Soft Plastic Recycling

A waste management company is responsible for collecting, transporting, processing, recycling, and disposing of waste materials in a safe and environmentally responsible way. At Recorra, we go beyond waste collection. We deliver innovative recycling solutions, transparent reporting, and expert guidance to help businesses reduce their environmental impact and achieve their sustainability goals. Our reliable, forward-thinking approach makes us the smart choice for organisations that care about their future and the planet. 

Soft plastics are typically made from flexible polymer materials such as polyethylene (PE), including low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), as well as polypropylene (PP). These materials are lightweight, durable, and pliable, making them ideal for items like plastic bags, film wrap, pouches, and packaging.

Because of their flexible nature, soft plastics are manufactured differently from rigid plastics, using processes that create thin, stretchable films rather than solid shapes. While these properties make them highly useful in packaging, they can also make disposal more complex, which is why soft plastic recycling is so important.

Yes, flexible plastic can be recycled, but it requires specialist handling. Unlike rigid plastics, flexible materials such as plastic films, bags, and wrappers are not always accepted in standard recycling collections due to their lightweight and easily tangled nature. In contrast, rigid plastics such as bottles, pots, tubs, and trays are accepted in mixed recycling streams.

However, with the right facilities and processes in place, these materials can be effectively recovered and reprocessed. Soft plastic recycling allows flexible plastics to be cleaned, shredded, and transformed into new products. By using a dedicated soft plastic recycling service, businesses can ensure these materials are diverted from landfill.

You can usually identify whether a plastic is polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) by checking for resin identification codes marked with a recycling symbol and a number. PE is commonly labelled as #2 (HDPE) or #4 (LDPE), while PP is labelled as #5.

If no label is visible, there are a few general differences. PE is typically softer and more flexible, often used in films, bags, and wraps, whereas PP tends to be slightly stiffer and is commonly found in items like food containers, lids, and some types of flexible packaging.

Once collected, your flexible plastic recycling is sorted, cleaned, and melted at a specialist facility, where it is reprocessed into a durable raw material called Storm Board. Through soft plastic recycling, Recorra transforms these materials into a long-lasting construction board used as an alternative to traditional materials like plywood.

Storm Board is a durable, high-performance construction board made from 100% recycled flexible plastics. Created through soft plastic recycling, it transforms materials like plastic films, bags, and packaging into a strong, long-lasting alternative to building materials.

Storm Board is water-resistant, easy to clean, and designed for repeated use, making it ideal for applications like hoarding, temporary flooring, and protection in construction and commercial environments. It can also be used to fabricate items such as sorting tables, bins, table tennis tables or anything that would traditionally use MDF or plywood.