Soft plastic recycling collection for your business
Our soft plastic recycling stream is perfect for lightweight LDPE plastics which cannot be recycled with dry mixed recycling.
Although technically biodegradable, these materials take thousands of years to decompose in landfill - therefore need to be recycled.
We offer pay-as-you-go sack collections for soft plastics, available on a flexible and reliable schedule of your choosing - no contract required!
Available nationwide, we offer a price match promise, comply with local council time-bands and provide all compliance documentation for your business such as Waste Transfer Notes. Plus we offer lots of great service extras such as a 24/7 support, an online customer portal, industry leading carbon reporting and more.
Whether your business needs a small or a large amount of soft plastics recycled, you can be assured that First Mile has you covered, get an instant quote & set up soft plastics recycling collections today or speak to one of our recycling experts.
How does pricing for soft plastic recycling work?
Sack collections:
The price shown for our soft plastic recycling sack service is per sack (+VAT). Sacks are sold in quantities of 50 on a pay-as-you-go basis with no contract required.
The upfront cost includes the cost of collection and recycling of materials, documentation and service extras, with no hidden costs.
What can go in Soft Plastic Recycling bins and sacks?
Plastic supermarket bags
Please keep out of Soft Plastic bins and sacks
How are soft plastic recycled?
Our First Mile bags are made from 100% recycled plastic, so we see first-hand the outcome of recycling your flexible plastic waste.
After we collect your soft plastic, they’re checked through by the First Mile team at one of our depots before being baled and sent off for processing. For this, we collaborate with a company that has a mission to increase the amount of plastic recycled in the UK and reduce plastic in landfill.
They are then cleaned, shredded, then melted down to create plastic pellets. These pellets are reprocessed into new plastic bin bags, including First Mile bags, meaning that instead of taking hundreds of years to decompose in landfill, your flexible plastic waste can be re-purposed in a matter of weeks.
Why set up a Flexible Plastic Recycling collection with First Mile?
Soft Plastic Recycling FAQs
What are soft plastics made of?
What are soft plastics made of?
Most soft and flexible plastics that you encounter on a daily basis, such as plastic bags and cling film, are made of a thermoplastic called low-density polyethylene, more commonly known as LDPE.
First produced in 1933, it has been made using the same methods ever since, and despite its wide use, it is one of the least recycled materials due to the complex nature of doing so.
That’s why First Mile is proud to offer its soft plastic recycling service to help our planet, as we strive to make it a cleaner place one plastic bag at a time.
Why is recycling flexible plastics so important?
Why is recycling flexible plastics so important?
While LDPE is technically biodegradable, it can take up to 1000 years to do so naturally, often leaching out polluting chemicals as it does so.
That is why responsibly recycling soft plastics to resue them has never been so important, and alongside the growing concern for our planet comes a greater need for companies to ensure they are doing everything possible to help.
Thankfully for you and your business, First Mile's waste services make the process easy.
Why set up a Soft Plastics Recycling collection with First Mile?
Why set up a Soft Plastics Recycling collection with First Mile?
- Easy switch from your current business waste provider
- Flexible business waste and recycling collections up to 3 times a day, 7 days a week
- Amazing support available 24/7/365 from our specialist commercial waste collection team
- Service Extras, like compliance certificates, weighing and data, and posters
How does First Mile’s soft plastic recycling work?
How does First Mile’s soft plastic recycling work?
We’ve made the process of flexible plastic recycling straightforward and easily accessible for all manner of companies. We pick up your soft plastic waste via our sack collection service, sort the materials before recycling them.
This limits the drain on raw materials needed to make new soft plastics and stops recyclable plastic bags from ending up in landfill.
How many flexible plastic bags could be recycled every year?
How many flexible plastic bags could be recycled every year?
Around 1 trillion plastic bags are used around the world every year, while the oil it takes to make just one of them could power a car for 11 metres.
With this in mind, is it time that retail, catering or commercial businesses start increasing their flexible plastic recycling with a conscientious company?
What happens to soft plastic when recycled?
What happens to soft plastic when recycled?
Once they have been picked up by First Mile’s sack collection service, soft plastics are taken to our recycling centre, where they are packed into bales for onward transportation.
These are the cleaned and shredded to be recycled into black bin bags, giving them a second life.
Why use First Mile?
Why use First Mile?
As one of the leading waste management companies in London, Birmingham and the UK, First Mile has already helped over 30,000 businesses to reduce their carbon impact with our range of recycling services - with over 200 new businesses signing up each week.
By choosing First Mile for your soft plastic recycling, you’ll benefit from a low cost, reliable service, a 24/7 helpdesk, and free monthly reporting. You can view our accreditations above and our certificates and insurances here.
