How to Recycle (nearly) Absolutely Everything!

Recycle Now is a good website, just enter your postcode to find where to recycle practically anything to avoid ‘wishcycling (‘guessing’ is not good, as machines sort the waste, so it contaminates).

Read more on recycling aluminium cans/foil and glass. Always remove lids of cans before recycling (or pop ring-pulls back over holes) to avoid wildlife getting trapped.

Some surprising things you can’t recycle are:

• Black bin bags (machines don’t recognise the colour). Switch to white biodegradable bin bags.
• Instant porridge sachets (they have plastic linings)
• Greasy pizza boxes (rip off the greasy part, then recycle the rest).
• Half-empty cleaning bottles (take to hazardous waste).
• Pump dispensers (trigger sprays can be recycled)
• You CAN recycle window envelopes (machines can sort it)

Simple Tips for Better Recycling

• Rinse sticky jars and choose paper packing tape.
• Recycle soft plastics at supermarket bag bins (or Boots).
• All stores selling batteries, electrical goods, carpets and mattresses must take back old ones.
• Only donate clean clothes to small charity shops (not the big guns that fund animal testing). Place damaged/worn clothing in textile banks (recycled into insulation and carpet underlay).
• Read more on recycling mobile phones and printer cartridges.
• Bin old light bulbs (in thick paper). LED bulbs can be recycled in stores.
• Bin small amounts of cooking oil in kitchen towel. Or use an oil recycling bin.
• Community Repaint accepts paint from households and businesses.
• Recycle medicines and supplements at pharmacies (don’t bin them).
• Recycle spectacles and contact lenses at opticians.
• Bin old toys, baby mattresses and car seats (these could contain mould and be dangerous if passed on to other families). 

Even if you make compost (keep fresh compost away from pets as it contains mould), put allium scraps (onion, garlic, shallots, leeks, chives) and tomato/citrus/rhubarb scraps in the food waste bin (to be digested into biogas) as acids can harm compost creatures. Same for tea leaves and coffee grounds (use a sink protector to stop clogged sinks).

TerraCycle Boxes are for hard-to-recycle items (crisp packets, cigarette waste, pens, party items). Some boxes are free (sponsored by industry), others mean communities pool donations to order a one-off box to send off using the pre-paid shipping label, to recycle into other goods.

Things that must go in rubbish bins include:

• Animal waste (poo!)
• COVID-19 tests and PPE (always ‘snip the strips’ of blue disposable face masks if used, to avoid them tangling birds and wildlife at landfills).
• Disposable nappies
• Glass cookware (including Pyrex), drinking glasses and ceramics
• Plastic sticky tape
• Disposable tissues and wet wipes
• Disposable cotton wool and cotton buds
• Old pots and pans

If you’re unsure, don’t chuck it in the recycling bin “just in case”. Check, separate, or use a specialist drop-off instead.

Step 1: Work out what it is made of 

Look for labels and recycling symbols, but don’t rely on them alone. They often show what the item is made from, not what your council collects. Use a few simple checks:

• Magnet test: steel tins stick, aluminium doesn’t.
• Paper vs card: card feels thicker and holds shape, paper tears more easily.
• Glass type: bottles and jars are fine, but drinking glasses and ceramics are different (and often not accepted).

Mixed materials cause most problems. Common culprits include padded envelopes, laminated paper, coffee cups (paper plus plastic lining), foil-lined pouches, and cardboard with plastic film glued on. When you can, separate parts cleanly. Twist off a pump from a soap bottle, remove a lid from a pot, or peel off a plastic window if it comes away easily. If you can’t separate it without shredding, treat it as general waste or use a specialist scheme.

Step 2: Prep it properly, so it gets recycled

Recycling is picky for a reason. Food and liquid can turn good recycling into rubbish. So keep prep basic and quick. Empty packaging first. Then give it a fast rinse if it’s greasy or sticky, and let it dry. Flatten cardboard to save space, and squash plastic bottles so they don’t bounce back. Keep paper dry, especially in wet weather.

Caps and lids confuse people. Rules vary, but many councils accept plastic caps on bottles if they’re screwed on tightly. Loose tiny bits can fall through sorting machinery. When in doubt, check your council’s advice and follow it.

A room-by-room guide

Most homes recycle the obvious things well. The mistakes happen with the awkward items: soft plastics, greasy boxes, toiletries, and medicine packaging. Use this room-by-room approach to keep it practical.

