Renfrewshire Council

Remember to take out a shopping bag or a few carrier bags with you so that you don't need to accept anymore.

Save money by using carrier bags as bin liners at home.

Please note plastic bags cannot be recycled; our contractor does not accept plastic bags in the blue or green bins. 

If you have plastic bags in your blue bin we will not empty it until the contaminated item(s) are removed.

You can put your unwanted plastic carrier bags in recycling bins in your local supermarket. Collection points are normally found near the main entrance. The following supermarkets offer collection points at larger stores:

• Asda
• Morrisons
• Sainsbury's
• Tesco
• The Co-operative

We can all make positive choices to help the environment in the way that we shop. Everyone who cuts back on the number of bags they use makes a contribution to saving resources and reducing waste.

Think bag:

• Look for suitable re-usable bags and make sure that they are 'fit for purpose' - strong, durable and ideally made from recycled material.
• Keep a small foldaway bag with you for those unexpected or impulse purchases.
• Reduce the amount of carrier bags you use by re-using them as many times as possible.
• Re-use bags and place the worn-out plastic bags in supermarket recycling points, as they are collected specifically for specialist plastic film recycling away from other waste streams.
• If you shop online and receive a supermarket delivery, give the bags back to the driver afterwards or when you make your next online purchase.

What are carrier bags made from?

While plastic carrier bags use 70% less plastic than they did 20 years ago, they are still made from polyethylene (PE) which is derived from non-renewable oil and requires energy to manufacture.

Plastic bags are recyclable and are increasingly being recycled, but the majority still ends up in landfill where they may take hundreds of years to break down.

You can find more detailed information about carrier bags on the WRAP website.

Blue Bin ✘

Green Bin ✘

Brown Bin ✘

Food Caddy ✘

Grey Bin ✔

Household Waste Recycling Centre ✔