Cleaner Greener Hounslow

Know Your Plastic

Hounslow Council is committed to making recycling as easy as possible, that is why we have partnered with London Recycles to highlight the household items that are commonly recycled incorrectly.

What types of plastic can be recycled?

Generally, the following plastic items can be recycled at home:

Clear and coloured plastic bottles

Soap bottles - remove pumps and stick them in the rubbish bin

Spray cleaners - leave the triggers in

Bleach bottles

Shampoo and shower gel bottles

Milk bottles

Pots for yoghurt, soup, dips and so on

Tubs for things like cheese spread and ice cream

Trays for fruit, veg, meat, sweet treats (like tarts and pies for example)

What types of plastic can't be accepted?

Plastic bottles containing chemicals (e.g. anti-freeze). This is because strong chemicals can harm staff in the material handling facility, as well as damage equipment

Crisp packets and sweet wrappers

Film lids from pots and trays

Laminated pouches, such as for cat food and coffee

Plastic toys

Medicine blister packs

Squeezy toothpaste tubes

Polystyrene

Top Tips

Rinse packaging- leftover food residue can ruin your recycling. A quick rinse will do.

Leave labels on but remove plastic film and chuck in your rubbish bin

Separate cardboard and paper from plastic packaging and pop in the recycling separately

 

crisps

Your crisps may be ready salted, but unlike spray bottles and yogurt pots they aren’t ready to be recycled at home.

 

strawberries

Deciding what to eat can be a challenge but knowing what to recycle isn’t. Plastic bottles and trays? Yes. Polystyrene? No.

 

toothpaste

Brush up on your recycling know-how. Squeezable tubes are a no-no, while rinsed plastic bottles are a big yes-yes.

 

foil

Wash your hands of bad recycling. Plastic bottles can be recycled – but sweet wrappers, foil pouches and soap pumps can’t be.

 

ppe

Face the facts. Disposable gloves and masks belong in the rubbish. Empty bottles of hand sanitiser belong in the recycling.

Shocking fact!

It's estimated that around 35.8 million plastic bottles are used EVERY DAY in the UK, but only 19.8 million of these are recycled. In London, we get through an average of two million plastic bottles of water every day. Consider investing in a reusable water bottle and Keep Cup and avoid single-use plastic wherever possible to help reduce plastic waste.

For further comprehensive recycling advice in Hounslow please click here

 

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