Aluminum Foil
What Should I Do With It?
Aluminum foil is highly recyclable, provided it is entirely free of food residue. Because food grease contaminates the recycling process, you should scrape or rinse foil clean before putting it in the bin; if it cannot be cleaned, it belongs in the trash. To ensure your clean foil actually gets recycled, save up smaller pieces and roll them together into a single tight ball until it is at least two inches in diameter. Small, loose scraps easily fall through sorting machinery or blow away during transport, turning into litter. Finally, if you are unsure whether a wrapper is real aluminum, give it a squeeze: if you scrunch it in your hand and it springs back open, it is made of plastic or metallized film and cannot be recycled.
Before throwing this away, see if it can be fixed up, given to a friend, or donated to a local thrift shop. Keeping items in use is the best way to stop waste before it starts!
The recycling guidelines shown here are for general reference and educational purposes. Every city and town has different rules, sorting equipment, and recycling programs.
Please check your local town website or ask your local garbage collection program to make sure you are following your neighborhood's rules.