BinMate
Clean household aluminium foil may be accepted with your council’s metal packaging. Check the local list and distinguish foil from shiny plastic wrappers.
What counts as foil?
Kitchen foil and foil trays are different from crisp packets, some chocolate wrappers and composite pouches. A shiny surface alone does not identify the material. A scrunch test can be a clue, but it does not replace packaging information or the collection’s accepted list.
Recycle Now’s foil guide explains preparation and local options. Follow your council’s instructions for combining small pieces and handling trays.
Remove food before recycling
Empty the tray or sheet and remove residue. If cleaning it is practical, use the local preparation advice. For foil with food that cannot be removed, check the service’s rejection rule; do not hide it inside clean foil.
Sharp edges on trays need care. Do not reach into a bin to retrieve foil where there are broken objects or unknown contents.
Separate packaging components
Remove a paper sleeve or plastic film lid when the packaging and service instructions call for it. A tray being accepted does not mean its lid, absorbent pad and wrapper go in the same stream.
See plastic film and crisp packets for those materials.
Can chocolate wrappers go with foil?
Only when they are the accepted foil material, not a metallised plastic or composite wrapper. Check the particular pack.
Can I put foil in a paper bin?
No: follow the approved metal-packaging route. The bin colour alone does not tell you which stream it is.
