Can plastic be recycled or not?

zeebre12 · 21-08-2018 3:07pm #1

Can plastic be recycled or not. I used to work in a food processing factory and they say they can't recycle any of their plastics so they all go to landfill. You'd see tons of plastics bags and plastic wrapping going to the dump. Anything plastic just goes to landfill.
But then at our local recycling centre there is a compartment for plastics and every kind of plastic is accepted from cartons, plastic bags, wrappers to cling film and lots of other hard/soft plastics are thrown in together. Anything that is plastic everyone throws in. I thought there are some plastics that you can't recycle but the recycling centre accepts any kind of plastic and they are all together?

Loafing Oaf · 22-09-2018 12:22pm

zeebre12 wrote: »

Can plastic be recycled or not. I used to work in a food processing factory and they say they can't recycle any of their plastics so they all go to landfill. You'd see tons of plastics bags and plastic wrapping going to the dump. Anything plastic just goes to landfill.
But then at our local recycling centre there is a compartment for plastics and every kind of plastic is accepted from cartons, plastic bags, wrappers to cling film and lots of other hard/soft plastics are thrown in together. Anything that is plastic everyone throws in. I thought there are some plastics that you can't recycle but the recycling centre accepts any kind of plastic and they are all together?

I'm wondering about this too. The writer seems definite soft plastics can't be recycled, and you'd imagine she'd know her stuff.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/a-waste-free-week-was-my-pet-project-0hbhzxxp5
However, like you zeebre12, my local recycling centre has a section for plastic bags, wrapping etc.

What gives?

chite · 27-09-2018 11:19pm

https://recyclinglistireland.ie/

In a nutshell...
Soft plastics = not recyclable (crisp bags, breakfast cereal bag, etc.)
"Hard, rigid" plastics = recyclable (they usually have the symbol HDPE, PET, LDPE or PP on them)

Are you saying that the factory didn't recycle their plastics because they're contaminated (from dirty residue like food)? Or because they're soft plastics, or for another reason?

We don't have the facilities to recycle soft plastics in Ireland, hence the no recycle rule, though that would be different in another country like Germany/Sweden...though I doubt much is recycled as they have incinerators which creates electricity from burning.

Harry Palmr · 27-09-2018 11:23pm

What I want to know about is the many items of black rigid plastic that meat and fish tend to be sold on. Is black plastic non scanning as said and therefore best put in the general waste?

Jimmy. · 27-09-2018 11:26pm

It burns very quickly.

chite · 27-09-2018 11:40pm

Harry Palmr wrote: »

What I want to know about is the many items of black rigid plastic that meat and fish tend to be sold on. Is black plastic non scanning as said and therefore best put in the general waste?

It's technically recyclable, but as you said yourself optical sorting equipment at recovery facilities can't pick up on them so most likely it goes to landfill but nothing to stop from putting it into recycling as it may be recycled into lower value materials where polymer sorting is not required. I'd go with the mantra of "can I buy this meat/fish loose instead?"

Jimmy. wrote: »

It burns very quickly.

Ah.....no, just no.
Here's a better idea - dump your soft plastics at the supermarket where you got them from, no seriously this is a thing that happened this year as a campaign back in April by Friends of the Earth in Dublin, and VOICE Ireland.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/people-are-clearly-sick-of-plastic--shoppers-plan-to-ditch-unwanted-plastic-at-supermarkets-tomorrow-838320.html

An even better idea would be to refuse the soft plastics in the first place, opting for loose fruit and veg, buy dried good from bulk food stores etc. (if feasible)

Jimmy. · 27-09-2018 11:43pm

I’m a working person, I haven’t the time to be refusing soft plastics. The buck lies with the supermarkets. They need to wake up.

chite · 27-09-2018 11:46pm

Yep, absolutely like so many people. Next time you go out food shopping, bring the soft plastics from a previous shop with you and dump them at their bins. Some people even put them on the packing shelf in Lidl/Aidl or the till, but I'd feel too sorry for the till assistant

Refusing plastics doesn't take up more time than the alternative... for eg. how is putting loose veg in a cotton bag time consuming?

