Most large UK supermarkets have front-of-store bins for clean, dry soft plastics (bags, wrappers, film). In 'The Hard Truth About Soft Plastic' (October 2024, eia-international.org/report/the-hard-truth-about-soft-plastic/), Everyday Plastic and Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) tracked 40 bundles from Tesco and Sainsbury's: 70 per cent of those reaching a final site were burnt for energy, the rest downcycled mostly in Turkey, none recycled closed-loop, with bundles travelling 25,000 km. Both retailers say the schemes continue and that usable material becomes planters and benches.
Honest caveat: in July 2026 Defra delayed mandatory kerbside collection of flexible plastics under Simpler Recycling from March 2027 to 1 April 2030, citing a lack of sorting and reprocessing capacity. So the bins are still the only route, and the honest expectation is energy recovery.
How to start: tesco.com/help/sustainability/recycling/ or sainsburys.co.uk/help/recycling-flexible-plastics (both sites blocked our automated check).