In general, plastic packaging can be recycled. But, what about a black plastic tray? Well, here the story is a bit more complicated. They are usually coloured using carbon black pigments which do not enable the pack to be sorted in a recycling plant. As a result, this type of packaging commonly ends up as residue and is disposed of in landfill or recycled into lower value materials where polymer sorting is not required.
Table 1 – Black Plastic Tray recyclability in 5 Local Authorities across UK
| Country | Council | Which bin/bag/box | Note |
| England | London Westminster City Council | Plastic trays are recycable, there are NO more precisely information | Some plastic types are not recyclable. No info about black plastic trays |
| England | Oxford City Council | Blue household recycling bin or sack | Back plastic trays are recyclable |
| Scotland | City of Edimburgh | Individual: green wheelie bin (mixed recycling) | Clean plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays are recyclable. No info about black plastic trays |
| Communal: green lidded bins (mixed recycling) | |||
| Wales | Cardiff Council | Green recycled bag | Black plastic food trays are recyclable |
| Northern Ireland | Belfast City Council | If you have 2 recycling boxes and a small green bin put it in the black one. | Plastic trays are recyclable. No info about black plastic trays |
| If you have 3 stacked recycling boxes (wheelie box) and a small green bin put it in the red one |
This is the end of our fifth short story on waste materials. We hope that you found it informative.
A final note. Just in England, there are 350 Local Authorities collecting household waste. Waste devolution usually brings a lack of consistency in the materials accepted for recycling across Boroughs and this create confusion.
Would recycling be easier, if you could rely on a mobile app that given your location will let you know which one is the right bin for each item? Click here to know something more about it.
If you want other info, send us an email: info@waytoeco.com
Read about last recycling oracle metrics May 2018 explained by WayToEco
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