Crisp packets and wrappers
Metal coated plastic film, which is often used for crisp and snack packets, looks like aluminium but cannot be recycled.
Use the scrunch test to check whether it is aluminium foil. If it springs back when scrunched in the hand it is not recyclable and should be thrown away with your household rubbish.
Food and drink cartons
We don’t currently collect food and drink cartons for recycling (e.g. juices, milk and soups). Cartons aren't just made of cardboard - they contain plastic. Some cartons can also contain a metal foil liner.
Because of this, they would have to be sent for specialist recycling in Europe. Even then, the machinery does not yet recover all of the component parts, which means that some material would still be incinerated. Until the recycling process is developed to include all of the components, we think the best solution for Jersey is local energy recovery.
Plastic pots, tubs and trays
At the moment, we only export plastic bottles for recycling as they are made from a high grade of plastic.
Plastic pots, tubs and trays are made from low-grade mixed plastics. Low-grade mixed plastics are often sent to China for recycling, and we do not think this is a viable solution for Jersey.
Plastic bottle tops
Plastic bottle tops may be made from a different grade of plastic than the bottle itself so may not be the grade we are collecting for recycling.
The tops can also be a safety risk as pressure can build up in the bottles after than are compressed into bales, causing the tops to shoot off. For these reasons, we ask for all bottle tops to be removed.
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