Your Recycling FAQ File!
How do I recycle …?
This is the most frequently asked question from people in Hounslow. And we know it can be confusing. Not all plastics are equal. Not all textiles can be accepted with your kerbside recycling collection. And some things still need to go in the waste – so maybe it’s time to find alternatives to those?
It’s important to have a clear idea on what can be recycled and where because confusion leads to contamination. And contamination – that’s anything in your recycling that shouldn’t be, because it’s unrecyclable, not yet recycled by us, or has been tainted somehow – leads to items being rejected during the recycling process, which is a waste of time and money for us and you.
Here are ten of the top items the Council is asked how to recycle – and the answers!
1: Paint
- Can’t be recycled from home.
- There are local places you can take it. Use this locator to find somewhere near to you.
2. Coffee pods
- Can’t be recycled from home.
- Use the Podback nationwide coffee pod recycling service.
3. Tin/aluminium foil
- Can be recycled from home. Red box please! Or Communal Tins, Cans and Aerosol bin.
- Do the scrunch test. Simply scrunch the item – if it stays scrunched up, it’s foil and can be recycled; if it springs back, it’s probably metallised plastic film and not recyclable.
4. Tetra Pak food and drink cartons
5. Shredded paper
- Can’t be recycled from home. The lengths are too short for our machinery to cope with.
- You can put small amounts in as part of your food waste recycle collection. Or compost it at home or use as pet bedding.
6. Batteries
- Can’t be recycled from home.
- Take back to shops which sell batteries for recycling – especially supermarkets.
7. Pet food pouches
- Can’t be recycled from home.
- There are local places you can take them. Use this locator to find somewhere near to you.
8. Pizza boxes
9. Aerosols
- Can be recycled from home. Red box please! Or communal tins, cans and aerosol bin. Make sure they are fully empty by spraying until there’s no hiss!
10. Mattresses
- Can’t be recycled from home. You can, however, recycle clothes, shoes, curtains and blankets by putting them in a marked plastic bag next to your recycling boxes on your weekly collection day.
- There are local places you can take them. Use this locator to find somewhere near to you. Or book a bulky waste collection from home or book a slot at our Space Waye Recycling Centre
Find answers to your recycling questions:
Unleash your recycling magic with Hounslow Council’s Waste Wizard. Enter any item and – hey presto! You’ll get instant advice on how to recycle, reuse or dispose of it correcty’.
Read much more on which items go in which box or bin on our main council website.
There is a comprehensive guide to what all the different recycling symbols on packaging mean, on the WRAP Recycle Now website.
The Recycle Now website also has tonnes of tips on avoiding recycling contamination.
Fascinating facts
On average, UK households throw away
of food each day.
That’s 8 meals chucked away every week.
Londoners throw away
plastic bottles each year.
Invest in a refillable bottle to save money and help the planet too.
Annual UK carbon footprint from avoidable food waste = 14 million tones of CO2
The same as 1 in every 5 cars being take off the road
Keeping food waste out of the rubbish bin
