When you place accepted plastic items in your kerbside recycling collection, they are sent for recycling to be made into a wide variety of new plastic items.
Plastics collected for recycling in Essex are sent to a number of facilities, depending of the type of plastic.
The recycling industry is global, and where plastics are sent can vary due to demand and prices. Typically, plastic bottles, pots tubs and trays are sent for recycling in the UK, Turkey and Netherlands. These countries have recycling facilities that can process the materials more economically and therefore are prepared to pay higher prices for recyclables, such as plastic.
Even though exporting recyclables means transporting them further, it is still a better environmental option than using new or raw materials to make new plastic items. Exports of recyclable waste are highly regulated, monitored and controlled by the relevant Environment Agencies. These are subject to rigorous auditing processes, annual review and accreditation.
Plastic bottles, tubs and trays are separated from other recyclable materials by hand or machine. They are cleaned, sorted by plastic type using clever technology, then arranged by colour - blue, natural, green and mixed. They are then shredded, washed, melted and formed into pellets which can then be used to make new items including bottles, fleeces, furniture or children’s toys. Find out more about the plastic recycling journey at Recycle Now.
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