Here in Southern Burgundy we are only allowed to recycle bottles made of Grade 1 resin. That is with a number 1 in a small triangle on the base of the item.
All other grade 1 resin plastics must be put into the black bag.
This is appalling and I know that back in Stroud we could recycle so much more plastic than here.
With China now not accepting others waste, we need to be more aware of what we can do to help the environment ourselves.
How much plastic are you allowed to recycle where you live?
I’m not aware of any retriction on recycling platic here in the Charente.
Other than bottled water (I drink 1.5 litres a day for medical reasons) we have our own self imposed restriction on plastics by buying all our fruit and veg without wrapping (and usually from local vendors at the market). Buying pre-packed stuff in plastic really is a dreadful waste.
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We’ve been asked to put all plastics in the recycling bins and stuff is sorted out at the Centre itself…
I think it depends on what one’s local recycling centre is set-up to handle…
and yes, @graham … like you, we are making an effort to buy as little plastic as possible… can’t say we have cut it out completely, but we will get there. 
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The sooner the better stella. My fil campaigned for years to have catalytic converters fitted to all cars which was eventually achieved. Perhaps the same will happen in the case of plastics in due course.
I raw feed my Border Collies from a local supermarket…which over the week leaves me with a fair amount of polystyrene…where I used to live in uk this had to be put in normal rubbish bins rather than recycle bins…Now in Brittany I recycle everything possible including driving several miles to glass recycling bins…,.but have yet to see any recycle guidance on the polystyrene trays…??? So far I just put them in the general trash bag…x
Hi Helen… there will be a Déchetterie somewhere you… these places take virtually everything… and by now they should take “polystyrène”.
The general trash bag… is for stuff that will go in the ground. 
Less and less should be in these bags, now that so much stuff is recyclable via the garden or the Déchetterie… or SMCTOM (Syndicat Mixte de Collecte et de Traitement des Ordures Ménagères)
We have the same thing with turkey thighs for our collie cross.
It is the huge amount of grade 1 plastic which is totally recyclable that is going to landfill that is so appalling.
SIRTOM which is our recycler says that it cannot be recycled because it has contained food.
What else is milk, sunflower oil etc but food.
It seems to me that they do not want tp spend more on new facilities, but hey they really need to wake up and we need to shout more.
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That’s the truth of it, even when we do our bit the authorities do not sort a lot of it they just pile it into land fill. Are there any Eco spies in France who dish the dirt of local authorities?
A French Company APV were granted licence to collect all plastics into a separate bin for recycling but I don’t know what happened to that project.
Does anybody know of a region where these type 1 plastics are recycled. I need to point SIRTOM in their direction?
When I was in search of what to do with glass…and before I noticed the “verre” container at the side of the road on my weekly trip to the supermarket…probably hadn’t noticed it as I had temporarily forgotten the word for glass (!)…I found a local dechetterie…there was a glass container that didn’t seem to be much used due to the amount of brambles around it…there were also neat piles of sand and gravel which I wasn’t sure if they were for maintenance of the site or for disposal of excess building materials…??? There was also a pile of plastics in the form of plant pots hanging baskets etc but no polystyrene trays and there was no one in attendance to ask…(Thanks to your comment I have looked up another one in my closest town so will take a trip there next week…) x
It is a dilemma…I’m reminded of the the toxic chemical waste the U.K. ships to “third world” countries for disposal and the amount of brand new over produced unwanted white goods dumped in the Yangtze River when disadvantaged families in uk are crying out for fridges and freezers etc…the recycling industry drives me nuts to be honest…x 
Helen…
I suspect that what you found was simply where the local council has decided to place a Glass container… and the sand etc would be for maintenance. The plastic pots…will possibly be after a cleanup at the cemetery and awaiting collection or delivery to the Déchetterie. Fly-tipping is a problem here (as in UK) as folk see a pile of stuff and decide to add to it…
A DĂ©chetterie is manned and is often located near a town. They accept a wide variety of stuff and you will be shown which containers to use. Businesses will often (if not always) have to pay to leave stuff there, but you and I can do it for free.
If in doubt, a chat at your Mairie will clarify the situation of where you can dispose of your stuff.
I live in S. Burgundy and take all my plastic bottles to a machine in the car park of leclerc . I get a ticket for 1cent for each bottle.
I recycle our plastic bottles, but Jim body seems to understand that I want SIRTOM to recycle more of type 1 plastic.
Does no region in France recycle more than bottles?
Jane, have you asked at your Mairie… they will know about what recycling is available in your area… and may well be able to tell you if/when more is proposed.
France is committed to reducing the amount of stuff that goes into landfill sites …
Stella,
I know what recycling is available in my area. We get a magazine from SIRTOM with our annual commune bulletin.
The problem is that they are complacent and are not doing enough to recycle more plastic than at present.
I have written to my UK MEP, a Green, and I hope she will provide me with accurate information to take to the Mairie via our councillors.
Jane…
Have you approached your local member of l’Assemblée Nationale ?
I think this is a great idea… we are cutting down on plastic packaging… but I would be pleased to leave it behind at the Shop, rather than take it home with me… 
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Another thing that was normal in German supermarkets was a bin for unwanted wrapping between the checkout and the door. Many people stopped to get rid of excess packing like the cardboard boxes for cereals before leaving the building.
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excellent idea 