Only third of plastic is recyclable

ONLY a third of the plastic in packaging pots and trays for food bought by households can be recycled, local authorities have warned.

Town hall chiefs urged manufacturers to scrap the ‘smorgasbord’ of plastics used to package foods from fruit and vegetables to yogurts, margarine and microwave meals to help cut waste and increase recycling.

Analysis by the Local Government Association (LGA) suggests 525,000 tonnes of plastic pots, tubs and trays are used by households a year.

But just 169,145 tonnes can be recycled, with two-thirds heading for landfill or incineration.

The LGA said councils had done all they can to tackle plastic waste, with 99 per cent of local authorities collecting plastic bottles for recycling and 77pc picking up pots, tubs and trays. But packaging for food can be made from a variety of polymers, the molecules which make up plastic.

They need to be separated out to remove low-grade and non-recyclable types of plastic such as polystyrene.

Some packaging uses different plastics such as the body and lid of a yogurt pot.

Meanwhile, fruit and vegetables punnets are made from three types of polymer, and microwave meals are cased in black plastic which cannot be easily sorted.

Manufacturers should work with councils and develop a plan to stop unrecyclable plastic being used so frequently in the future.