Make it recycle ready

  • Make sure the aluminium foil is dry
  • Remove food scraps. Tear off any dirty or oily sections that can't be cleaned easily, and put them in your rubbish bin.
  • Loosely scrunch the clean and dry foil into a ball, at least the size of a golf ball. Recycling sorting machines can't process very small pieces of foil.

Where does aluminium foil go next?

It will be:

  1. collected by your local council’s kerbside recycling truck.
  2. taken to a recycling sorting facility.
  3. separated from other recyclables, such as plastic and cardboard.
  4. taken to a re-processing centre and broken down.
  5. taken to a manufacturer to be made into new products.

Waste and recycling during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Household waste and recycling collections will continue as normal. However, council waste and recycling facilities are not open to the public. These facilities include collection, treatment, disposal and transfer stations. They will remain open for commercial contractors only.

If you have unwanted items at home, hold onto them until these facilities re-open. For other options, check the waste and recycling advice for your local council area.

Want to recycle something else?

Search for another item to find out if it can go in your home recycling bin or if it needs to be dropped off somewhere else.