Why are soft plastics now allowed to be placed in my recycling bin?
There are two reasons:
Improvements to facilities along with
Emergence of new markets.
In Ireland we collect all recyclables in the same bin and the sorting of all these materials take place at a recycling facility.
Irish recycling plants are upgrading their mechanised sorting facilities to allow for more sorting of plastic. Until 2020 Irish recycling facilities could only process rigid plastics. Most plastics collected in Ireland are exported for recycling. Over the past year a number of new markets specifically handling soft plastics have emerged and Irish plastic can now be exported to these facilities for recycling. If it cannot currently be recycled it will be sent as Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) to replace fossil fuels at cement kilns.
Where do the contents of your recycling bin go?
The below listed items can be placed into the household recycling bin, provided items are Clean, Dry and Loose.
Soft plastic items CLEAN DRY AND LOOSE:
Bread wrappers
Fruit/veg and salad wraps and bags
Kitchen/ toilet roll outer wrap
Breakfast cereal bags
Plastic shopping/carrier bags
Dried fruit/seed and nut bags
Frozen food bags
Pasta/rice/noodle bags
Cheese packs outer wrap
Baked goods/Confectionary outer wrappers
Crisp/cracker wrappers
Bubble wrap
Electrical item/white goods/appliances bags/wrap
Mattress / pillow wrap
Wet wipes outer wrap
Detergent/dishwasher bags
Garden compost / bark bags
Rigid plastic items CLEAN, DRY AND LOOSE. Please continue to Recycle.
