Where do Bubble wrap and postal air pillows go?

Bubble wrap and air pillows are clean LDPE, which is one of the easier plastics to recycle — but only through a film stream, because loose film jams kerbside sorting equipment. Supermarket front-of-store bags-and-film collections take it, as do many parcel shops. Reuse is better still: it survives being used many times, and anyone who sells online will take it. Pop the pillows flat first so the collection is not mostly air. Kerbside acceptance of film is changing in a few areas, so check your council current list.

How to prepare it

1. Take the paper labels and tape off.
2. Burst air pillows so they pack down.
3. Offer it to someone who posts parcels before recycling it.

What not to do

• Never put film in the kerbside recycling bin unless your scheme explicitly says it takes it.

Compiled from supermarket film-collection scheme guidance.

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 shop or manufacturer take-back

• Household batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V) Battery collection point — a supermarket or DIY store box, or the household waste centre. Never the kerbside bin.
• Lithium-ion batteries Battery or WEEE collection point only. A lithium cell in a bin lorry is a fire, not a littering problem.
• Vapes and disposable e-cigarettes A vape shop or supermarket take-back bin. It is electrical waste with a lithium cell inside, not litter.
• Mobile phones Wipe it, then trade it in, donate it or hand it to an electricals take-back point.
• Disposable coffee cups Not the kerbside bin. Take them to a shop cup collection point, or general waste — the lid and sleeve recycle separately.
• Button and coin cells Battery collection point. Tape them first — and keep them away from small children until they go.
• Coffee pods and capsules Brand take-back scheme if aluminium; general waste for most plastic pods. Compostable ones need a food waste collection.
• Rechargeable batteries (NiMH, NiCd) Battery collection point. NiCd cells contain cadmium and are hazardous waste in most jurisdictions.
• Laptops and computers Wipe the drive, then donate, trade in or take it to WEEE recycling. The battery makes binning it a fire risk.
• Printer cartridges Manufacturer freepost return or a shop collection box. Not the kerbside bin.
• Tyres Tyre fitter or household waste centre, usually for a small fee. They are banned from landfill in the UK and EU.
• Power banks and portable chargers Small electricals collection or a battery take-back point. It is a lithium cell in a plastic shell.
• Propane and patio gas cylinders Back to the supplier or exchange point. Refillable cylinders are almost never yours to scrap.
• Toys and gadgets with batteries inside Take the batteries out and deal with them separately; the toy then goes in small electricals. Sealed ones go in whole.