Materials & compliance
Are plastic fruit punnets and clamshells recyclable?
Short answer
Clear PET and rPET punnets and clamshells are recyclable: they are resin code 1, the same plastic as drink bottles. Whether yours is collected depends on the local scheme, because some collections take bottles only. Packs recycle best when they are clear (not black), single-material, with labels that wash off and no absorbent pad. AVI's punnets and clamshells are clear rPET, and recycled PET goes back into new packs.
Part of the guide: PET and rPET: the material guide
- Resin code1 (PET)
- Recycles bestClear, single-material, wash-off labels
AVI products for this
- Clamshell PunnetsOver 80 clamshell designs in PET and rPET: one-piece hinged lids, tamper-evident closures and cavity depths for...
- rPET Sheets for Thermoforming, Printing & PackagingrPET sheet from AVI Global Plast — 30% to 100% recycled content, 150–1,300 micron range, EN 15343 certified for...
- Responsible Materials. Circular Design.AVI Global Plast holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 22000, ISO 15378/GMP and BRCGS 7 certifications, EN 15343...
Designing a punnet that recycles
- Clear or light-tinted PET, never carbon black.
- One material: a PET tray with a PET-compatible lid or lidding film.
- Wash-off labels and adhesives, or print on the lidding film.
- No absorbent pads left inside, or pads that separate easily.
- Recycled content: rPET closes the loop and can lower plastic taxes.
Bottle to tray, tray to tray
Most rPET today comes from bottles. As more trays are collected, tray-to-tray recycling is growing, which keeps PET in food packaging for longer.
Related questions
Why do some councils not accept clamshells?
Older sorting and recycling lines were built for bottles. Trays and clamshells have different shapes, labels and adhesives, so some schemes still leave them out, although tray recycling is growing.
Are black plastic trays recyclable?
Usually not in practice: the optical sorters most recycling plants use cannot see carbon-black plastic, so it is rejected. Clear packs avoid the problem.
Do I need to remove the label?
It helps. Paper labels and strong adhesives contaminate the PET; wash-off adhesives or labels printed on the lidding film are better.