A large number of soft plastics can't currently be recycled in your kerbside recycling, but the Co-Op is now accepting a lot of these in their stores around the UK! Check out the full list below:
Soft plastics recycling is easy. Just follow these three steps:
Clean it – First, rinse your packaging out.
Scrunch it – Now, scrunch it up tight - if it pings back, it’s a useful indicator it's soft plastic.
Co-op it - Pop it into our soft plastics recycling unit – look out for the blue bin at your local Co-op. You can check here if your local store has a recycling point.
They accept:
All Co-op brand food packaging. However, it's important to note that there may be limitations when it comes to recycling third-party packaging.
Thin plastic lids of all types
Kitchen towel, toilet roll, nappy bag, cotton wool wrappers
Pouches – microwave rice, pre-cooked mussels, pet food, ready meals etc
Fruit & veg nets, bags and wrappers
Plastic sauce sachets
Ordinary carrier bags
Bread bags
Crisps, nuts, snacks bags
Cereal and porridge bags
Dried goods bags – dried fruit, pasta, rice, sugar, pulses, etc
Frozen foods and ice cubes bags
Chocolate and sweets bags and wrappers
Biscuit wrappers
Cling film
Pizza wrapping film
Croissant wrappers
Pancake wrappers
Naan bread wrappers
Pitta bread wrappers
Garlic bread wrappers
Fresh pasta wrappers
Cheese, pastry, cakes, Yorkshire puddings wrappers
Wrappers from baby wipes, etc
Meat, poultry and joints wrappers
Tea and teabags, ground coffee, etc wrappers
Pies, pastries, sausage rolls wrappers
Household textiles, scourers, rubber gloves, etc wrappers
Gift wrap, greetings cards, etc wrappers
Flower wrappers
Petfood wrappers
Please note, Co-Op will accept soft plastics from any retailer or brand, however, they cannot guarantee that third-party packaging will be recycled.
They don't currently accept:
Compostable carrier bags
Compostable and biodegradable bags & wrappers
Plastic bottles
Plastic trays
This is a great step forward to helping with plastic pollution and hopefully lots more recycling points will be made accessible in the near future. If you're looking for new ways to reduce how much plastic your household uses, check out my post '12 Best Plastic-Free Products for a Sustainable Lifestyle.