Plastic Carrier Bags
Every year an estimated 17.5 million plastic carrier bags are given away by supermarkets to their customers, the vast majority of which end up in landfill.
The most effective way to manage this waste, which can be difficult to recycle, is to reduce it's generation in the first instance.
There are many different types of plastic and it comes in many different forms. The type of plastic that is used to make carrier bags for shops to give to customers is very different from the type used to make toothpaste tubes, and this again is different from the plastic used for shampoo bottles etc... Each type of plastic is suited to its particular use, and the qualities of each type affects it's suitability to be recycled.
Download a pdf of a leaflet about plastics.
Our recycling / disposal advice
Many supermarkets provide containers for your used carrier bags. Contact your local supermarket to see if they provide this facility.
Alternatively, search below for your nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre which accepts plastic carrier bags for recycling.
WasteAware recommends that we should avoid the generation of this waste which is difficult to recycle. For example, when you are offered a plastic bag in a shop, consider whether you really need it. Why not invest a few pounds in the purchase of a cotton re-use shopping bag? Or a supermarket 'bag for life' which can be bought for as little as 10p? Alternatively, if you have a stock of plastic carry bags you have accumulated over time from your purchases, you could re-use these.
Use the search below to find where to recycle / dispose of Plastic Carrier Bags.