Metal
Aluminum foil
aluminium foil, tin foil, kitchen foil, baking foil, foil
Can you recycle?
Sometimes
Sometimes — clean foil is recyclable with metals. Scrunch it into a ball; greasy, food-covered foil goes in general waste.
How to prepare
1. Wipe or rinse off food and grease. 2. Scrunch clean foil into a ball at least the size of a golf ball so sorting machines can catch it. 3. Add clean foil trays the same way. 4. Place it in your curbside recycling where metals are accepted.
Common mistakes
Recycling greasy or food-covered foil, which contaminates the batch. Leaving foil in small, flat pieces that machines can't sort. Mixing it with plastic-lined foil pouches, which aren't recyclable.
What happens after you recycle it?
Recycled foil is melted with other aluminum into new foil, cans, and car and building parts — using a fraction of the energy of new aluminum.
Drop-off guidance
Most curbside programs that take metals accept clean foil and foil trays. For larger amounts, scrap metal yards take aluminum, sometimes paying by weight.
FAQs
Can I recycle aluminum foil?
Yes, when it's clean. Scrunch it into a ball and put it in your curbside recycling; greasy foil goes in general waste.
Where can I recycle aluminum foil near me?
Use the lookup above. Most home collections take clean foil, and scrap yards accept larger amounts.
Is it free to recycle aluminum foil?
Yes. Curbside recycling is free to use.
Can I get paid to recycle aluminum foil?
Not for small amounts, but scrap metal yards may pay by weight for larger quantities of clean foil.
