Whether you have a pack of crisps a day or you have them as an irregular treat, you’ll end up with a shiny and empty bag once you’re finished eating them, but do you know where to put it?
Homeowners will know to recycle plastic in their blue or green bins, but these small wrappers should be disposed of elsewhere.
Can you recycle empty crisp packets?
Crisp packets can be recycled, but not at UK homes via regular bin collections.
Instead, you’ll need to dispose of them at your local supermarket, where they can be recycled.
Recycle Now explains: “Crisp packets are not currently recyclable in home recycling collections but can be recycled along with plastic bags and wrapping at selected retailers”.
It added: “Crisp packets can also be recycled via Terracycle’s Crisp Packet Recycling Scheme.”
If you don’t want to take your empty crisp packets to your local supermarket to recycle, they will need to go in your general waste wheelie bin for collection.
In December, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council reminded its local residents on Facebook that while “crisp packets might look shiny”, they can’t be recycled from household bin collections.
Homeowners in the area were also encouraged to “take them to your local supermarket that can recycle soft plastics.”
Which UK supermarkets recycle soft plastics like crisp packets for you?
Sainsbury’s, Co-op and Tesco are among the UK supermarkets that will recycle soft plastics for you if you drop them off there.
Co-op asks customers to clean the soft plastics, scrunch them up and put them in the soft recycling unit, which is a blue bin at its stores.
It’s worth checking what your local supermarket accepts and what facilities they have before heading there with your wrappers.
What are soft plastics?
Soft plastics can be found in fridges and cupboards and are used to cover everyday essentials.
Co-op explains: “Soft plastics are lightweight plastics that often cannot be placed in recycling bins at home.
“Think plastic film lids on yoghurt pots, soft fruit punnets and ready meals, as well as plastic crisp packets, pasta bags and chocolate or biscuit wrappers.”
Graham Flynn, waste management expert at Anenta, explains: “Crisp packets are typically made from a combination of plastic film and metallic layers, which means they cannot usually be recycled through standard household recycling collections.
“Where dedicated soft plastics collection points are available, consumers should keep packets clean and dry and take them to participating supermarkets or specialist recycling schemes.”
Can you get fined for putting bins out early?
What happens if you try to recycle crisp packets at home?
Graham adds: “If these services are not available locally, crisp packets should be placed in general waste rather than household recycling bins.
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“Putting flexible plastics into the wrong recycling stream can contaminate recyclable materials and create processing problems for local authorities.
“There has been progress in expanding soft plastics collections across the UK, but clearer and more consistent public guidance is still needed to improve recycling rates and reduce contamination.”
Do you recycle your soft plastics like crisp packets? Let us know in the comments below.
