Where do Medicine blister packs go?

A blister pack is aluminium foil bonded to PVC or a laminate, and no kerbside sorting line can separate the two, which is why they are excluded almost everywhere. A handful of pharmacy chains and specialist schemes collect them for processing that shreds and density-separates the layers, and those schemes are worth using where they exist. Empty the pack completely first — a pack with a tablet still in it is medicine, and goes back to the pharmacy instead. Since the collection schemes are local and come and go, check what is running near you rather than assuming.

How to prepare it

1. Make sure every blister is empty.
2. Flatten them so they take less space.

What not to do

• Never put blister packs in the kerbside recycling bin; the mixed foil-plastic laminate is a contaminant.
• Never bin a pack with tablets still in it.

Compiled from pharmacy and reprocessor scheme guidance; availability is local and changes.

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 general waste bin

• Used cooking oil Let it cool, seal it in a container, and put it in general waste — or take it to an oil bank.
• Polystyrene and foam packaging General waste almost everywhere. It is recyclable in principle and collected almost nowhere.
• Incandescent and halogen bulbs General waste, wrapped. They are not recyclable glass and not electrical waste either.
• Crisp packets and snack wrappers General waste, or a supermarket soft-plastics bin where one exists. Not the kerbside recycling.
• Broken glass Wrap it thickly and put it in general waste, unless it is a broken bottle or jar — those can go in the glass bin.
• Dried-out paint and empty tins Once the paint is solid, many councils take the tin in general waste or as scrap metal. Check yours, because this one genuinely varies.
• Cling film General waste. It is excluded even from soft plastic collections almost everywhere.
• Till receipts General waste. Thermal paper is coated, not printed, and it should not go in with paper or compost.
• Wet wipes and makeup wipes General waste. Never the toilet, whatever the packet says about flushability.
• Dog waste Bagged in general waste, or a dog waste bin. Not the food waste caddy, and not the compost heap.
• Nappies General waste, bagged. There is no kerbside recycling route for them anywhere in ordinary use.
• Cat litter General waste, bagged. Clay litter is not compostable, and cat faeces carry a parasite that keeps it out of the garden.
• Greetings cards with glitter or foil Tear off the plain card and recycle that; the glittery part goes in general waste.
• Cigarette butts Put it out completely, then bin it. Filters are cellulose acetate plastic, and a live butt starts bin fires.