Recycle your metal packaging
It’s never been easier to make your metal matter in Cherwell District Council
Did you know that metal can be endlessly recycled and every last bit can be turned into something else and it’s a cycle that can go on forever.
When you recycle food or drink cans and other metal packaging items in your blue bin, these could end up being transformed into any one of a wide range of new products, from a designer watch or a smartphone, to a washing machine or even a new bus or aeroplane!
Every time metal is recycled it saves energy, cuts greenhouse gas emissions and saves on waste disposal space and therefore is good news for our planet.
Best of all it doesn’t take a lot of effort on your part to make a big difference. All you need to do is place your cans, empty aerosols, tins and foil in your blue recycling bin, and NOT your green rubbish bin.
So by recycling your metal packaging at home, you can reduce your carbon footprint and prevent valuable materials ending up in waste disposal.
How is waste metal recycled?
The empty cans you recycle today could be back on the supermarket shelf as another can in as little as 60 days!
From your household recycling collection, the cans, foil and empty aerosols you save are taken to a Material Recycling Facility.
Metal packaging is made of either aluminium or steel. At the materials recycling facility the latest technology is used to separate the different metals before they are baled and sent for reprocessing. The process involves melting the metal; it is then cast into ingots which are sent on for manufacturing. The recycled metal is then used to produce all sorts of everyday items like cameras, irons and kettles as well as more food tins and cans.
That’s why it’s so important that we all contribute to the efforts. Every piece of metal packaging you recycle will be used again and again for years to come. In addition to this we also save energy, cut emissions and reduce waste and costs.
What metal items can I recycle in my blue recycling bin?
These items can be placed in your blue recycling bin:
- Drink cans
- Food tins
- Pet food tins
- Empty aerosols
- Metal lids from jars and bottles
- Kitchen foil (clean)
- Foil trays (clean and/or give them a rinse)
- Sweet / biscuit tins
Please make sure your aerosols are empty, your foil/foil trays/food tins have been wiped or rinsed before adding these items to your recycling. Don’t worry about removing labels on food tins.
What metal items cannot be recycled in your blue recycling bin?
Some household metal items cannot be collected with your kerbside recycling, such as those listed below – however they might still be recycled at your nearest Household Waste and Recycling Centre.
Items that can be recycled at your Household Waste and Recycling Centre:
- Empty paint tins and lids
- Garden tools
- Pots and pans
- Crockery
- Nuts and bolts
- Door handles
- Bikes
- Electrical items
To search for an item to see the best option, please check the Waste Wizard.
Top tips for recycling metals at home
Most of us are familiar with recycling their empty food and drinks cans, but less sure about what, or how, other metal packaging items can be recycled.
Aerosols
- Ensure that your aerosol is completely used up before you place it in the blue recycling bin.
- Do not pierce, crush or flatten aerosols before recycling.
- Detach any loose or easily removable parts, such as the plastic lid, and dispose of them with the rest of your rubbish. Don't worry about removing the plastic nozzle as this will be removed during the recycling process.
Foil trays and household foil
- Clean aluminium foil can also be recycled, such as wrapping foil, take-away trays, pie and quiche cases and oven-ready meal trays.
- Please wipe or rinse food residue off take away and ready meal trays. Just a quick swill in the bowl at the end of the washing up is usually sufficient.
- Not all products that appear to be aluminium foil are recyclable. For example, some crisp packets can look like aluminium foil, but they are actually made from metallised plastic and cannot be recycled. Some supermarkets do offer a "bring-back" scheme for these items.
- To check if a foil container is aluminium, put it through a ‘scrunch’ test. Simply scrunch the item in your fist, then release your grip. If the foil has stayed scrunched, then it is aluminium, and can be recycled. If it pops out into its original form, it is not aluminium and should be put in with your green general rubbish bin, not in with your recycling.
Remember: It’s not just items used in the kitchen that are recyclable! There are items from other rooms in the house such as aerosols used for deodorants, shaving foam and hair spray that can also be placed in your blue recycling bins.
