Recycle at home = Yes
Plastic bottles can be recycled by putting them in your ‘container mix’ (plastics, glass, cans and cartons) recycling bin. This includes all clear and coloured plastic bottles from around the home:
- Fizzy and non-fizzy drink and water bottles (with lids left on)
- Milk bottles (with lids left on)
- Cleaning product bottles, e.g. bathroom cleaners and bleach (with lids and triggers left on)
- Detergent and soap bottles (minus the pump)
- Shampoo, bubblebath, shower gel and skin care product bottles
Recycle out of home = Yes
All clear and coloured plastic bottles from around the home can be recycled at local collection points and at your council-run Household Reuse and Recycling Centre.
Be a great recycler…
- Empty and rinse bottles (left over food or liquids can contaminate other recyclables)
- Leave labels on – these will be removed in the recycling process
- Squash bottles to save space in your bin – then put the lid back on (there is no need to separate the lid from the bottle)
- You can leave the plastic triggers on cleaning product bottles
- Remove the pumps from detergent and soap bottles (these contain a mix of materials including metal springs and should be placed in your rubbish bin as they are difficult to recycle)
- If in doubt, leave it out. Don’t let your enthusiasm to recycle contaminate a whole truck load of recycling – see What is ‘contamination’ and why is it important?
Waste less…
- Try to reduce your reliance on single-use plastics bottles. Switch from liquid soap to bars of soap; buy refillable cleaning products and drink tap water from a reusable bottle.