Have you realised you can now recycle soft plastics like crisp packets and bread bags at our village Co-op? This useful recycling bin (pictured above) is brand new to the Church Street food store this month.
Gwen Eyre, Co-op member pioneer for Ruddington and Clifton, says: “We’re delighted to be able to offer this facility in Ruddington. With concerns about plastic pollution and climate change, we know there are many villagers who wanted to recycle softer plastic items which aren’t accepted in Rushcliffe Borough Council’s blue bins. Our bin is situated near the entrance to the store so you don’t even need to come in to shop if you don’t want to.”
What’s more, the Co-op points out it doesn’t matter where the items were bought. We can just pop the soft plastic packets or wrapping into their recycling unit regardless, and they’ll do the rest. Along with the glass and clothes recycling facilities in the car park, it’s another way Ruddingtonians can conveniently do our bit for the environment.
To recycle our soft plastics, we should follow these three, easy steps:
- Clean it – First, rinse your packaging out.
- Scrunch it – Now, scrunch it up tight – if it pings back, it’s a useful indicator it’s soft plastic.
- Co-op it – Pop it into the soft plastics recycling unit at Ruddington Co-op.
So what are soft plastics?
Soft plastics are lightweight plastics that cannot currently be placed in our blue recycling bins at home. Think plastic film lids on yoghurt pots, soft fruit punnets and ready meals, as well as plastic crisp packets, pasta bags and chocolate or biscuit wrappers.
What they’re NOT are plastic bottles, tubs, pots, trays and caps – most of which CAN go in our household blue bins. If you’re not sure, a simple test is to scrunch it up and, if it pings back, it’s a useful indicator it’s soft plastic.
The Co-op has produced this short awareness video.
Find a full list of what you can and can’t recycle >>HERE<<.
Gwen adds: “All the plastic will be recycled in this country and made into useful items such as refuse bags. So, from now on, all you need to do is #CleanItScrunchItCoopIt.”
Ruddington Co-op’s opening times for both shopping and soft plastic recycling are Monday to Saturday from 7am to 10pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm.
