Squashing tetrapak cartons for recycling - is there any clear guidance?

[wildfellhall]

My ds is adamant that we should wash and not squash and to keep the lids on.

My recycling bin will fill up much more quickly if I don't squash.

AIBU to wish for some standard guidance? Why is it so muddled?

That's not what the 'reduce' is about! It means reduce your consumption - generate less waste.

My council specifically asks us NOT to squash cartons and cans, because of the way they are processed at the plant, so I will carry on not squashing them.

Reduce is reduce the amount not the volume. How many tetra packs are people using if this is even an issue? We probably use one a month, if that.

You can't put Tetrapaks in home recycling anyway. It says on the packs. You have to take them to special containers at recycling centres (although I don't remember ever seeing one).

That is not true, I've linked my recycling flyer above and others also have kerbside tetrapak collections.

The lorry is going to squash them so no harm in squashing beforehand.

The lorry doesn't squash recyclable material: it would crush the glass.

All the posts above about different rules for different councils just convince me more that none of this stuff gets recycled anyway. Most of it is presumbly sent to Malaysia to be burned or dumped in the sea.

This depends on the type of collection. Our recycling collectors sort at the kerb and nothing gets squashed.

Fruit juice and non-dairy milks are things which can be quite high volume in some households.

That is not true, I've linked my recycling flyer above and others also have kerbside tetrapak collections.

But it says explicitly on the packs that they can't be recycled from home collections. I'd believe that before I'd believe what a waste contractor says.

Some councils (ours) are very transparent about where it goes (to a big plant, locally), and you can go and visit to see what happens to it if you want to! (by pre-arrangement, it's not a tourist attraction).
Councils get a fair bit of money for what/how much they recycle, so it's very much in their interests to do just that.

But why? If the council collects it for recycling, then they will do just that. They're not going to ask people to put things they can't recycle in there.

Food packaging includes all sorts of untruths , so best use common sence to ignore most of it.

They won't have to replace all the bins though

You make a litre of milk last a month?

This is what my council says:

https://my.northtyneside.gov.uk/category/84/what-goes-my-bins

• tetrapaks, e.g. juice cartons (please wash and squash items)

We had a circular a couple of years ago and it said to remove the lids - put them in the recycling bin, obviously!

I saw a Portuguese public information film showing chimps correctly sorting recycling into the correct coloured bins, with the message "if we can teach chimps to do this, why can't you do it?" I thought at the time 'that wouldn't work in Britain" - the film would have to say "Put your bottles into the green bin if you're in A, into the blue bin if you're in B or C, into the pink box if you're in D, E or F, and if you're in G or H take them to your local waste recycling centre.

No, it comes in plastic bottles, like most milk sold in supermarkets.

Maybe she gets her milk delivered in glass bottles, or buys it in plastic containers, like most of us?

But surely she can imagine that some households might get through more than one tetra pack a month?

We get through loads.

@purplebeansprouts

ourvrecycling asks you to leave lids on, then they can recycle them
too. But not if you put them in loose.

@BuzzieLittleBee Your blue bin list is impressive!! We can only put paper (NOT shredded) cardboard tins/cans & bottles drink/shampoo/etc), but NOT PLASTIC TRAYS, pots, wrap, ETC and weirdly aerosols 😂😂

we have shared bins and the neighbours just put any old stuff they're done with in them 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️. Drives me nuts!! (Clothes/shoes/anything broken -lights/toasters/)

But why, the waste contractors are taking it to the individual
plant who are all different in what they do/don't have the facilities to recycle.

AutumnLeaves24 · Today 18:35
.
Your blue bin list is impressive!! We can only put paper (NOT shredded) cardboard tins/cans & bottles drink/shampoo/etc), but NOT PLASTIC TRAYS, pots, wrap, ETC and weirdly aerosols

We're supposed to wash any residue out of shampoo, Lenor, oil bottles etc. Aerosols are mixed waste and can't be recycled and they can also explode under the weight of rubbish.

No matter what 'system' there is in your council lots of people don't give a shit & will do what's easiest for them.

its a pointless waste of massive amounts of ££££ to even try to make it the same everywhere. Some plants will stop recycling something they can recycle do 300 other plants aren't forced to but a particular piece of equipment! & a FORTUNE in different coloured bins.

people will still not abide by the rules🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

@SinnerBoy I think you misunderstood my post. Aerosols ARE permitted (in recycling), which surprises me!!

Mine takes aerosols too. And shoes, clothes, small electrical items and batteries.

Our list is indeed impressive. Plastic films, wrappers and bags are a recent addition. And it all goes in one bin - no sorting into separate crates/bags. The only thing in my kitchen bin now is cat food pouches, which are not recycled. Our food waste is collected weekly too. And we can also recycle batteries, textiles and small electricals at the kerbside too.

Well exactly. We don't get through much milk but what we do drink is lactose reduced and that does come in tetrapaks. We get through a couple of those a week. Most milk substitutes are also tetrapaks.