---
title: "Where do Aerosol cans go? Kerbside recycling bin"
description: "Empty aerosols go in the kerbside recycling in most areas. Never pierce them, never crush them, never bin a part-full one. Why that route, what goes wrong on the wro"
url: https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/aerosols/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Where do Aerosol cans go?

**Where do Aerosol cans go?: Empty aerosols go in the kerbside recycling in most areas. Never pierce them, never crush them, never bin a part-full one.**

Kerbside recycling bin

An empty aerosol is a steel or aluminium can and recycles as one, which is why most kerbside schemes accept them. A part-full can is a pressure vessel holding a flammable propellant — usually butane or propane — and puncturing or crushing it releases that propellant all at once, next to the hydraulic ram of a bin lorry. The EPA moved aerosol cans into the universal waste rules in 2019 precisely to get non-empty cans out of general waste and into managed collection. If a can still hisses, still sprays, or you cannot tell, it goes to household hazardous waste rather than any bin. A minority of councils still exclude aerosols entirely, so the local list beats the general rule.

## How to prepare it

1. Spray until nothing comes out, then recycle the can.
2. Leave the plastic cap on or off according to your local scheme — most want it off and in with plastics.
3. Take part-full and blocked cans to a hazardous waste collection.

## What not to do

- Never pierce an aerosol to "make it safe" — it releases the remaining propellant as a flammable cloud.
- Never crush or flatten one; the same applies inside the truck.
- Never burn one or leave it in a car in the sun.

> Kerbside collection rules genuinely vary by council and county, and local rules always win over general guidance. The reasoning above is what transfers — if your service differs, it will usually be for a reason described here.

## Other things that go to kerbside recycling bin

- [Pizza boxes](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/pizza-boxes/) — Recyclable if the card is only greasy; not if it is soaked or has food stuck to it. Tear off the clean lid if in doubt.
- [Wrapping paper](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/wrapping-paper/) — Plain paper: recycle. Foil, plastic-coated or glittery: general waste. The scrunch test settles it.
- [Drinks cartons (Tetra Pak)](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/cartons/) — Recyclable, but only where your scheme says so — they need a mill that separates the card from the plastic and foil.
- [Aluminium foil and foil trays](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/foil/) — Recyclable if it is clean. Scrunch it into a ball the size of a fist so the sorters can see it.
- [Shredded paper](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/shredded-paper/) — Depends entirely on your council. Loose shreds jam sorting lines; where they are accepted it is usually bagged or in food waste.
- [Plastic bottle caps](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/bottle-caps/) — Leave the cap on the empty bottle. That is now the standard advice in most places.
- [Envelopes with plastic windows](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/envelopes-windows/) — Kerbside paper recycling in most areas — modern pulping screens the window out.
- [Black plastic food trays](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/black-plastic-trays/) — Historically rejected because the optical sorter could not see them. Increasingly accepted now — check your council.

## Common questions

### Where do Aerosol cans go?

Empty aerosols go in the kerbside recycling in most areas. Never pierce them, never crush them, never bin a part-full one.

### What happens if you put Aerosol cans in the wrong bin?

Never pierce an aerosol to "make it safe" — it releases the remaining propellant as a flammable cloud. Never crush or flatten one; the same applies inside the truck. Never burn one or leave it in a car in the sun.

## Related pages

- [Where do Pizza boxes go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/pizza-boxes/)
- [Where do Wrapping paper go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/wrapping-paper/)
- [Where do Drinks cartons (Tetra Pak) go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/cartons/)
- [Where do Aluminium foil and foil trays go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/foil/)
- [Where do Shredded paper go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/shredded-paper/)
- [Where do Plastic bottle caps go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/bottle-caps/)
- [Where do Household batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V) go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/batteries/)
- [Where do Lithium-ion batteries go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/lithium-batteries/)
- [Where do Vapes and disposable e-cigarettes go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/vapes/)
- [Where do Medicines and tablets go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/medicines/)
- [Where do Leftover wet paint go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/paint-wet/)
- [Where do Mobile phones go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/mobile-phones/)

## Sources

- US Environmental Protection Agency — EPA (https://www.epa.gov/) [Public domain (US Government)]