Wanderer78 · 28-09-2018 10:37am

More pressure needs to be put onto our production supply chains to reduce our overall materials creation, this isnt the sole problem of the end user, although the end user plays a critical role in aiding this.

Harry Palmr · 28-09-2018 10:40am

Exactly, this should not be a recycling issue at all.

Loafing Oaf · 28-09-2018 10:47am

chite wrote: »

https://recyclinglistireland.ie/

In a nutshell...
Soft plastics = not recyclable (crisp bags, breakfast cereal bag, etc.)

Then why are some recycling centres collecting them?

To make recycling obsessives feel better?

chite · 28-09-2018 4:36pm

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

Then why are some recycling centres collecting them? To make recycling obsessives feel better?

They still need to be collected by someone to put into landfill

AndrewJRenko · 28-09-2018 4:40pm

Jimmy. wrote: »

I’m a working person, I haven’t the time to be refusing soft plastics. The buck lies with the supermarkets. They need to wake up.

They will wake up when you make it their problem

CeilingFly · 28-09-2018 4:42pm

Black plastic food trays are technically recyclable, but as the optical sensors can't distinguish them they would have to be sorted by hand - and that's expensive.

Loafing Oaf · 21-02-2019 5:13pm

chite wrote: »

They still need to be collected by someone to put into landfill

Staff at my local recycling centre have told me that soft plastic are taken from them for recycling. I reckon all I can do is take them at their word...

my3cents · 21-02-2019 5:41pm

Lidl are dreadful for this! Much of their plastic packaging says something like "Currently not recyclable". Yet they have notices at the checkouts stating how environmentally friendly they are and that they recycle all their own waste. Thats great but it doesn't mention all the unrecylable plastic that goes home with their customers.

Wanderer78 · 22-02-2019 9:35am

my3cents wrote:

Lidl are dreadful for this! Much of their plastic packaging says something like "Currently not recyclable". Yet they have notices at the checkouts stating how environmentally friendly they are and that they recycle all their own waste. Thats great but it doesn't mention all the unrecylable plastic that goes home with their customers.

Unfortunately corporate propaganda is rife in the recycling business, underneath it all, very few retailers truly care about environmental issues, but this issue is very complex, sadly our economic systems and processes are designed so, we need to change this urgently, our environmental issues are everyone's problem, equally, including our production and distribution systems

MrCostington · 24-03-2019 11:14am

I was about to start a thread in this but saw this one. Reading it, there seems to bee no clear procedure.

So, I've been putting my food packaging and bottles in storage for a bit, so what to do with them now? There is no recycling near me that takes plastic (apart from one, where you have to pay, not doing that), and, of course driving a long distance to recycle is a no no.

I live in an apartment, we have green bins, but they get filled with general rubbish once the black ones are full.

Is it going to go to landfill (in China perhaps) regardless of what I do?

Regards,
Cynical
In Dublin

donspeekinglesh · 24-03-2019 11:48am

How far are you from Coolmine? That's where I take my soft plastics and plastic bottles. Doesn't cost anything.

I bag them up in the shed and drop them off every few weeks

MrCostington · 24-03-2019 11:55am

donspeekinglesh wrote: »

How far are you from Coolmine?

Thanks, just checked, 18km

punisher5112 · 24-03-2019 12:02pm

Council run centres do not charge for recyclable items.

They even take cling film, wrapping film and anything with the recycling symbol and the number 4 inside the symbol.

Is there no recycling bin at the apartment complex as anything rigid such as cartons and plastic bottles should be placed in these bins.

my3cents · 24-03-2019 12:15pm

punisher5112 wrote: »

Council run centres do not charge for recyclable items.

They even take cling film, wrapping film and anything with the recycling symbol and the number 4 inside the symbol.

Is there no recycling bin at the apartment complex as anything rigid such as cartons and plastic bottles should be placed in these bins.

Some council run centers do charge. I have to pay in Waterford http://www.waterfordcouncil.ie/media/environment/Dungarvan%20Amenity%20Site%20Charges%20Sign.pdf .

punisher5112 · 24-03-2019 12:17pm

my3cents wrote: »

Some council run centers do charge. I have to pay in Waterford http://www.waterfordcouncil.ie/media/environment/Dungarvan%20Amenity%20Site%20Charges%20Sign.pdf .

