Recycling can be confusing. Is that greasy pizza box okay? What about yoghurt lids or batteries? We’ve put together a quick guide to help you nail the basics — and keep things easy and clean for everyone.

What can be recycled (most councils accept these):

• Paper & card – think newspapers, toilet roll tubes, cereal boxes (flatten them to save space)
• Plastic bottles – drinks, cleaning products, shampoo bottles (rinse them!)
• Tins & cans – food tins, fizzy drink cans, aerosol cans (make sure they’re empty)
• Glass jars & bottles – all colours welcome, just no lids or corks
• Cartons – juice, milk, soup cartons (check for Tetra Pak symbols)

Top tip: Take the lid off and give it a rinse — if it’s clean enough not to smell, it’s good to go.

What can’t be recycled (please don’t wish-cycle these):

• Greasy food containers – pizza boxes, used takeaway trays
• Soft plastic wrappers – crisp packets, cling film, bread bags (unless your local shop collects them)
• Used tissues or paper towels – compostable maybe, recyclable no
• Polystyrene – burger boxes, packing chips = no thanks
• Broken glass or mirrors – dangerous and not the same as jars

Wait, what about…?

• Coffee cups? Usually not recyclable — the inside lining is tricky to separate. Some chains now have specialist collection points.
• Plastic tubs & trays? Depends on the council. Check your local info.
• Batteries, electronics & lightbulbs? Definitely not for normal bins. Most supermarkets have drop-off points or ask us at reception — we’ll point you in the right direction.

Keep it clean

Contamination is one of the biggest reasons recycling gets rejected. If something’s dirty or in the wrong bin, the whole bag might end up in landfill. So give things a quick rinse, and when in doubt — check.

Still not sure?

We provide plenty of recycling bins at each of our neighbourhoods, but the setup varies depending on the city. Check your Refuse & Recycling Room in your ila neighbourhood or speak to the team to find out exactly what you can recycle on-site — and where your nearest recycling points are for anything else (like batteries, clothes or electronics).