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How is plastic collected?
Plastic is collected from the recycling bank using the Recresco
suction vehicle, the plastic is taken back to the Depot in
Avonmouth or Swindon where it is bailed.
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How is plastic reprocessed?
At the Depot in Avonmouth or Swindon the lorries are first
emptied into bays, here any large visible items that are not
plastic are removed. The plastic is put onto a conveyer belt where
more items we don't want are removed. It is then baled and awaits
collection for the next process. After collection the bails are
split and put through an optical sorting plant which separates
plastic into the four different types of polymers. The next stage
is to clean the polymers by either dry wash or caustic washing and
then granulated into flakes. The waste from the bales is used to
fuel the plant therefore reducing the carbon footprint. The
products are then sold to the fibre industry or to plastic bottle
manufacturers dependent on which polymers the manufactures require.
The goods currently go to China, Mexico or remain in the UK. The
goal in the very near future is to keep all products in the UK and
not export.
How plastic is recycled from recycle now
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Why don't you collect plastic from the
kerbside?
Due to the nature of plastics, being both lightweight and bulky,
we are unable to collect plastics via our kerbside collection
scheme and to include it we would need to double our lorries and
change the collection rounds which we do not have the funding to do
so at the moment as this would be in excess of £1 million, an
increase of over 1% on your council tax alone.
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How can I reduce my plastic waste
Choose a bag for life instead of plastic carrier bags. Where
possible choose an alternative packaging such as glass bottles
instead of plastic or tetrapacks. Buy refills - many cleaning
products are available as refills. Avoid convenience foods with
layers of packaging. Buy loose fruit and vegetables rather than
pre-packed. Buy goods with a high-recycled content.
Top tips to reduce your packaging
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Why don't you recycle plastic in more places, and
what are your plans for the future?
As you may be aware we currently recycle plastic types 1, 2, 5,
and 6 at nine points across North Somerset. This is the first time
we have introduced plastic recycling in North Somerset, and as such
the scheme is being closely monitored and could change in the
future. If we are successful in finding extra funding we hope to
extend the plastic banks to more sites throughout North
Somerset.
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What are the retailers are doing to reduce
packaging
Over 30 retailers, brands and suppliers who represent 92% of the
UK grocery sector signed the Courtauld Commitment. This commitment
aims to find new ways of reducing packaging and food waste across
the whole supply chain.
What are the retailers are doing to reduce packaging
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