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The Positive Package
Everything you need to know about reducing, reusing and recycling packaging

How can I recycle packaging?


Are you recycling as much of your packaging as you can? Turn your packaging into a Positive Package by recycling drinks cans, glass bottles and jars, card boxes and plastic bottles in your local area. Recycling reduces the amount of waste that we send to landfill and reduces the use of natural resources.

Recycling packaging waste recovers valuable resources to make new products, for example, you can take your glass bottles and jars to your local recycling point and they will be cleaned, crushed and recycled into new bottles and jars. Find out what happens to your packaging after it is collected for recycling on our Waste Aware Scotland Website.

You can visit Sort It for more information on how you can recycle your waste locally, including a full list of recycling centres and points for each local authority area in Scotland.


On-pack recycling labels


New on-pack recycling labels are being introduced by leading retailers including Marks & Spencer, Tesco, Waitrose, Co-op, Asda and Sainsburys to help you see what packaging can be recycled by looking at the symbols.

For further information visit the on-pack recycling label website.



What else can I do?


Buy recycled
Remember that by purchasing products packaged using recycled materials, you are helping to create a market for recycled materials. This helps ensure that collection and recycling facilities are developed and maintained.

Why not also look for products made using recycled material. A variety of quality recycled products are now widely available in high street stores and supermarkets, from toilet rolls to stationery. Buying recycled products helps to develop and sustain the recycling industry by creating demand for goods that are similar in quality to those made from virgin resources. Find gifts and products for your home, garden or office on our Sort It website.

Buy products with recyclable packaging
Buy items with packaging that can be recycled and recycle this in your kerbside recycling scheme or local recycling centre. To find out what you can recycle and where, visit Sort It.




plastic bottle recycling journey

Plastic bottle recycling Journey

  • Once you’ve put your plastic bottles in your recycling bin, they are taken away and squashed into bales. The bales are then shredded and melted down.
  • The melted plastic is then used to make new products, like garden furniture, bins or fleece jackets!
  • Find out what happens to other materials when you recycle them on our Waste Aware Scotland Website.

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