Not in Dublin or Wexford and others.

That's a pity they do so where you are as that puts people off.

my3cents · 24-03-2019 12:22pm

punisher5112 wrote: »

Not in Dublin or Wexford and others.

That's a pity they do so where you are as that puts people off.

I just take a car full of rubbish for €20 every couple of months. I still separate out the recyclable bags and as I normally have about 8-10 bags of recyclable stuff and at least 5 black bin sacks it works out much cheaper than paying for a bin service. Do have to remember to keep the receipts in case the council start checking up.

MrCostington · 24-03-2019 12:24pm

punisher5112 wrote: »

Council run centres do not charge for recyclable items.

They even take cling film, wrapping film and anything with the recycling symbol and the number 4 inside the symbol.

Is there no recycling bin at the apartment complex as anything rigid such as cartons and plastic bottles should be placed in these bins.

Thanks, I'll double check with them again. As I said in my OP, yes we have a green bin, but I'd say by the time they are emptied, it's full of 80% general waste. Does it get sorted somewhere?

EDIT my local center "The following charges apply for the disposal of green waste – €2 per 80 litre bag & €16 per 1m ³ skip bag"

I live in an apartment, can't be waiting to fill and store 80 liters of waste. Don't make it easy eh?

punisher5112 · 24-03-2019 12:26pm

MrCostington wrote: »

Thanks, I'll double check with them again. As I said in my OP, yes we have a green bin, but I'd say by the time they are emptied, it's full of 80% general waste. Does it get sorted somewhere?

The bin companies do sort it yes.

It's in their own interests as to save money.

Contact management company and complain about the abuse of the bins.

jasper100 · 24-03-2019 12:34pm

If it cant be recycled it should be illegal to supply it, with exceptions.

Such as silage wrap, not sure if its recycleable or not. But that sort of thing should be allowed.

Del2005 · 24-03-2019 12:34pm

chite wrote: »

Yep, absolutely like so many people. Next time you go out food shopping, bring the soft plastics from a previous shop with you and dump them at their bins. Some people even put them on the packing shelf in Lidl/Aidl or the till, but I'd feel too sorry for the till assistant

Refusing plastics doesn't take up more time than the alternative... for eg. how is putting loose veg in a cotton bag time consuming?

Since all retailers are members of REPAK you can't do this. Apparently REPAK already pays towards the recycling so you can't dump the packaging at the shop, so my charges for recycling must be a figment of my imagination.

Del2005 · 24-03-2019 12:39pm

punisher5112 wrote: »

The bin companies do sort it yes.

It's in their own interests as to save money.

Contact management company and complain about the abuse of the bins.

What is the management company supposed to do when people don't care? I've seen people open the bin shed door and throw the rubbish in.

In the end the cost goes back to the owners because the bin company will have to landfill all the bins and charge the OMC, but people still won't segregate and then complain when their management fees go up.

99nsr125 · 24-03-2019 12:46pm

Silage wrap is recycled

jasper100 wrote: »

If it cant be recycled it should be illegal to supply it, with exceptions.

Such as silage wrap, not sure if its recycleable or not. But that sort of thing should be allowed.

Pkiernan · 24-03-2019 12:48pm

It's ironic that burning plastic is less harmful to wildlife than the so called recycling of it.

Daveq · 24-03-2019 12:48pm

Basically if you were to heat the plastic it and it melts, but doesn't burn or shrivel up in most cases it can be (should be) recycled.

antoinolachtnai · 24-03-2019 12:52pm

MrCostington wrote: »

EDIT my local center "The following charges apply for the disposal of green waste – €2 per 80 litre bag & €16 per 1m ³ skip bag"

I live in an apartment, can't be waiting to fill and store 80 liters of waste. Don't make it easy eh?

This almost certainly refers to garden waste (branches, leaves, grass) not plastic.

