Tips and recycling centres
How to recycle kitchen foil and food trays
Clean kitchen foil, foil food trays and takeaway containers can be recycled. Wipe off food first and scrunch foil into a ball.
What counts as foil
Foil trays, barbecue trays, takeaway containers, kitchen foil, foil pot lids and wine bottle screw tops.
The scrunch test
Scrunch a shiny wrapper in your hand. If it stays in a ball, it is foil and can be recycled.
Bigger foil balls are easier to recycle
Recycle Now says the bigger the ball of scrunched foil, the easier it is to recycle.
Key facts
- Binmap lists 46 places that say they take aluminium foil and trays, including 36 tips.
- Another 626 places may take aluminium foil and trays, but they do not say so. Check before you go.
Last updated: 15 October 2026
Written by Binmap using guidance from Recycle Now.
Advice from national bodies
What to do
- Wipe trays or dip them in washing up water.
- Scrunch foil, foil lids and wrappers together into one ball.
- Leave metal screw tops on bottles and jars.
Kinds of place that take it
- Local recycling sites
- Recycling centres
Other kinds of place
Schemes and collection services
Binmap is independent and is not run by any council.