Binman shares 'scrunch' method to decide if one item can be recycled

Binman shares 'scrunch' method to decide if one item can be recycled A common kitchen item can be tricky to sort when it looks shiny enough to be metal Knowing what belongs in the recycling bin is not always straightforward, especially when packaging looks almost identical but is made from different materials. The No1 Binman has shared a quick way to help households work out what they are dealing with before throwing an item away. The waste collection creator has more than 200,000 followers and over 3.8 million likes on TikTok, where he answers questions about everyday rubbish. In one of his latest videos, a viewer asked what to do with the foil tops from wine bottles, prompting him to explain the so-called scrunch test. He said: "The foil tops from wine bottles, uh, always wondered about these. Well I'm guessing you probably mean Prosecco bottles because I think that's the only one that has it, or champagne, I don't know if white wine has it, maybe, I'm not a wine expert, but yes, that can go in your plastic recycling bin because it's made of aluminium. "So the way to tell what it's made of is if you scrunch it up and it stays as a ball, like the foil, then it can go in your plastic bin. If it is like a film, like a silvery shiny film, and it's actually more plastic, that would go in your general waste bin." His advice broadly matches guidance from Recycle Now and the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation, which both recommend scrunching shiny packaging into a ball. If it stays scrunched, it is likely to be aluminium foil; if it springs back, it is more likely to be metallised plastic film, which is not usually accepted in household recycling. The binman added: "So best thing, if it's scrunched into a ball, if it stays as a ball recycling bin, if it goes back to the shape it was originally, and then it'll go in your general waste bin because it's mainly a filmy plastic, which cannot be recycled in your household waste bin. So hopefully that answers your question and enjoy your bottle of wine." One important detail is that aluminium belongs in the metal recycling stream, not a plastic-only stream, although some councils collect metal and plastic together in the same container. Recycle Now says screw-top wine bottle lids can be recycled, while Wales Recycles advises leaving aluminium screw-top lids on bottles and jars for recycling. Households should check their council's guidance, clean foil before recycling it and keep metallised plastic pouches or wrappers out of the recycling bin. The scrunch test can help identify the material, but local collection rules determine where it should go.