Nottingham City Council says it’s easier for residents to recycle more from home, with plastic bags and wrapping, food and drink cartons, foil, and foil trays now accepted in household recycling bins from June 2026.
The move means Nottingham is introducing plastic bags and wrapping collections ahead of the national requirement, helping residents recycle more everyday packaging sooner while reducing waste and disposal costs.
The new materials can be placed in existing recycling bins alongside paper, card, cans, tins, glass, and plastic bottles, tubs, trays, pots, and tubes.
All recycling should be empty, clean, and placed loose in the recycling bin. Plastic bags and wrapping do not need to be collected together inside a carrier bag.
Residents can now officially recycle:
Plastic bags and wrapping:
– Supermarket carrier bags
– Fresh fruit, vegetable, and salad bags
– Fruit and vegetable net bags
– Bread and bagel bags
– Cereal, pasta, and rice bags
– Frozen food bags
– Multipack wrapping, e.g. kitchen roll, toilet paper, and drinks cans
– Film lids, e.g. from fruit punnets, yoghurts, deli items, meat trays, and ready meals
– Confectionery wrappers, e.g. sweets, chocolates, cakes, and biscuits
– Crisp packets
– Sandwich and freezer bags
– Cling film
– Bubble wrap
– Plastic wrapping, e.g. magazines, clothing, and mailing bags
Cartons:
– Drinks cartons, e.g. juice, milk, and plant-based drinks cartons
– Food cartons, e.g. soup, broth, chopped tomatoes, and passata cartons
– Laundry detergent cartons
Foil items:
– Clean, loose aluminium foil (scrunched into a ball the size of a tennis ball)
– Foil oven trays, e.g. ready meal trays and baking trays/dishes
– Pie, tart, and quiche tins
– Foil containers, e.g. takeaway boxes
– Empty foil tubes, e.g. tomato purée tubes
Some items should still go in the general waste bin, such as pouches, sachets, compostable or biodegradable packaging, and blister packs.
To help small pieces of foil make their way through the recycling process, clean foil should be scrunched together into a ball roughly the size of a tennis ball before being placed in your recycling bin. Cartons and bottles can also be squashed to save space in your bin, as can cardboard boxes be dismantled.
Nottingham City Council will be running a city-wide communications campaign over the coming months, including a detailed leaflet delivered to all properties in the city outlining all of the items that can now be recycled at home.
From April 2027, all local authorities will be required to collect and recycle plastic bags and wrapping.
Cllr Sam Lux, Executive Member for Environment and Sustainability, said: “We are incredibly proud to be introducing these new recycling options for Nottingham residents ahead of the national requirement.
“This is a fantastic step forward in making recycling clearer, simpler, and more convenient for everyone. We know many residents are already passionate about recycling and will welcome these changes, and we’re excited to support them in being able to recycle even more from home.”
Recycled plastic bags and wrapping can be used to make new plastic products such as packaging, bags for life, boxes, bins, and agricultural and construction materials, reducing the need for virgin plastic.
Aluminium can be recycled endlessly and is commonly turned into new cans and food packaging, as well as electrical products and components for cars and aircraft. Recycled cartons can also be made into a range of new products, including cardboard boxes, paper bags, and tissue paper.
For more information, visit www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/newrecyclingitems
