CO-OP are now recycling soft plastics like crisp packets and bread bags at local stores.

It does not matter where you bought them, just pop your soft plastics into one of their recycling units and they will do the rest.

Co-op said that soft plastics recycling is easy. Just follow these three steps:

Clean it – First, rinse your packaging out.

Scrunch it – Now, scrunch it up tight - if it pings back, it’s a useful indicator it's soft plastic.

Co-op it - Pop it into their soft plastics recycling unit at a Co-op near you.

Soft plastics are lightweight plastics that often cannot be placed in recycling bins at home. Think plastic film lids on yoghurt pots, soft fruit punnets and ready meals, as well as plastic crisp packets, pasta bags and chocolate or biscuit wrappers.

What they’re not are plastic bottles, tubs, pots, trays and caps. If you’re not sure, a simple test is to scrunch it up and if it pings back, it’s a useful indicator it's soft plastic. See what you can and can't recycle.

Right now, you can recycle your soft plastics at 1,500 Co-op stores across the country. They are also aiming to offer this service at another 800 of our stores by the end of 2021.