Food packaging

The two materials which occur most often in food packaging are also two of the most difficult and uneconomical materials to recycle - plastic and cardboard.

Plastic wrappings take up more than a fifth of the space in household dustbins and little of it degrades down once disposed of.

Actions

• Avoid buying foods and other items in excessive and non-essential cardboard or plastic wrappings.
• Re-use plastic carrier bags. Wash and re-use plastic containers for storage and other purposes, for example: yoghurt pots and margarine tubs can be used as seed pots.
• Recycle For more information about local recycling facilities, contact at Woking Borough Council.

Contacts

• RECOUP (Recycling of Used Plastics Ltd) promotes and facilitates post consumer plastic container recycling in the UK and works to overcome technical and economic barriers to growth.
  9 Metro Centre, Welbeck Way, Woodston, Peterborough PE2 7WH
  Tel 01733 390021
  http://www.recoup.org
• A comprehensive list of private companies offering plastic and cardboard recycling services can be found in Surrey County Council's 'The Surrey Waste Wise Business Manual'.
  Tel 0845 6 009 009 
• For enquiries about plastic and cardboard recycling facilities provided for Woking residents contact the Waste Services Helpline.
  Tel 01483 755855
  email waste@woking.gov.uk

          http://www.woking.gov.uk/environment/wasterecycle