Kitchen recycling

In most UK areas, these are your easy wins: tins and cans, glass bottles and jars, paper, and cardboard. Rinse where needed, then recycle through your kerbside bins.

Plastic is where it gets messy. Plastic bottles are widely accepted, and many councils also take pots, tubs and trays, as long as they’re clean. If your council doesn’t, save them for the household recycling centre (HRC) if it accepts them, or reduce the problem by choosing larger formats and refills.

Soft plastics usually don’t belong in kerbside recycling. That includes bread bags, salad bags, pasta packets, cling film, and many crisp packets. Instead, collect them in a separate bag and use supermarket soft plastic collection points where available. If your local shop doesn’t offer it, don’t force them into the home recycling bin.

Foil can be recyclable, but it needs to be clean. A simple “scrunch test” helps: if it scrunches into a tight ball and stays that way, it’s foil. Rinse and scrunch it before recycling if your council accepts foil. Foil trays also need to be free of baked-on food.

Pizza boxes trip people up because they’re half good, half greasy. Tear off any clean cardboard to recycle. Compost the greasy parts if your council accepts food-soiled card, otherwise put them in general waste.

Finally, deal with food waste properly. If you have a food waste caddy, use it for peels, cores, eggshells, coffee grounds, and tea leaves. Watch for hidden plastic though. Many tea bags still contain plastic, and some fruit stickers do too. If you compost at home, keep it simple and avoid cooked food unless you have the right system.

Bathroom, bedroom, and hallway

Bathroom recycling often works best when you stick to bottles and cans. Shampoo, conditioner, and cleaning bottles are usually fine if your council accepts that plastic type. Empty them fully, give them a quick rinse, and pop them in.

Aerosols can usually be recycled too, as long as they’re completely empty. Don’t puncture them. If an aerosol still has product or pressure, treat it as hazardous waste and follow your council’s guidance.

Some items need specialist routes. Toothbrushes and disposable razors rarely go in kerbside bins. A few brands and retailers run take-back schemes, so check before binning. Blister packs for tablets are also tricky, since they mix plastic and foil. Some pharmacies collect them, but many don’t, so it’s a “check locally” item. Empty medicine bottles sometimes go in recycling, sometimes not, depending on local rules and labels.

Textiles deserve a second life where possible. Donate wearable clothes to charity shops. Reuse old T-shirts and towels as cleaning rags. For worn-out items, use textile banks or an HRC that takes textiles. Shoes should go as pairs, and even odd socks can be useful as dusters.

Hangers are another common headache. Many are mixed materials, so recycling is limited. Reuse them, pass them on, or return them to shops that accept hangers.

Electronics, batteries, bulky items

Some waste needs more care because it’s dangerous, bulky, or both. The main risks at home are fires (often from lithium batteries) and contamination (from items that don’t belong in the recycling stream).

Household recycling centres are designed for this. They usually have areas for small electricals, batteries, metals, wood, and bulky waste. Retailers can also help. Many shops offer take-back for old electricals when you buy a replacement, and some accept small electricals without a purchase. If an item still works, donation or resale beats recycling every time.

E-waste and batteries

Phones, cables, chargers, laptops, keyboards, small kitchen gadgets, and toys with circuits all count as WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment). Don’t put them in kerbside bins. Instead, take them to an HRC WEEE area, or use retailer take-back.

Batteries need extra care. Lithium batteries (including power banks, vapes, and many rechargeable items) can start fires if crushed in bins or lorries. Use battery drop points in supermarkets and shops, or your local HRC.

Before you donate or recycle devices, wipe personal data. Log out of accounts, remove SIM cards, and factory reset where possible. It takes minutes and protects your privacy.

When recycling is not the answer

Bulky items often have better options than the tip. Try selling, giving away, or donating furniture first. Local community groups and charity furniture shops can be great for sofas, tables, and bed frames.

Repair is also worth a go. Look for local repair cafés for small appliances, or simple fixes like replacing a plug. Mattresses, paint, chemicals, and gas canisters need careful handling, so take them to an HRC and follow site rules.

Here’s a quick “don’t put it in the recycling bin” reminder, because these cause repeated problems:

• Nappies and sanitary products
• Hoses and hosepipes
• Drinking glasses, ceramics, mirrors
• Polystyrene (where not accepted locally)
• Anything heavily soiled with food, oil, or paint