We are currently delivering plastic sacks, food waste bags and collection calendars to all households. We expect to finish our deliveries by the end of October. If you are concerned that you have not received your items yet, we suggest you wait until the end of the delivery period before you contact us.
Clear sack for plastics
We provide clear sacks for you to recycle plastics, such as carrier bags, milk bottles and yoghurt pots.
You can check what you can and can't put in your clear sack by viewing our guide.
If you can't find the item you want to dispose of in this list, you can search by item instead.
Plastic bottles
- Item
- Plastic bottles
- Where to dispose of it
- Clear sack for plastics
Plastic carrier bags
- Item
- Plastic carrier bags
- Where to dispose of it
- Clear sack for plastics
Plastic films
- Item
- Plastic films
- Where to dispose of it
- Clear sack for plastics
Plastic food trays
- Item
- Plastic food trays
- Where to dispose of it
- Clear sack for plastics
Plastic packaging
- Item
- Plastic packaging
- Where to dispose of it
- Clear sack for plastics
Plastic plant pots/trays (rinsed of soil)
- Item
- Plastic plant pots/trays (rinsed of soil)
- Where to dispose of it
- Clear sack for plastics
Plastic ready meal trays
- Item
- Plastic ready meal trays
- Where to dispose of it
- Clear sack for plastics
Plastic trays
- Item
- Plastic trays
- Where to dispose of it
- Clear sack for plastics
Plastic tubs
- Item
- Plastic tubs
- Where to dispose of it
- Clear sack for plastics
Polythene food wraps
- Item
- Polythene food wraps
- Where to dispose of it
- Clear sack for plastics
Shampoo bottles
- Item
- Shampoo bottles
- Where to dispose of it
- Clear sack for plastics
Tetra-paks
- Item
- Tetra-paks
- Where to dispose of it
- Clear sack for plastics
Toothpaste tubes
- Item
- Toothpaste tubes
- Where to dispose of it
- Clear sack for plastics
Yoghurt pots
- Item
- Yoghurt pots
- Where to dispose of it
- Clear sack for plastics
| Item | Where to dispose of it |
|---|---|
| Plastic bottles | Clear sack for plastics |
| Plastic carrier bags | Clear sack for plastics |
| Plastic films | Clear sack for plastics |
| Plastic food trays | Clear sack for plastics |
| Plastic packaging | Clear sack for plastics |
| Plastic plant pots/trays (rinsed of soil) | Clear sack for plastics |
| Plastic ready meal trays | Clear sack for plastics |
| Plastic trays | Clear sack for plastics |
| Plastic tubs | Clear sack for plastics |
| Polythene food wraps | Clear sack for plastics |
| Shampoo bottles | Clear sack for plastics |
| Tetra-paks | Clear sack for plastics |
| Toothpaste tubes | Clear sack for plastics |
| Yoghurt pots | Clear sack for plastics |
We can recycle:
- All plastic bottles
- Rigid plastic packaging and cartons, such as Tetra Pak
- Food trays and coffee pods
- Cling film and polythene wraps
- Carrier bags
You need to rinse dirty packaging, squash plastic bottles and put the lids back on.
We can't recycle:
- crisp wrappers and pill packets
- wax-coated coffee cups
- fruit and vegetable netting
- polystyrene and bubblewrap
- CDs, videos, cassette tapes and their cases
- hard plastics, plastic toys and pens
If you have a plastic product that we have not included, you can contact us to ask if it can be recycled.
Some manufacturers label plastic packaging with numbers, which indicate the type of plastic, or logos.
In Chelmsford, we can general recycle types 1, 2, 4 and 5. However, this does vary, so we recommend you follow our guidance, rather than the symbols.
Manufacturers also add logos to their packaging. These indicate that items are made from recycled materials, or the manufacturer has made a financial contribution to recycling efforts in Europe.
Collection
We collect the clear sacks for plastics every two weeks. You can check your collection dates by entering your postcode or address.
Replacement sacks
Between September and October, we deliver a roll of clear sacks to every household. The roll contains enough sacks for you to use one a week, and should last for 12 months.
You can't order a sack for plastics, but you can view our guidance on using your plastic sacks effectively. This includes advice such as not putting out half-full sacks or using sacks for other purposes.
What happens to your plastics
You can find out more about what happens to your recycling.
Taking plastics to the recycling centre
The household recycling centre, which is run by Essex County Council, does not accept many types of plastic for recycling. They can only recycle plastic bottles, and send all other plastics to the Energy from Waste facility in Rivenhall.
Therefore, we encourage you to recycle your plastic waste at kerbside.