What Can be Recycled?

Virtually all types of plastics can be recycled.

Most plastics are recycled into the same type. Often recycled product is of slightly lower quality than that of virgin material, which means it can't always be used in the same way.

Food regulations, for example, prevent recycled plastic being used in food containers. Recent developments in technology have lifted this restraint for recycled PET, however - one by sandwiching used PET between two layers of virgin material, and the other by breaking the polymer down into monomers and then repolymerising it into new PET.

Different plastics can be recycled together to produce a mixed plastic. Currently, this is of limited use because of the difficulties with quality control and consistency. New technologies are, however, under development that may see the commercial development of a product, or range of products, utilising mixed plastic and cellulose fibre (from vegetable matter).

An essential requirement of all recycling is careful sorting. The plastics industry has developed a resin identification code to aid this sorting. It is important to note that the code does not imply that a product using it is going to be recycled, or even that it is recyclable - it simply identifies which resin the product was manufactured from.

Currently a very high proportion (99%) of the wastes generated during plastics product manufacture are recycled by the manufacturer, or a contracted recycling company.

What is recycled in your region?

Check with your local Council or view our list of Recyclers :

List of plastic recyclers