Plastic Bottles (and caps)
Please recycle your plastic bottles in the special designated bins which are signed “plastic bottles”
Look for this sign on the bins
We have to keep plastic bottles separate from other plastics so please only put plastic bottles only in the recycling containers marked “plastic bottles”
Please remove caps, squash the bottle and replace the cap. This reduces the chance of the bin filling up and overflowing.
Why do we have to keep plastic bottles separate?
There are about 50 different groups of plastics, with hundreds of different varieties. Plastic bottles are generally made up of 2 different types of plastic which are easy and popular to recycle .
Plastic bottles must be recycled separately to other materials because they command a high value on the open market. The revenue generated is used to subsidise the recycling scheme. Other plastics contaminate the bottle recycling process and so we must keep all other plastics separate.
Benefits of Recycling Plastics
The production and use of plastics has a range of environmental impacts.
Reserve Resources
Plastics production requires significant quantities of resources, primarily fossil fuels, both as a raw material and to deliver energy for the manufacturing process. Plastic recycling reduces the need for primary resources and energy demand.
Reduce Harmful Chemicals
Production also involves the use of potentially harmful chemicals which are added as stabilisers or colorants. Many of these have not undergone environmental risk assessment and their impact on human health and the environment is uncertain in some cases.
Reduce Environmental Impact
The disposal of plastics products also contributes significantly to their environmental impact. Because most plastics are non-degradable, they take a long time to break down. By recycling plastics we are reducing the chance that plastic will end up in the environment causing a litter nuisance or affecting wildlife.
(Source: Waste Online)