Southampton City Council has made the decision to remove the city's plastic recycling banks which were unveiled at the start of 2018.

 

 

The council says that the contractor involved has reported “ongoing difficulties in disposing of the materials that are collected”.

This is put down to changes in the plastic recycling market.

The council said in a statement:

Material processors [are] currently not accepting pots, tubs and trays, which make up the majority of the collections. This is a national issue, affecting other Local Authorities around the country.
 
Currently, the alternative recycling route for these plastics is for them to be incinerated, with the energy that is produced from this process feeding back in to the national grid. There would be an increased cost associated with the supplier of the banks processing the materials via the incineration route, however the Local Authority can undertake this at no additional cost to residents.
 
The plastics that were collected in the banks can return to being disposed of in residents’ general waste bins, with energy recovery taking place as part of the incineration process. This is carried out by the council’s waste management partner, Veolia, at their plant in Marchwood, which processes non-recyclable waste to supply up to 16MW of electricity to the National Grid, providing enough energy each year for around 22,600 local homes.

Plastic recycling bin at Woodmill

Southampton City Council is committed to improving our environment, and the recycling facilities available to our residents. We will continue to assess all of the options available to us in terms of recycling plastics, working with neighbouring local authorities and partners, to identify the best possible solutions for the city.

Councillor Jacqui Rayment, Cabinet Member for Transport and Public Realm said: "With no end market for certain plastics, it’s currently not possible for the material that was collected in these banks to be recycled. The plastic banks will be removed for the time being and we will continue to use the most efficient and environmentally friendly method of disposal for the plastics that can’t go in to kerbside recycling bins.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank residents for all of their hard work, and encourage them to continue to recycle the right items, as often as they can. Any type of plastic bottle can go in to recycling bins with the materials being recycled in to new products.”

Previously
Plastics recycling bins arrive at Woodmill
Greenpeace campaigns in Bitterne Park against ‘pointless plastic packaging’