BorneTobyWilde · 24-03-2019 12:52pm

Ideally only the new list of recyclables should be going in recycling bin, food waste in a food bin and the rest in a waste bin. That waste bin depending on location typically will not go to landfill, it goes for waste to energy so it is recycled into Electricity.

Ger Roe · 24-03-2019 12:59pm

We don't do re-cycle properly at all in this country. Unclear info as to what can/can't be recycled, different practices/policies between waste company operators and local authority facilities, different practices/policies between local authorities... why do facilities and practices differ depending on where you live on a small island that has the population of a medium size european city?

There is very little attempt to put pressure on the manufacturers and their distribution chain. All things considered it's a confusing mess of a half arsed job designed to keep waste companies and various regulators in business. See the quote below from Repak, taken from a letter to the press arguing that a glass/plastic bottle deposit return scheme won't work here.... (it did work here before and still does in other countries that have a coherent national waste management policy)

"As a nation, it is important that we place our resources into providing long term solutions, like elimination of over-packaging of materials, reduction in packaging, reuse of packaging, and the creation of a market for plastic recyclables in Ireland and Europe.

Séamus Clancy

Chief Executive Repak Ltd

Cork"

This is what annoys me about quango regulators, advisors, and the vast array of contracted consultant experts that government employs to tell 'we the people' how to act... A great quote Mr Clancy, now get on with it and get it done. Why are you waiting for those of us at the bottom of the distribution chain to force change all the way back up?

It's the same with Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, all they seem to do is report how far behind target we are. If that's the case, then the authority is ineffective, throw it out and try something different.

If these people are not getting co-operation from their overlords, they need to have the gumption to say so and admit that lack of government action is preventing them from doing their jobs.

In short... do something positive to change the situation and stop spouting the bleeding obvious to those of us who already know it.... make it happen or get out of the job.

BorneTobyWilde · 24-03-2019 1:01pm

A large amount of the recycling waste collected goes for waste to energy as of course no one sorts their recycling bin correctly. They pick through it and then the rest ends up in the waste section with the black bin waste and again goes for waste to energy in Ireland, or it's exported to Sweden.
Sweden burn waste efficiently and cleanly to generate electricity, they actually want more and more waste from Ireland as we're too dumb or ignorant to realise that waste is actually a great fuel.

BorneTobyWilde · 24-03-2019 1:08pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caw-969W-D4

OldMrBrennan83 · 24-03-2019 1:10pm

I recycle whatever Panda says I can recycle. I'm charged for that so where it goes after isn't my concern.

MrCostington · 24-03-2019 1:44pm

Del2005 wrote: »

What is the management company supposed to do when people don't care? I've seen people open the bin shed door and throw the rubbish in.

Yes same here, the people are inbred animals. They will just leave a fridge, TV, bed there. Too much to expect them to respect the green bin. Anyway, if it gets sorted I'll just use that.

AndrewJRenko · 24-03-2019 9:34pm

Del2005 wrote: »

What is the management company supposed to do when people don't care? I've seen people open the bin shed door and throw the rubbish in.

In the end the cost goes back to the owners because the bin company will have to landfill all the bins and charge the OMC, but people still won't segregate and then complain when their management fees go up.

CCTV might help, though it would be labour intensive to be reviewing the footage for each person dumping.

Wanderer78 · 25-03-2019 8:33am

BorneTobyWilde wrote:

A large amount of the recycling waste collected goes for waste to energy as of course no one sorts their recycling bin correctly. They pick through it and then the rest ends up in the waste section with the black bin waste and again goes for waste to energy in Ireland, or it's exported to Sweden. Sweden burn waste efficiently and cleanly to generate electricity, they actually want more and more waste from Ireland as we're too dumb or ignorant to realise that waste is actually a great fuel.

More so the lack of will and misinformation about energy recovery from the burning of waste I'd imagine, put a proposal forward for an incinerator, and watch what happens, I can't see this changing anytime soon

Del2005 · 25-03-2019 4:14pm

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

CCTV might help, though it would be labour intensive to be reviewing the footage for each person dumping.

What will CCTV do? You'll have a video of someone allegedly illegally dumping then what. Dublin City Council got in trouble for posting blurred images of people dumping so an OMC would be destroyed if they did anything wrong, they also have GDPR to worry about and the owners would object to them being recorded.

