Recycling plastic wrappers

elle_gee

I wonder if anyone can advise..

What are we to do with plastic wrappers - I mean the type that come around packs of scones or crumpets, or the multipack bags of crisps or biscuits? And also the outer bags which hold sandwich bags (seems like two different types of plastic).

My OH thinks we can put them in the carrier bag recycling postbox at Tesco but I'm not so sure.

We already recycle paper, glass and tins/cans in the council three box scheme; cardboard (like cereal boxes) in the brown wheelie bin; carrier bags back to Tesco, and I take our plastic bottles and trays to my parents as they live in a different council area and are able to put plastics in their hugh recycling wheelie bin (throw everything in there, none of this separate boxes malarky!). It just seems to be the plastic bags we can't find a recycling box home for!

ArmchairTycoon

Personally I put any excessive plastic packaging in the plastic bag bin at my local supermarket, and I encourage everyone else to do so, I don't actually care if my supermarket is able to recycle it or not.

I take the view that if they cannot recycle it it will cost them money to dispose of it, if all their customers adopted my attitude it would force them to reevaluate how much unecessary packaging they put on products, it is getting silly now, my local supermarket plastic wrap all their fresh produce.

And before anyone suggests that supermarkets will increase their prices to cover their increased costs it won't, it really isn't an option for them given they are constantly striving to reduce prices compared to other retailers.

So if you want to start making a difference bring back your excessive packaging and make it the supermarkets problem to dispose of it.

The same practice was adopted a few years ago in Germany, promoted by Greenpeace and it forced supermarkets to radically change how they packaged goods.

moonrakerz

ArmchairTycoon wrote: »

So if you want to start making a difference bring back your excessive packaging and make it the supermarkets problem to dispose of it.

It's even more effective if you can dump some of it at the checkout before you leave !

ArmchairTycoon

The problem with that is you draw attention to yourself personally and risk a pedantic store manager banning you from the store outright, or even calling the police and accusing you of littering etc.

Greenqueen_2

The larger ones such as from potatoes, apples or crisp multipacks can be used as pedal bin liners if you run out of carrier bags. They can be fastened with the little twisty ties that come with food bags. Obviously they dont hold as much but at least its a use for them.

flutterbyuk25

My local council takes all plastics at the tip, not in the fortnighly collection though, so we save it up and take it when we have a boot full.

x

Ben84

Plastic films are hard to recycle, they're all different types of plastic and some are laminates with different layers. Many biscuit and crisp packets have metal foil layers. Some films are the same plastic that supermarket bags are made from, but many are not. It's hard to tell the difference.

Most have to go in the bin to landfill. I have not found any other uses for them.

However, things are improving. I've noticed some items in Sainsburys, such as the toilet roll wrapping and bags grapes are sold in say you can put them in the plastic bag recycling bin in store. Some other items have compostable bags. There are options for many items, if you're willing to buy only certain products.

We avoid a lot of this plastic waste by buying loose fruit and vegetables, either at the market or supermarket. I find they're normally fresher, cheaper and you get the exact amount you want.

moonrakerz

ArmchairTycoon wrote: »

The problem with that is you draw attention to yourself personally and risk a pedantic store manager banning you from the store outright, or even calling the police and accusing you of littering etc.

I believe that the store has to accept back any packaging that you do not wish to take with you.
In November 2006 environment minister Ben Bradshaw proclaimed that we should all rid our foodstuffs of their excessive packaging at the checkout, and leave it for the supermarket to deal with.

Apart from which, if they want to behave like that, I'll take my money elsewhere !

C_Ronaldo

ArmchairTycoon wrote: »

Personally I put any excessive plastic packaging in the plastic bag bin at my local supermarket, and I encourage everyone else to do so, I don't actually care if my supermarket is able to recycle it or not.

I take the view that if they cannot recycle it it will cost them money to dispose of it, if all their customers adopted my attitude it would force them to reevaluate how much unecessary packaging they put on products, it is getting silly now, my local supermarket plastic wrap all their fresh produce.

And before anyone suggests that supermarkets will increase their prices to cover their increased costs it won't, it really isn't an option for them given they are constantly striving to reduce prices compared to other retailers.

So if you want to start making a difference bring back your excessive packaging and make it the supermarkets problem to dispose of it.

The same practice was adopted a few years ago in Germany, promoted by Greenpeace and it forced supermarkets to radically change how they packaged goods.

i like the theory, personnally i put any plastic i cant recycle eg the trays ready meals come in or meat come in into the bin, we're beeing told to throw less away o surely if tehy started to recycle more plastics then the bins would be less full

ArmchairTycoon

moonrakerz wrote: »

I believe that the store has to accept back any packaging that you do not wish to take with you.
In November 2006 environment minister Ben Bradshaw proclaimed that we should all rid our foodstuffs of their excessive packaging at the checkout, and leave it for the supermarket to deal with.

Apart from which, if they want to behave like that, I'll take my money elsewhere !

This isn't something that is enshrined in law, it is at the discretion of the supermarket to let you leave your excess packaging, you only need to have a look elsewhere on this forum to see horror stories about supermarkets exercising unreasonable behaviour towards their customers. Many people only have one supermarket in their town, that has usually led to the closure of most other food retail outlets, being banned could be devastating for some people financially, and for most it would be highly embarrassing.

Landfill costs money, we pay for it through our council taxes, the more councils have to dump the more they have to pay in landfill tax, in some cases certain councils no longer have any landfill space and are having to pay to have rubbish from their area transported to other landfill sites in other districts at a substantial cost, in some cases it is even shipped overseas.

C_Ronaldo wrote: »

i like the theory, personnally i put any plastic i cant recycle eg the trays ready meals come in or meat come in into the bin, we're beeing told to throw less away o surely if tehy started to recycle more plastics then the bins would be less full

The best option and cheapest for all concerned to to make it cost the supermarkets, not council tax payers, it is the fastest way to get them to change their attitudes to excessive packaging. The best way to help protect the environment is to avoid generating waste rather than find solutions to dispose of it afterwards.

geordie_joe

ArmchairTycoon wrote: »

Personally I put any excessive plastic packaging in the plastic bag bin at my local supermarket, and I encourage everyone else to do so, I don't actually care if my supermarket is able to recycle it or not.

Well that would annoy the h*ll out of me if I used carrier bags and took them back to the store to be recycled. One non recyclable item in the bin and the whole lot goes to landfill.

ArmchairTycoon wrote: »

I take the view that if they cannot recycle it it will cost them money to dispose of it, if all their customers adopted my attitude it would force them to reevaluate how much unecessary packaging they put on products, it is getting silly now, my local supermarket plastic wrap all their fresh produce.

Then again, being supermarkets they may just take the easiest and cheapest way out. Remove the recycling bins and replace them with a sign saying they have had to stop recycling because of some customers misusing it.