Current status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 2 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any recycling facilities that manage soft plastics, and, if so, where they are located.
Yes, the Scottish Government is aware of recycling facilities that manage soft plastics in Scotland.
We are aware of one sorting facility, Cireco, located in Fife, which collects and sorts soft plastics from households. This was enabled by the award of £470,000 from the Scottish Government’s Recycling Improvement Fund to Fife Council to purchase a ‘Tomra Optical Sorter’, which segregates flexible plastics and plastic film, ready for processing. The majority of this material is recycled within the UK, contributing to the circular economy and reducing reliance on overseas processing.
In addition to household soft plastics, there is currently one plant processing farm plastics in Scotland — Berry BPI Recycling located in Dumfries and Galloway. This facility plays a key role in handling agricultural plastics and supports the sector’s environmental commitments.