're washed we turn them into flakes and pellets. Or, we sell them to a company who can reuse them. For example, in the production of plastic milk bottles.

We work with our contractors to make sure they handle the materials:

• responsibly
• ethically
• with UK Environment Agency Licenced companies

Plastics we can't recycle

At the moment, we can't recycle large rigid plastic items, such as:

• large children's plastic toys
• plastic furniture

We send these items to our Allington Energy from Waste plant. Learn more about what happens at the plant.

Tips for using less plastic

• Take a reusable bag with you when shopping
• Buy products with less plastic packaging
• Buy recycled and biodegradable items where possible
• Use a reusable bottle for your drink
• Use beeswax wraps for storing food or packed lunches and picnics

Watch these videos from the BBC to see how much money and plastic could be saved by switching to:

• reusable water bottle
• keep-cups

Find out how we recycle other types of waste.