Compostable plastics

Compostable plastics can’t go in with your plastic recycling as they can’t be recycled in the same way. They are designed to break down in very specific composting conditions rather than be recycled.

Compostable plastics can either be home compostable or industrial compostable. You can check the packaging as this should be specified – read more about the labels to look out for. 

Industrially compostable plastics (e.g. some food caddy liners) need to go into a food caddy which goes for composting, or garden waste; but not everybody has this option at home and we currently don’t have the recycling infrastructure in the UK to deal with this wide-scale.

Check with your local authority to find out what to do with industrially composted plastics where you live.

Home compostable plastics which are labelled as such can go on your compost heap at home.