Where do Plastic bottle caps go?
Loose caps are too small to be sorted — they fall through screens and are lost — which is why the old advice was to take them off, and why the current advice is the opposite: squash the bottle, screw the cap back on, and both travel together to a plant that separates the polypropylene cap from the PET body by density in a float tank. Tethered caps on EU bottles are designed around exactly this. Metal caps from glass bottles are a different case and go loose with metals or, better, collected in a steel can that is crimped shut. A few councils still ask for caps to be removed, so the local instruction wins over the general one.
How to prepare it
- Squash the bottle, then screw the cap back on.
- Empty and drain the bottle first.
What not to do
- Never put loose small caps in the bin on their own; they are lost through the screens.
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 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.
- Aerosol cans Empty aerosols go in the kerbside recycling in most areas. Never pierce them, never crush them, never bin a part-full one.
- Wrapping paper Plain paper: recycle. Foil, plastic-coated or glittery: general waste. The scrunch test settles it.
- Drinks cartons (Tetra Pak) 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 Recyclable if it is clean. Scrunch it into a ball the size of a fist so the sorters can see it.
- Shredded paper Depends entirely on your council. Loose shreds jam sorting lines; where they are accepted it is usually bagged or in food waste.
- Envelopes with plastic windows Kerbside paper recycling in most areas — modern pulping screens the window out.
- Black plastic food trays Historically rejected because the optical sorter could not see them. Increasingly accepted now — check your council.
Common questions
- Where do Plastic bottle caps go?
- Leave the cap on the empty bottle. That is now the standard advice in most places.
- What happens if you put Plastic bottle caps in the wrong bin?
- Never put loose small caps in the bin on their own; they are lost through the screens.
Related pages
- Where do Pizza boxes go? 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.
- 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.
- Where do Wrapping paper go? Plain paper: recycle. Foil, plastic-coated or glittery: general waste. The scrunch test settles it.
- Where do Drinks cartons (Tetra Pak) go? Recyclable, but only where your scheme says so — they need a mill that separates the card from the plastic and foil.
- Where do Aluminium foil and foil trays go? Recyclable if it is clean. Scrunch it into a ball the size of a fist so the sorters can see it.
- Where do Shredded paper go? Depends entirely on your council. Loose shreds jam sorting lines; where they are accepted it is usually bagged or in food waste.
- Where do Household batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V) go? Shop or manufacturer take-back
- Where do Lithium-ion batteries go? Shop or manufacturer take-back
- Where do Vapes and disposable e-cigarettes go? Shop or manufacturer take-back
- Where do Medicines and tablets go? Pharmacy
- Where do Leftover wet paint go? Household waste recycling centre
- Where do Mobile phones go? Shop or manufacturer take-back
Sources
- US Environmental Protection Agency — EPA (Public domain (US Government))