Single-Use Plastics Recycling

Over the last decade, the world has produced more plastic than during the whole of the last century. But can single-use plastic be recycled? Thankfully, the answer is yes!

After First Mile carries out the commercial waste collection, plastic waste is sorted by colour and type - the number you see inside the recycling triangle on all your plastic products. Materials are then transported to a specialist facility and, from there, each type of plastic goes through a slightly different process.

PET plastic bottles will be used as our example to answer the question “How to recycle single-use plastic?”, PET plastic bottles, for example, are prewashed and sent through a laser sorting machine to separate clear plastic and green plastic. Bottles are then washed in a hot and soapy process that heats them just enough to get rid of caps and labels.

The PET plastic is then shredded, washed and heated one more time. Recycled plastic bottles flakes are sent to be turned into products such as polyester fabric and carpets, or melted and shaped as pellets to be reprocessed again into new plastic bottles, food containers and other 3D plastic products.

Setting up a commercial waste collection for single-use plastics is easy using one of First Mile's commercial bins.

  We offer rubbish removal in London and Birmingham around our major sorting plants, as well as across the country. The best way to find out if we’re in your area is to check your postcode and see if this service is available near you!

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, 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.

The average carton is made up of at least three layered materials: 75% paperboard (from wood), 21% polyethylene (a type of plastic) and 4% aluminium (on long-life or aseptic packages only). It's this unique combination that makes carton packaging safe and efficient to store food and drinks, but it also means that recycling cartons require a very special process.

After collection, cartons are taken to a specialist facility where they're soaked into water to separate the paperboard fibres. These are then dried and recycled into new paper products. The recovered plastic and aluminium layers are separated and turned into garden furniture, industrial products and building materials.

The process of recycling cartons isn't the easiest, but it is possible. Still, worldwide, less than 20% of cartons packaging is recycled - we can and must do better. First Mile recycles cartons in the UK, reducing the carbon footprint necessary and ensuring that nothing ends up in a landfill.