Plastic bottles - the only plastic for your recycling bin!

 mixed plastic bottles

Why are all plastics not included in our recycling bin?

There are more than 60 different types of plastic in circulation and all have different properties according to their uses. Some are designed for high pressure (fizzy drinks bottles) and some are designed for rigidity (food containers). 

The Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) at Costessey accepts just plastic bottles which are mostly made from three types of plastic:

  • PET (clear and blue e.g. squash bottles)
  • HDPE (cream colour e.g. milk bottles)
  • PP (many mixed types e.g. shampoo bottles)

There is a high demand for these types of plastic from companies that reprocess bottles to make new plastic products.

Putting the wrong type of plastic in your recycling bin may mean the load is rejected and could cause damage to the sorting process. We don't collect other types of plastics as there is usually a higher value in the plastics that bottles are made of and the MRF was designed to accept plastic bottles only for recycling.

Why do we not include bottle lids, yoghurt pots and plastic bags?

Bottle lids, yoghurt pots and plastic bags are all made from different kinds of plastic from the plastic in plastic bottles.  These will all contaminate Norfolk's recycling stream.

Yoghurt pots are made from another type of plastic called polystyrene and there are limited outlets for this material.

Due to the contamination effect of the printing ink on plastic carrier bags, the material can only be used for low grade and dark colour applications, such as bin liners.  Many supermarkets accept plastic bags for recycling, or you could try using reusable bags.  

What can I do with plastic that can't be recycled?

Avoid buying products packaged in extra plastic where possible, and reuse containers like margarine tubs. Toys and video tapes may be given to charity or offered free on www.norfolk-freegle.org.uk - if this isn't possible put other plastic items in your waste bin for disposal to landfill.

 Where do the plastic bottles go to and what happens to them?

The three types of plastic bottle PET, HDPE and PP are sorted at the Materials Recycling Facility at Costessey, Norwich. They are then baled up and sold to companies in England and Europe where they are processed into new products. Products made from plastic bottles range from plastic garden furniture and bins to fleece jumpers and brand new bottles.

 The label says it can be recycled but it's not a bottle - what should I do?  

The basic rule is if it's plastic and it's not a bottle - DO NOT put it in your recycling bin!

Below is a list (not exhaustive) of the plastic bottles that we can accept in household recycling bins (please do rinse and remove lids - please don't crush bottles):

You can recycle all plastic bottles including:

  • Plastic Milk bottles
  • Plastic Drinks bottles
  • Shampoo and conditioner bottles
  • Detergent / Washing liquid bottles
  • Fabric softener bottles
  • Shower gel bottles
  • Bubble bath bottles
  • Bleach and other household cleaners

You cannot recycle any other plastics including:

  • Plastic bags
  • Plastic wrapping
  • Plastic Food wrapping
  • Drinks bottle lids
  • Yoghurt pots
  • Margarine/butter tubs
  • Lunch boxes
  • Fruit containers/punnets
  • Herb and spice containers
  • Food trays
  • Plastic sheeting
  • Hard plastics, i.e. toys, buckets, flower pots
  • Video tapes
  • Any other plastics

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