Plastic film recycling in Shropshire

Alot of people ask us about what to do with plastic film because it cant be collected with the Councils plastic recycling service. However its a really simple answer - you can take this type of plastic back to the larger supermarkets and recycle it at their in-store carrier bag recycling points - this includes all of the larger Asda, Sainsbury, Co-op, Morrisons and Tesco supermarkets in Shropshire.

What types of plastic film are accepted?

They accept any polyethene a.k.a. low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film which is sometimes marked with a number 4.   This includes things like: -

•plastic wrappers from bakery goods

•plastic breakfast cereal liners

•plastic toilet roll wrappers

•plastic bags from fruit and veg

•plastic carrier bags

•plastic bread bags

•plastic freezer bags

•plastic magazine wrap

•plastic shrink wrap

If you are unsure look out for the label on the packet which should say "recycle with your carrier bags at larger stores - not at the kerbside".

The supermarkets collect it at the front of the store and then they use "reverse haulage" so when new stock is delivered the empty truck takes away all their plastic wrapping. The plastic is recycled at a variety of mainly UK based reprocessors who use it to make recycled plastic carrier bags and rubbish bags.

It is said that the average household in Shropshire gets through about 25kg each year which sounds small but means theres about 5,000 tonnes of the stuff just in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin each year, most of which is going straight into landfill.  So do your bit for the planet and slim your bin, help keep this out of landfill by taking it back to the supermarket. Its not like you have to go out of your way to do it after all!  By recycling your plastic bags and film you also save taxpayers money, create jobs and investment, help to reduce oil use, save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.