Why can't I recycle yoghurt pots in Hampshire?

Where to take pots, tubs, trays and cartons now

Hart has mixed plastics banks at five sites: Church Road car park in Fleet, Monachus Lane car park in Hartley Wintney, Crossways Manor car park in Hook, Deer Park View car park in Odiham and Hawley Memorial Hall in Blackwater. Hart calls them temporary banks.

Basingstoke and Deane has mixed plastics banks at six recycling sites: Brighton Hill shopping centre, Castons long stay car park, the Fieldgate Centre in Kingsclere, Overton Hill car park, Popley Fields Community Centre and the Winklebury Centre.

Hart's and Basingstoke's lists say the same thing. Yes to plastic pots (yoghurt pots, cosmetic and make-up pots, plant pots), tubs for ice cream, butter and spreads, trays such as fruit punnets and meat, fish or ready-meal trays, tubes for toothpaste and cosmetics, and food and drink cartons including Tetra Pak. Everything should be clean and empty. No to children's toys and other rigid plastics, plastic film and bags, and compostable packaging.

Portsmouth has plastics banks at sites across the city, including Victoria Avenue car park, Alex Way and Velder Avenue, and they take pots, tubs and trays. Cartons go to a carton bank. Winchester has a carton bank at the Worthy Lane recycling site.

If none of these is near you, the councils say pots, tubs and trays go in your general waste bin for now. Each item page shows your own council's answer: yoghurt pots, food tubs, fruit punnets, meat trays and drinks cartons.

What does go in the recycling bin

Plastic bottles, cans, tins, aerosols, paper and cardboard go in your recycling bin across Hampshire. Kitchen foil and foil trays aren't collected from home either, though Hart's recycling sites have foil banks. Glass varies: some councils collect it from home, and others ask you to use glass banks. The weekly shop basket ranking shows what your council collects from home, item by item.

When will it change?

Hart says Hampshire's new sorting plant at Eastleigh is expected in spring 2028, and that it will then collect pots, tubs and trays, and be able to collect cartons. Hart also says Hampshire plans to collect paper and card separately from the other recyclables when the plant opens. The councils will confirm how the new collections will work nearer the time, so the date is approximate.

Why Hampshire scores low in our rankings

Our weekly shop basket ranks councils on how many of 22 everyday packaging items they collect from home. Hampshire's councils are among the lowest scorers in England, because pots, tubs, trays and cartons make up a good part of that basket. The banks above don't count towards the score, since it only measures what's collected from your door.

Common questions

Can you recycle yoghurt pots in Hampshire?

Not in your recycling bin yet. Hart and Basingstoke and Deane have mixed plastics banks that take clean yoghurt pots, and Portsmouth's plastics banks take them too. Otherwise they go in your general waste for now. See yoghurt pots for your council's answer.

Can you recycle Tetra Pak cartons in Hampshire?

Not from home yet. Hart's and Basingstoke's mixed plastics banks take food and drink cartons, Portsmouth has carton banks, and Winchester has a carton bank at the Worthy Lane recycling site.

When will Hampshire collect pots, tubs and trays?

Hart says it will collect them once Hampshire's new sorting plant opens, which is expected in spring 2028. The date is approximate, and the councils will confirm how collections will work.

Where are the mixed plastics banks in Hart?

Church Road car park in Fleet, Monachus Lane car park in Hartley Wintney, Crossways Manor car park in Hook, Deer Park View car park in Odiham and Hawley Memorial Hall in Blackwater.