Millions of plastic pots, tubs and trays which families place in recycling bins are being incinerated because there are not enough facilities to process them, it emerged yesterday. More than half of the pots, tubs and trays people ‘diligently put in recycling bins’ could be going to incinerators, a source told the Times. Millions of plastic pots, tubs and trays which families place in recycling bins are being incinerated because there are not enough facilities to process them, it emerged yesterdayThe problem stems from the fact the UK does not have enough specialist plastic recycling plants and the country is no longer able to send waste to China for processing after a ban was imposed last year. Most plastic trays used for meat, fruit and other food are made from a substance called PET, which is so brittle that it has to be sent to specialist recycling facilities. The plastic is collected from homes on the basis it will be recycled and turned into new products, but it is actually being burned to generate electricityRecoup, a plastic recycling charity, said local councils admit they are incinerating low-grade plastic.

Source: Daily Mail May 21, 2019 00:11 UTC