Welcome to our best-practice guide for recycling aluminium packaging. Follow these steps to give the choms their best chance at living out their destiny to be 100% circular.
Thick foil trays
Examples: takeaway trays, pie dishes and braai trays.
Give it a good wipe before you recycle.
Guidance:
- Remove excessive food residue.
- Remove plastic film lids.
- Stack and crush flat where possible.
- Place with recyclable aluminium.
Aerosol and spray cans
Examples: deodorant, hairspray, fly spray, paint and WD-40 cans.
Empty first. Never crush, puncture or pierce.
Guidance:
- Use completely until the spray stops and there is no hissing sound.
- Do not crush or pierce the can.
- Leave the valve in place.
- Remove lids and plastic caps.
- Place empty aerosol cans in the metal
Kitchen foil and wrappers
Examples: baking foil, wrapping foil and some chocolate wrappers.
Clean it, scrunch it, recycle it.
Guidance:
- Remove food residue and grease.
- Scrunch foil into a ball of at least 5cm so smaller pieces are not lost.
- Do not mix foil with plastic wrap.
- Use the scrunch test: if it stays crumpled, it is likely aluminium;
Foil lids and peel-off seals
Examples: yoghurt lids, cream cheese seals and juice foil lids.
Peel it off, rinse it, ball it up.
Guidance:
- Peel cleanly from the plastic container.
- Rinse or wipe clean.
- Ball up with other foil.
- Do not leave attached to plastic containers.
Wine caps, bottle caps and closures
Examples: wine screw caps, foil capsules and beverage closures.
Keep caps attached so they do not get lost.
Guidance:
- Replace caps and leave them attached to bottles where appropriate.
- Avoid throwing small caps loosely into general waste or recycling bags.
- Keeping small aluminium closures attached
Aluminium tubes
Examples: toothpaste and cream tubes.
Empty it first. Check the material.
Guidance:
- Squeeze out contents.
- Recycle only if the tube is pure aluminium.
- Laminated plastic-and-aluminium tubes may not be recyclable.
Aluminium coffee pods
Examples: Nespresso-style aluminium capsules.
Use the dedicated return system.
Guidance:
- Collect used aluminium capsules in dedicated recycling bags.
- Return them through the relevant store, boutique or collection programme.