Ethan Clarke
Plastic straws are a well-known environmental hazard, but can they be recycled in the UK? Technically, yes, but there are several issues with recycling plastic straws. Firstly, due to their small size and lightweight, they can easily become litter before reaching the recycling plant. Secondly, even if they do reach the plant, they are prone to falling into cracks and crevices in the machinery or getting stuck, which can cause damage. As a result, most recycling facilities do not accept plastic straws, and those that do may still choose not to recycle them due to the low financial return of recycled polypropylene.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Recyclability | Technically recyclable but not widely accepted by recyclers due to their small size |
| Plastic type | Type 5 plastic, also known as polypropylene |
| Disposal method | Place in a larger Type 5 plastic container to prevent loss during the recycling process |
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What You'll Learn
Plastic straws are technically recyclable
There are some cities and recyclers that may have the ability to recycle plastic straws. You can check if your city recycles plastic straws by doing a simple Google search or checking with your local recycling processor for their recommendation. If your city does not recycle plastic straws, there is a method to get them recycled properly, which involves repackaging the straws. Plastic straws can be stored inside a larger container made from polypropylene, or type 5 plastic. This prevents the straws from falling through the cracks during the sorting process and means they will be shredded, cleaned, and re-processed with other pieces of polypropylene. Examples of type 5 plastic containers include plastic takeaway containers, microwavable plastic containers, and margarine tubs.
However, even if straws are correctly repackaged, there is still a chance they will not be recycled due to the low demand for recycled polypropylene. Polypropylene is worth very little and is cheap to manufacture, so it does not make financial sense for recyclers to process all the type 5 plastic they receive. Therefore, even if plastic straws are correctly recycled by the user, some may still end up in landfills.
To avoid plastic straws ending up in the ecosystem, the best advice is to not use them and to specify that you do not want a straw when ordering drinks. Keeping straws intact when disposing of them increases the likelihood of them successfully making it to a landfill without falling out and becoming litter.
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They are small, thin, and bendy, so fall into cracks
Plastic straws are made from polypropylene, or type 5 plastic, which is technically recyclable. However, their small size, thin shape, and flexibility mean they can easily fall into the cracks and crevices of recycling machinery. This makes them unlikely to be recycled as they will fall out during the process designed to remove small items of contamination. They may also get stuck in the machinery. As a result, most recycling facilities do not accept plastic straws and advise against putting them directly into recycling bins.
To prevent plastic straws from falling into cracks, they can be placed inside a larger polypropylene container, such as a plastic takeout container or a margarine tub. This prevents them from falling through conveyor belt cracks during the sorting process. However, some recycling facilities use human sorters, so the container might still be manually sorted and thrown away.
If your municipality doesn't recycle plastic straws, it is recommended to dispose of them in a well-enclosed bin to ensure they end up in a modern landfill instead of becoming loose waste that can harm marine life. Keeping straws intact also increases the likelihood of them successfully reaching a landfill without falling out and becoming litter.
While recycling may not always be the best option for plastic straws, it is still important to minimise their use and properly dispose of them to reduce their environmental impact.
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They can be placed in a larger container for recycling
Plastic straws are typically made from type 5 plastic, also known as polypropylene. Although polypropylene is technically recyclable, most recycling facilities do not accept plastic straws. This is because straws are small, thin, and flexible, so they can easily fall into cracks and crevices in recycling machinery or get stuck in the machinery. Therefore, they usually do not get recycled.
However, there is a way to ensure that plastic straws are recycled: they can be placed in a larger container for recycling. This larger container should also be made from type 5 plastic, or polypropylene. Examples of suitable containers include plastic takeaway containers, microwavable plastic containers, and margarine tubs or similar. By placing the straws in a larger container, they will not fall through the cracks of conveyor belts during the sorting process and will make it past the sorting stage. After this, they will be shredded, cleaned, and re-processed (melted) along with other pieces of polypropylene in the standard plastic recycling process.
