Whether at home, in the office, or out and about, it can be difficult to know what to do with your food packaging when you have finished your lunch or snack, especially as a lot of 'on the go packaging' is made from mixed materials. Just because a particular product or material (not just packaging) is marked as 'recyclable' or 'compostable' doesn't mean you can simply throw the product away and be sure it will be dealt with in the correct way. 

But why is this?

Contamination with food waste. This makes recycling harder as it adds another element to the recycling process. This is why compostable packaging is great as you don't need to remove food waste from compostable materials.  The recycling and composting infrastructure has struggled to keep up with changes and new forms of packaging materials.  The language commonly used when referring to the disposal of materials is not clear which leads to confusion. 

There isn't currently a one size fits all rule for the whole of the UK as each council has the authority to implement its own policies. Some councils provide multiple options for efficient waste disposal, while others do not. Please see more information at https://www.gov.uk/rubbish-collection-day or find your councils website.

Please refer to our eco definitions page for more information.