Wash your foil to clean up recycling rates

HOUSEHOLDERS should wash their used tin foil, councils have said, after it was revealed to be the least recycled “recyclable” item.

A Wrap (Waste and Resources Action Programme) survey found that 25 per cent of households threw aluminium foil and foil trays in the bin, despite most local authorities accepting them for recycling to avoid unnecessary landfill.

However, many recycling plants will not accept foil if it is coated in food or grease, prompting councils to ask people to wash it and separating it from general waste.

Owing to tin foil’s flimsy nature, this can be awkward, so councils, such as Wealden, Renfrewshire and Bracknell Forest, are teaming up with the Aluminium Recycling Packaging Organisation to provide some guidance. Rick Hindley, the Aluminium Recycling Packaging Organisation’s executive director, said: “Give it a quick rinse. It doesn’t have to be squeaky clean. A bit of pastry isn’t necessarily a problem. If it’s really greasy, just wash it with soap.

“With foil containers, you could stick them in the dishwasher with other items and reuse or recycle them without using any extra water.”

Wrap found that the second most thrown away recyclable packaging was aerosol cans, followed by clear trays.

It comes after plans were announced for every household in England to collect food waste in a caddie.

At present, only about 35 per cent have to put food waste in its own caddie as most councils instruct people to put it in their main bin.

However, councils that insist on separate caddies may impose written warnings and, eventually, fines of up to £100, on those which refuse to comply.

It is thought that the scheme could pave the way for less frequent collections of general household waste.

Food that goes into a general bin rots in landfill and creates methane, a greenhouse gas, which contributes to global warming.

However, food collected separately can be put into an anaerobic digester and broken down into sludge for soil fertiliser and carbon dioxide and methane for generating energy or running vehicles.

It is hoped that the change will help the Government reach its targets on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.