Can you recycle plastic and cardboard food packaging?

[JoshandJamie]

Like if you buy a ready meal (god forbid) and it is packaged in cardboard and then sits on a plastic tray, can they both be recycled?

Sorry if this is the world's most ignorant question but our local authority doesn't take any plastic or card but there is one recycling centre that does - but am not sure what qualifies. I've been told that things that have food sitting in it aren't recyclable.

I recycle yoghurt pots and the odd plastic takeout container - but I do wash them out first - think it is if food is still stuck to the packaging that there is a problem. For example, I don't recycle a cardboard pizza box, as it would have cheese stuck to it, or fat soaked into it, but I do recycle the card package around a multipack of yoghurts.

HTH

Where I used to live, they would take any plastic or cardboard packaging (including pizza boxes). The only things they didn't really take were those squashy plastic tubs that things like mince and chicken come in. But here I just don't know what is taken and the websites aren't clear.

You just need to check with the council. They often have different rules, depending on what storage and sorting facilities they have.

I can recycle plastic bottles, inc milk bottles, and plastic bags, but not any other kind of plastic, inlcuding the kind of trays you get at the supermarket. I think the supermarkets should take them back. It's such as waste. I hate having to buy veg in plastic trays.

My council takes all light cardboard, inlcuding food packaging from the doorstep, but larger boxes have to go to the recycling centre direct.

most council websites are helpful.

Agree that the council website is a good place to start - or ring and ask as someone will know.
Our 'green box men' happily take plastic milk containers (bottles only, not other sorts of plastic), wine bottles, tins from canned food etc if they're rinsed, also shampoo bottles etc with god-knows-what still on them.

The 'brown bin men' who take garden waste also take all sorts of cardboard, even pizza boxes, but that goes for composting so perhaps they're not as picky as if they were actually recycling it.

You can put small amounts of cardboard in your compost bin.