10 household items you can't recycle under UK bin rules
Despite years of public awareness initiatives around recycling, England's household recycling rate has flatlined at 43.7%, with recyclable goods continuing to find their way into landfill sites because of contamination and common mistakes. Many ordinary household items may look recyclable but should actually go straight into your general waste bin, experts warn.
TL;DR
- England's household recycling rate is 43.7%, with contamination being a major issue.
- Many items appear recyclable but are not suitable for standard household recycling.
- Thermal paper receipts should be placed in general waste due to chemical content.
- Pringles tubes are made of mixed materials and usually cannot be recycled.
- Wrapping paper with glitter, foil, or metallic coatings is generally not recyclable.
- Disposable coffee cups have a plastic lining and require special recycling points.
- Black plastic food trays can be difficult for optical sorting equipment to detect.
- Crisp packets and sweet wrappers are made of layered plastic and foil, best taken to supermarket soft plastic recycling.
- Toothpaste tubes are a mix of plastic and aluminum, requiring specialist collection.
- Some tea bags contain plastic and are not compostable unless plastic-free.
- Garden hoses are made of durable mixed plastics unsuitable for household recycling.
- Wet wipes contain plastic fibres and should always go in general waste, not recycling or flushed.