It is important to note that this method is not foolproof. Even if the container makes it past the sorting stage, there is still a chance that the plastic will not be recycled. This is because there is very little demand for recycled polypropylene, as it is worth very little and is cheap to manufacture. As a result, some recycling facilities may choose not to recycle all the type 5 plastic that they receive, as it may not be financially worthwhile.
Additionally, some recycling facilities use human sorters, who may manually remove and discard the container of straws. Therefore, it is recommended to check with your local recycling processor for their recommendation. If your municipality does not recycle plastic straws, the best place for them is a modern landfill, where the plastic cannot leach into the waterway. Keeping straws intact also increases the likelihood of them successfully reaching a landfill without falling out and becoming litter.
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There is little demand for recycled polypropylene
Plastic straws are typically made from polypropylene, a plastic with the resin identification code #5. Although polypropylene is technically recyclable, there is little demand for recycled polypropylene. This is due to several reasons, including regulatory standards, material degradation, and economic factors.
Regulatory standards for food-safe plastic are high, and recycled polypropylene often does not meet the requirements for most market applications. Even with the addition of virgin polypropylene or additives to enhance the quality of recycled polypropylene, material degradation remains an issue. Within 2-3 recycling cycles, the original polypropylene becomes unusable in almost all applications.
The economics of recycling polypropylene is also challenging. The price of recycled polypropylene is approximately 80% higher than virgin polypropylene. This price difference is driven by factors such as extensive testing, additives needed for food-grade certification, and the lack of economies of scale in polypropylene recycling. Companies are often unwilling to pay the higher cost of recycled polypropylene, resulting in a lack of large-scale recycling facilities and economies of scale.
Furthermore, polypropylene's poor performance in mechanical recycling has discouraged waste sortation innovators from focusing on it. However, recent advancements in solvent dissolution technology, such as supercritical butane, offer promising solutions for improving the recycling of polypropylene and other plastics. These technologies aim to remove impurities and enhance the quality of recycled polypropylene feedstocks.
While there may be local variations, the overall demand for recycled polypropylene remains low. This is partly due to the cheap and readily available virgin polypropylene material, which reduces the incentive to recycle. As a result, the recycling rate for polypropylene is significantly lower than that of other plastics like high-density polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate.
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It's best to avoid using plastic straws
Even if placed in a well-enclosed bin, plastic straws can end up in the environment. Small and lightweight, they can easily fly away and become litter while the bin is being emptied or processed.
Keeping the straw intact increases the likelihood of it successfully making it to a landfill without falling out somewhere. However, this is not ideal as it can still end up as litter and be ingested by marine life or wildlife, becoming microplastics.
To avoid plastic straws entering the ecosystem, it is best not to use them. Instead, you could use an alternative, such as paper straws, or no straw at all. When ordering drinks, you can always specify that you do not want a straw.
If you do have plastic straws to dispose of, you can try to recycle them by placing them inside a larger polypropylene container, such as a plastic takeout container or margarine tub. This will prevent them from falling into the cracks during the sorting process. However, this method is not foolproof as your container might still be manually sorted and tossed into the garbage.
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Frequently asked questions
Plastic straws are technically recyclable, but many recycling centres do not accept them due to their small size and lightweight material. Check with your local centre before attempting to recycle plastic straws.
Plastic straws are small and flexible, so they can fall between the cracks of machinery or get stuck in it. They can also drop through sorting screens and mix with other materials, contaminating recycling loads.
If your local recycling centre does not accept plastic straws, you can put them in a larger container made of polypropylene, or type 5 plastic, which is marked with a number 5 inside the recycling symbol. This way, the straws won't fall through the cracks of conveyor belts during the sorting process.
You can use compostable or reusable straws, or plastic-less and biodegradable plant-based straws.
Plastic in the ocean hurts marine life and is dangerous to humans. Plastic debris absorbs dangerous pollutants, and when marine life consumes plastic, the toxins are passed up the food chain and end up on our dinner plates.
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