Is black plastic bad?

Not all black plastic was born equal. Black plastic got a bit of a bad name from the commonly used “Carbon Dyed’ black plastic.

This type of black plastic is used for products that need to resist heat, like ready meal trays, and take away coffee cup lids.

The reason that some black plastic poses a problem is the 'carbon' used to dye it black. Despite technically being ‘recyclable’, some types of black plastic often doesn’t end up being recycled.

Why does black plastic not end up being recycled?

The carbon pigments used in 'Carbon dyed' black plastic makes it's hard to be identified by the recycling plant machines. They struggle to identify the plastic as plastic, because the carbon absorbs the sensors light. As a result, carbon black plastic commonly ends up as “residue” and is disposed of in landfills or incineration.

So why do we use it?

Great news Wiltoners, we don’t use “carbon dyed’ black plastic, and we never will. But hey, you’re probably wondering what about those stylish black caps and lids on our eco-friendly cleaning products?

What are they made of?

We use special ‘detectable’ black plastic. It’s very different from carbon dyed black plastic, and it’s easily recycled as the clever recycling machines can easily spot it and process it. That way, the entire Wilton bottle that you pick up in shops, or get delivered to you can be completely recycled. (Plus, it's already been recycled once before you received it)

And if you’re keen to reuse your bottles, you can find a local refill store to top up your eco-friendly laundry bottles. Check out all our lovely stockists here.