A binman with over 170,000 TikTok followers has weighed in on the carrier bag recycling debate
Many of us will have a collection of supermarket plastic bags at home(Image: Bloomberg, Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Most of us probably have a few supermarket carrier bags cluttering up our homes. They’re a lot harder than they used to be, and these ‘bags for life’ are intended to be used time and time again.
Nevertheless, if you’ve got far too many or yours have seen better days after carrying countless shopping loads, you might be wondering how to get rid of them responsibly.
With growing confusion surrounding what can and cannot be recycled at home, one binman on social media is on hand to answer your questions.
‘Binfluencer’ No1 Binman on TikTok has amassed a following of more than 170,000 people thanks to his practical guidance on navigating bin day. One follower recently quizzed him about Tesco bags and whether they can be recycled.
They said: “Can someone settle a debate for me. Tesco bags, are they recyclable? Says on them they are, but it doesn’t feel right.”
In short, the binman says carrier bags are indeed recyclable – but it isn’t quite as straightforward as it sounds. He explains they cannot be placed in any of your household recycling bins.
If you wish to recycle them, you can return them to the supermarket, where they should be able to process them accordingly.
The reason you shouldn’t pop them in your bins at home is that they can jam the machinery at the recycling centre, which he says ‘won’t make them very happy’. The most appropriate method of disposing of them is to place them in your general waste bin or continue reusing them, as they were originally intended.
Can you recycle paper bags?
The guidelines differ slightly for paper carrier bags. Specialists at Best Pac UK stated: “The great news for the environment is that yes, paper bags can be recycled, but only if they’re actually made from paper.
“Whilst most plastic bags, for example, are not recyclable, almost all types of paper bags can be recycled, helping to reduce the amount of plastic landfill sitting on the earth and polluting our oceans.”
The exception is laminated paper bags, which add a layer of plastic film onto the paper and are frequently used to line bags carrying food and perishable goods.
This lamination process renders them impossible to recycle.
