---
title: "Where do Nappies go? General waste bin"
description: "General waste, bagged. There is no kerbside recycling route for them anywhere in ordinary use. Why that route, what goes wrong on the wrong one, and how to prepare i"
url: https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/nappies/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Where do Nappies go?

**Where do Nappies go?: General waste, bagged. There is no kerbside recycling route for them anywhere in ordinary use.**

General waste bin

A disposable nappy is plastic backing, wood pulp and superabsorbent polymer, bonded together and contaminated, and no mainstream recycling process handles that combination. Trial plants have run in a few places and none has become routine. Some councils provide a separate nappy or hygiene collection or extra sacks for households with a baby, which is worth asking about rather than assuming. Faeces should be tipped into the toilet first where practical, but the nappy itself is never flushed.

## How to prepare it

1. Tip solids into the toilet where you can.
2. Roll and tape the nappy, then bag it.
3. Ask your council about a hygiene or absorbent hygiene product collection.

## What not to do

- Never flush a nappy or a liner; it blocks the drain immediately.
- Never put nappies in the recycling or the food waste bin.

> 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](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/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](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/polystyrene/) — General waste almost everywhere. It is recyclable in principle and collected almost nowhere.
- [Incandescent and halogen bulbs](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/incandescent-bulbs/) — General waste, wrapped. They are not recyclable glass and not electrical waste either.
- [Crisp packets and snack wrappers](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/crisp-packets/) — General waste, or a supermarket soft-plastics bin where one exists. Not the kerbside recycling.
- [Broken glass](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/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](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/paint-dried/) — 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](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/cling-film/) — General waste. It is excluded even from soft plastic collections almost everywhere.
- [Till receipts](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/receipts/) — General waste. Thermal paper is coated, not printed, and it should not go in with paper or compost.
- [Wet wipes and makeup wipes](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/wet-wipes/) — General waste. Never the toilet, whatever the packet says about flushability.
- [Dog waste](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/pet-waste/) — Bagged in general waste, or a dog waste bin. Not the food waste caddy, and not the compost heap.
- [Cat litter](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/cat-litter/) — General waste, bagged. Clay litter is not compostable, and cat faeces carry a parasite that keeps it out of the garden.
- [Medicine blister packs](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/blister-packs/) — General waste in most places, or a pharmacy collection scheme where one exists.
- [Greetings cards with glitter or foil](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/glitter-cards/) — Tear off the plain card and recycle that; the glittery part goes in general waste.
- [Cigarette butts](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/cigarette-butts/) — Put it out completely, then bin it. Filters are cellulose acetate plastic, and a live butt starts bin fires.

## Common questions

### Where do Nappies go?

General waste, bagged. There is no kerbside recycling route for them anywhere in ordinary use.

### What happens if you put Nappies in the wrong bin?

Never flush a nappy or a liner; it blocks the drain immediately. Never put nappies in the recycling or the food waste bin.

## Related pages

- [Where do Used cooking oil go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/cooking-oil/)
- [Where do Polystyrene and foam packaging go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/polystyrene/)
- [Where do Incandescent and halogen bulbs go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/incandescent-bulbs/)
- [Where do Crisp packets and snack wrappers go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/crisp-packets/)
- [Where do Broken glass go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/broken-glass/)
- [Where do Dried-out paint and empty tins go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/paint-dried/)
- [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 Pizza boxes go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/pizza-boxes/)
- [Where do Leftover wet paint go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/paint-wet/)

## Sources

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