HIGH PEAK
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES LIMITED
Dale Court, 11 Dew Pond Lane, BUXTON Derbyshire SK17 7LF
Tel 01298 77537 Fax 01298 26303 E-mail info@hpes.co.uk

Registered in England - Reg. No. 3064705 - Registered Office as above. V.A,T. Reg. No. 616 3329 52

How is it recycled?

Polythene is melted, re-extruded & granulated to produce material that can be used to produce polythene film for many of a wide range of uses such as carrier bags, bin liners & damp-proof membrane. At our premises it is sorted & baled into "mill sized bales", which weigh about half a tonne each. When there are enough bales they are delivered to a plastics specialist for processing.

What can be recycled

Polythene is found as HDPE (High Density PolyEthylene) which has the recycling symbol 2, & LDPE (Low Density PolyEthylene) which has the recycling symbol 4. This is mainly found as film, such as pallet hoods, stretch wrap, polythene bags around many products from packs of screws to washing machines. It is found as "natural" which is clear to slightly opaque, & coloured, which can be anything from white to black.

What causes problems with recycling polythene?

The inclusion of small quantities of other plastics or materials significantly increases the cost of processing & therefore reduces the value of the material. For example adhesive tape (PVC) or polypropylene film (which looks much like natural polythene but is "crackly" & tears without stretching) included can halve it's value & may make recycling uneconomic. Some contaminants & other general wastes also present a health & safety problem to our staff.

 

How can I recycle my polythene?

Either bring it to our premises - there is a blue cage just inside the gateway, which is for polythene film that may be placed there at anytime, or call at our door during "working hours". For larger quantities we can collect it from you for a small charge, or it can be bagged & placed in with cardboard if you have one of our demountable skips or rollcages.