

Instead, they are calling for the government to ban ‘problem plastics’ as a way of preventing black plastic trays from ending up in landfills. Greenpeace UK claims that creating a new recycling system that is able to distinguish black plastic would take a lot of time and money. The sorting machine will have a hard time recognising this pen (Picture: Getty)Īn estimated 1.3 billion black plastic trays are used in ready meal packaging in the UK every year and – according to Greenpeace UK – most of those end up in landfills or the ocean. Special laser technology is used to do this sorting, and black plastic is difficult for lasers to see, and therefore is generally not sorted for recycling. uk‘s #Just1Change campaign aims to empower readers to get stuck in with environmental conservation, and incorporate sustainability into their day-to-day lives.įrequently used by the food-packaging industry, black plastic is cheap and the dark background makes food look more appealing to consumers.īut is this chic-looking material actually recyclable?īlack plastic is recyclable, but waste sorting systems can’t recognise black pigments.

Black plastic is mainly used to make food look more appealing (Picture: Getty)
