A waste collection expert has reminded households that thin plastic carrier bags should not be placed in standard household recycling bins, and that the correct option depends on local council rules.
Expert advice on carrier bags
The No1 Binman, who shares waste and recycling advice on TikTok and has around 200,000 followers and 3.8 million likes, addressed the issue in a recent video. He said: "Can you put the thin plastic carrier bags in recycling, like from corner shops? Well, no. They should go to supermarkets if you want to recycle them or reuse them when they get ripped, taken to the shops. They will have a bin there for them."
He added: "They do not go in your plastic recycling bin. That shall be loose, never in bags. Some councils may allow a clear bag, but check your council, because most will say no, but there may be one or two that say yes."
Recycle Now guidance
The advice broadly reflects guidance from Recycle Now, which says plastic bags and flexible wrapping are not widely accepted in standard kerbside recycling collections. It recommends checking local arrangements and using participating supermarket collection points where available.
The council worker-turned-influencer also said: "So check there first. But yeah, just make sure all sorts of bags can go in your general waste bin. Use it as a normal rubbish bin. Chuck it in there. Not a problem. Not in your food waste bin, unless your council says you can."
Check local rules regularly
He finished by urging viewers to keep up to date: "Check every single time, because you never know, it could change the laws. Any other questions you have, please let me know in the comments."
Recycle Now says clean plastic carrier bags and other soft plastics can be accepted at some out-of-home recycling points, including selected supermarkets. Bags should be empty and as clean as possible, while biodegradable and compostable bags should be kept out of conventional plastic-film recycling.
The safest approach is to check your council’s latest recycling guidance before putting bags in a kerbside bin. If your local collection does not accept them, reuse them where possible or check whether a nearby supermarket has a suitable collection point.
