A film has been launched to show the benefits of recycling plastic containers through a process known as closed loop recycling.

The three minute video tracks the lifecycle of an M&S plastic milk bottle, taking the viewer on a journey through all the different stages of the recycling process as it travels via the shop shelf, refuse collection vehicle, materials recovery and reprocessing facilities before finally returning to the M&S store.

The video, which was made in partnership with high street retailer M&S, waste management firm Veolia Environmental Services, the plastics recycling firm Closed Loop, and the American rewards-based recycling scheme RecycleBank, is an attempt to both educate consumers to recycle more, and also encourage more authorities to invest in recycling facilities

M&S head of packaging Dr Helene Roberts said: “This video is a great way for everyone to see the sustainable lifecycle of an M&S milk bottle. All of our milk bottles are made from at least 10% of recycled plastic.

“We’re committed to making even more of our packaging with recycled content and to do this we need more materials at a higher quality. That’s why as part of Plan A, our sustainability programme, we’ve made over 90% of our packaging recyclable and we’re working with local authorities to help collect even more packaging materials to close the recycling loop.”

Chris Dow, Managing Director of Closed Loop Recycling, says: 'Great Britain is a nation of Great Recyclers and we have some recycling facilities that are the envy of the world. It's fantastic that we can now put a plastic milk bottle in the recycling bin, knowing it will be recycled into a brand new milk bottle again.

'But the issue we now face is how to make the most of these 'closed loop recycling' facilities. Only 45% of plastic bottles in the UK are actually collected for recycling, so there is certainly room for households to up the ante. Put simply, more recyclable plastics in means more recycled products out.'