Then there is the fact that people commiting crimes know that CCTV is easily defeated.

AndrewJRenko · 25-03-2019 11:51pm

Del2005 wrote: »

What will CCTV do? You'll have a video of someone allegedly illegally dumping then what. Dublin City Council got in trouble for posting blurred images of people dumping so an OMC would be destroyed if they did anything wrong, they also have GDPR to worry about and the owners would object to them being recorded.

Then there is the fact that people commiting crimes know that CCTV is easily defeated.

For a start, it will be a deterrent for some people. These probably aren't hardened criminals. They're just people taking a short cut because they know they will get away with it. The presence of CCTV will deter some people.

For others, there is an opportunity for them to deal with cases as they arise, by identifying the person involved. This wouldn't be easy, but it would be possible. And yes, they'd have to make sure that they were well covered with policies and warning signs and good procedures.

Discodog · 03-06-2019 1:41pm

From Greenstar. Allowed in the recycle bin

Cling film
• Plastic bags
• Over wrap on toilet rolls/kitchen towels etc

From AES Not allowed in recycle bin

All Plastic bags – black bags, bin liners, shopping bags, bread wrappers, crisp bags
Coal bags, compost and fertiliser bags, pet-food bags or pouches
Plastic film – cling film, wrappers, packaging, bubble wrap

_Kaiser_ · 03-06-2019 1:53pm

I live alone, rent what is effectively a duplex (although pitched as an end of terrace house), and generate maybe 1 black bag of mixed rubbish every fortnight.

The 2 local bin companies want nonsense amounts to provide 3 bins it'd take me months to fill and nowhere to store (no back garden). The local council recycling centre costs €4 just to drive through the barrier, plus the 15 minute drive to get there, and that's separate from the charges for disposing of general waste.

Feck that.. I bought a used wheelie bin and wait till I have 4 bags (so every 2 months or so) and then drive it to one of those big compactor bins they have at some petrol stations as I pass by one weekly anyway - €16 takes care of the lot.

Until my low-usage scenario is factored in to these "initiatives" then I won't be changing. There's a lot more like me as well I'd say.

Loafing Oaf · 03-06-2019 2:28pm

Discodog wrote: »

From Greenstar. Allowed in the recycle bin

Cling film
• Plastic bags
• Over wrap on toilet rolls/kitchen towels etc

From AES Not allowed in recycle bin

All Plastic bags – black bags, bin liners, shopping bags, bread wrappers, crisp bags
Coal bags, compost and fertiliser bags, pet-food bags or pouches
Plastic film – cling film, wrappers, packaging, bubble wrap

Our collectors have (finally) started accepting 'rigid plastic' for recycling - butter etc. tubs and fruit veg trays. I'm not sure though if these are examples of the hard plastics accepted or the entirety of them.

I wish they'd do these things by PET number; that would cut out most of the confusion.

Del.Monte · 03-06-2019 2:31pm

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

Our collectors have (finally) started accepting 'rigid plastic' for recycling - butter etc. tubs and fruit veg trays. I'm not sure though if these are examples of the hard plastics accepted or the entirety of them. I wish they'd do these things by PET number; that would cut out most of the confusion.

Butter/margarine tubs are hard to wash and I'm sure a huge percentage chucked in the recycling are contaminated. Rigid plastic is another problem as, apparently, black plastic can't be detected by existing equipment. As I've said previously the 'system' is a shambles and needs a complete rethink.

BorneTobyWilde · 03-06-2019 4:03pm

Recycled can mean a host of things. Most recycling centres take plastics, as it's a fuel and recycled into electricity, ie its burnt in a waste to energy facility. Poolbeg Incinerator needs fuel, and plastics of all sorts are great fuel.

Del.Monte · 03-06-2019 8:31pm

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

Recycled can mean a host of things. Most recycling centres take plastics, as it's a fuel and recycled into electricity, ie its burnt in a waste to energy facility. Poolbeg Incinerator needs fuel, and plastics of all sorts are great fuel.

Recycling means that - not burning.

Can plastic be recycled or not?

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