The majority of conventional black plastics is coloured with carbon black colourants. At recycling centres, detectors are responsible for the sorting of plastics, they work by sending a beam of energy to the plastic and registering the reflection back. Carbon black pigments do not reflect in the sorting devices, thus black plastics cannot be identified and sorted via this method. As a result, black plastic packaging such as pots, tubs and food trays often ends up as residue in landfill and this is why many retailers phased out black plastics packaging.
Less understood, is that some different colour plastics, also contain carbon black colourants and are therefore hard to sort at recycling centres and may also end up in landfill.
We are pleased to confirm that from 2023 all of our caps packed at our Dunstable site will be free of carbon pigment, meaning that all our plastic caps that are sent for recycling will be recycled and not go to landfill.