What to do with kitchen foil and aluminium trays?
Despite being widely collected, our versatile shiny kitchen friend is commonly forgotten when it comes to recycling. Don’t be foiled (yep, we went there), read our handy tips to recycling it.
What to do with kitchen foil and aluminium trays?
Most household collection schemes take aluminium, cans and some take clean foil and trays too. Check with your local council directly.
We do mean clean though - if it’s caked in burnt-on beef grease, then it can’t go in.
As well as foil, you can usually recycle these other aluminium items:
- Drinks cans
- Milk bottle tops
- Barbecue and freezing trays
- Cigarette and tobacco foil
- Screw top lids from wine bottles
Household waste recycling centre (HWRC)
Most household waste recycling centres take aluminium cans and some take clean foil and trays too. Check with your local council directly.
Always wash your kitchen foil thoroughly before recycling.
Do the scrunch test
There are some packaging items (like crisp packets) that can look like aluminium foil but are actually made from metallised plastic film. This type of material is not currently recycled and should not be put in your recycling bin.
An easy way to find out if an item is foil or metallised plastic film, is to do the scrunch test. Simply scrunch the item in your hand - if it remains 'scrunched' it is foil and can be recycled; if it springs back it is probably metallised plastic film and not recyclable.
Recycling is constantly evolving and changing so check back for updates or try our recycling locator to find out what you can recycle at home and where you can recycle or pass on unwanted items in your local area.