Plastics Recycling

Waste plastic is a valuable resource and it is highly important for the future of our environment that waste plastic is diverted from landfill in order to be recycled. Recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to light a 60W light bulb for up to 6 hours.

By recycling our plastic waste we can all make a big contribution to protecting the environment.

A huge industry can be created if all our recyclable waste streams are diverted from landfill to United Kingdom and Irish reprocessing plants. Before you put your plastic in the waste bin, have a think about what it could be recycled into.

What happens to my plastic bottles when they go to Cherry Polymers?

After collection the plastic bottles are returned to our sorting facility where the bottles are automatically sorted by NIR (Near Infra Red, which detects the polymer type) & Colour sorting units into the following types:

PET/PETE (Polyethylene Terephthalate) Clear & Light Blue Bottles - Fizzy drinks, spring water bottles etc

PET/PETE (Polyethylene Terephthalate) Coloured Bottles - Fizzy drinks etc

Natural HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) Bottles - Milk bottles

Coloured HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) Bottles - Detergent, shampoo bottles etc

After sorting the bottles are granulated into small flakes, the flakes are then put through a washing process which removes all the conataminants such as, food residues, lables, glue and any other contaminations. After washing and drying the flakes are used as follows:

PET Clear & Light blue flakes are extruded back into rolls of sheet which are then thermoformed into new trays for packaging.

PET Coloured flakes are used to produce fibres which are then used to manufacture clothing.

Natural HDPE flakes are then automatically colour sorted to remove the coloured flakes (from the coloured caps), the natural flakes are then repelletised and used in the manufacture of coloured plastic products such as wheelie bins, crates and drums, the rejected coloured flakes from the caps are repelletised and used by our sister company, Cherry Drainage Pipes to produce plastic drainage systems.

Coloured HDPE flakes are repelletised and used by our sister company, Cherry Drainage Pipes to produce plastic drainage systems.

Cherry Land Drainage System

Cherry HDPE Twin Wall Surface Water and Storm Water Drainage System

WHEN YOU RECYCLE YOUR PLASTIC BOTTLES YOU ARE NOT ONLY PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT, YOU ARE SUPPORTING INDUSTRY AND CREATING JOBS.