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What to do with
Plastic bottles
Want to recycle plastic bottles but don't know if you can?
Plastic bottles are widely recycled. To check if you can recycle plastic bottles at home or to find out where your nearest recycling facilities are, use our handy Recycling Locator tool.
Did you know?
It is estimated that an average of 35.8 million plastic bottles are used EVERY DAY in the UK, but only 19.8 million are recycled each day. This means there are on average 16 million plastic bottles a day not making their way into the recycling bin.
What types of plastic bottles can I recycle?
| Yes please | No thanks |
|---|---|
| All clear and coloured plastic bottles from around the home | Plastic bottles containing chemicals (e.g. anti-freeze) |
| Detergent and soap bottles (remove any pumps from the bottle and dispose of these in the rubbish bin) | Anything that is NOT a plastic bottle |
| Cleaning product bottles (e.g. bathroom cleaners, bleach etc) (Triggers can be left on to be recycled) | Anything that looks like a pot, tub, tray or tube |
| Skin care product bottles | |
| Shampoo and shower gel bottles | |
| Fizzy and non-fizzy drinks and water bottles | |
| Milk bottles | |
| Ready-to-use plant food and pesticides bottles (check the label) |
- Empty and rinse items and replace lids/tops. Left over foods or liquids can contaminate other recyclables and if bottles contain liquid they might not be recycled due to the automated sorting process (the extra weight stops the bottle being pushed into the correct recycling stream). Liquid can also damage the machinery and contaminate other recyclables.
- Leave on labels: these will be removed in the process.
- Bottles can be squashed to save space.
Handy tips for recycling plastic bottles
See how plastic bottles are recycled