---
title: "What goes to kerbside recycling bin"
description: "9 things that belong in kerbside recycling bin, with why each one goes there and what happens if it goes elsewhere."
url: https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/kerbside-recycling/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What goes to kerbside recycling bin

9 things that belong in kerbside recycling bin.

| Item | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| 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. |
| Plastic bottle caps | Leave the cap on the empty bottle. That is now the standard advice in most places. |
| 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. |

- [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.
- [Aerosol cans](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/aerosols/) — Empty aerosols go in the kerbside recycling in most areas. Never pierce them, never crush them, never bin a part-full one.
- [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.