Recycling Plastic at Home: Codes 1 to 7

Most plastic at home carries a small number.

Codes 1 to 7 tell you the type of plastic, not whether your council will take it. Bottles are collected almost everywhere; film, polystyrene and black trays are where it gets tricky.

Updated 14 October 2026 · 5 sources

Bottles almost always
Rinse, lid back on
Film to store points
Check your council for the rest

Check an item

THE SHORT ANSWER

Bottles yes,
film usually not.

The number names the plastic.
Your council decides what it collects.

BOTTLES

Codes 1 and 2 go in

Drinks bottles are usually PET (1) and milk and cleaning bottles HDPE (2). Both are widely recycled, and every council collected bottles in 2021/22.

Check an item

THE NUMBER

A type, not a promise

The arrows show something can be recycled, not that every collection will accept it. The on-pack label is the better guide.

Read the label

FILM

Soft plastic goes back

Bags, bread bags and wrapping are rarely collected at home. Many larger supermarkets have collection points at the front of the store.

See the numbers

A bundle of soft plastic film, bread bags and bubble wrap gathered in a carrier bag on a kitchen floor — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

FOUR HABITS TO TRY

Cleaner plastic,
fewer rejects.

None of these takes long. They help the right plastic reach the sorting line and keep the wrong plastic out.

Read the on-pack label
"Recycle" means kerbside; "Don't recycle" means not from home. It is clearer than the number.
Rinse out food
Residue can contaminate other materials, so give pots and trays a quick rinse before they go in.
Put the lid back on
Caps and lids under 40mm can fall through sorting screens on their own. Back on the bottle, they get captured.
Save film for the shop
Keep a bag for crisp packets, bread bags and wrapping and take it to a supermarket collection point.

TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

Half is recycled,
the rest is not.

One figure on plastic packaging overall,
one on what councils collect from home.

51%

UK plastic packaging recycled or recovered, 2024

Defra figures show the rate rose from 25.2% in 2012 to 51% in 2024 (provisional). Around 2.3 million tonnes of plastic packaging were produced in 2024.

PACKAGING · DEFRA

83%

Councils collecting pots, tubs and trays

In 2021/22 every council collected plastic bottles and 83% collected pots, tubs and trays, but only 16% collected at least one type of plastic film.

COLLECTIONS · WRAP

In England, Simpler Recycling rules began for households on 31 March 2026, with plastic, metal and glass allowed together in one container. Plastic film is excluded until 2027, and a deposit return scheme for drinks containers is due in October 2027.

A QUICK BIN CHECK

Where does
this one go?

Pick an everyday item to see how likely it is to be collected from home. The bar shows how widely UK councils accept it.

Based on Recycle Now guidance and WRAP data. Collections vary, so always check your own council.

Bin check

Choose an itemDrinks or milk bottleYoghurt pot or margarine tubBlack ready-meal trayBread bag or bubble wrapPolystyrene takeaway box

Drinks or milk bottleKerbside

PET (1) and HDPE (2) bottles are widely recycled. Rinse it and put the lid back on so small caps are not lost in sorting.

Yoghurt pot or margarine tubMost councils

Pots, tubs and trays are often PP (5). In 2021/22, 83% of councils collected pots, tubs and trays.

Black ready-meal trayCheck first

Sorting machines use near-infrared light, which struggles to see black plastic, so it is generally not sorted for recycling. Ask your council.

Bread bag or bubble wrapStore point

Soft, flexible film is LDPE (4) or similar. Only around 18% of councils take it at home; many larger supermarkets collect it.

Polystyrene takeaway boxGeneral waste

Polystyrene is code 6, which Recycle Now lists as not easily recyclable. Unless your council says otherwise, it goes in the general bin.

Sources: Recycle Now, Recycling symbols and How to recycle plastic bags and wrapping; WRAP council data for 2021/22, via the House of Lords Library.

Close-up of hands turning over a clear plastic tray to show the small triangle and number moulded into its base — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

AFTER THE BIN

Sorted by light,
melted to pellets.

At the recycling facility, plastic is sorted mainly by machine, with a manual check to remove contaminants. Near-infrared sensors identify the type, which is why black plastic is often missed.

Cleaned plastic is shredded into flakes or melted into pellets that can be made into new products. Some makers are switching to clear trays or a black that the sensors can detect.

In conversation

Questions people ask

What do the numbers 1 to 7 on plastic mean?

They are resin identification codes that name the type of plastic: 1 PET, 2 HDPE, 3 PVC, 4 LDPE, 5 PP, 6 PS and 7 other. Recycle Now lists 1, 2 and 5 as widely recycled.

Does the recycling triangle mean my council will take it?

No. Recycle Now says the arrows show an item is capable of being recycled, not that it will be accepted in every collection. Check the on-pack label or your council.

Should I leave lids on plastic bottles?

Yes, where the label says so. Recycle Now explains that caps and lids under 40mm can fall through sorting screens unless they are put back on after rinsing.

Why is black plastic a problem?

Sorting machines use near-infrared light, and black plastic is hard for them to see, so it is generally not sorted for recycling. Some councils sort it by hand, so ask yours.

Can I recycle plastic bags and cling film?

Usually not from home: Recycle Now says only around 18% of councils accept them. Many larger supermarkets collect soft plastics such as bread bags, bubble wrap and crisp packets.

Sources

Each figure on this page comes from the sources below.

Read the number,
then the bin.