What to do with plastic bottles?
Most of us are pretty good at remembering to recycle plastic drinks bottles, but there’s an abundance of other bottles around the house that can also be recycled.
Household recycling collections
Plastic bottles can be recycled with your household recycling collection including:
- All drinks bottles
- Milk bottles
- Water bottles
- Sauce bottles
- Shampoo and conditioner bottles
- Cleaning fluid bottles
- Bleach bottles
- Washing detergent bottles
- Fabric softener bottles
Household waste recycling centre (HWRC)
You can also take your plastic bottles to your nearest household waste recycling centre.
How should I recycle plastic bottles?
Rinse or wash bottles (as necessary) using leftover washing up water.
Squash or flatten them - so they take less space in your recycling bin.
Check with your council to see if plastic tops or caps need to be removed.
Remove the plastic trigger and spray device from cleaning bottles.
No need to remove any labels.
Deposit Return Scheme
In 2022 Scotland plans to be the first country in the UK to introduce a deposit return scheme for drinks containers including PET plastic bottles (like most fizzy drinks and water bottles).
When the scheme goes live, you’ll pay a 20p deposit when buying a drink in a single-use container. Bring back your empty to any return point to get your 20p deposit back and help tackle the climate emergency.
Recycling is constantly evolving and changing so check back for updates or try our recycling locator to find out what you can recycle at home and where you can recycle or pass on unwanted items in your local area.