Talking Rubbish - Recycled Content

Sports nutrition products generate a surprising amount of packaging waste, with a single marathon using hundreds of thousands of gel sachets. We explore whether these pouches can be recycled, the shift towards mono-material packaging, and some innovative alternatives, from edible energy bars with beeswax coatings to Notpla's edible sports drink bubbles used at the London Marathon.

This episode of Recycled Content, is the 'Rubbish o...

A listener asked what to do with wild animals brought home by a hunting cat. While it might seem like they belong in food or garden waste, dead wild animals are generally not accepted because they fall under different animal by-product rules. Many councils advise placing them, bagged up, in your general waste bin instead, although it's always worth checking your local guidance.

This episode of Recycled Content, is the 'Rubbish Ques...

A listener asked how to dispose of asbestos safely. Asbestos should never be put in your household bin and is best taken to a household recycling centre that accepts it, after checking with your local council. If you ever need to handle small amounts, take great care by wearing appropriate protection and double-bagging it. 

This episode of Recycled Content, is the 'Rubbish or Not' from episode 98 of Talking Rubbish, which firs...

A listener asked whether crushed cans collected during litter picks will still qualify for a deposit return. In most cases, if a can is too damaged for the barcode to be read, you won't get the deposit back, although some manual return points may have discretion. Rejected containers should still be recyclable, and donation options could help ensure deposits still support good causes rather than encouraging people to search through ...

Posters are usually recyclable if they're predominantly made of paper. Plain paper and lightly glossy posters are accepted by most paper mills, but if they're framed or mounted you'll need to remove the frame or backing first. A good rule of thumb is the scrunch test: if you can scrunch it into a ball and it stays scrunched, it's likely to be recyclable with your paper.

This episode of Recycled Content, is the 'Rubbish or Not' from...

Fruit stickers might be tiny, but they raise surprisingly big questions. In this episode, we explore why they're needed, what happens when they end up in food waste, why composting and anaerobic digestion treat them differently, and why, despite new compostable labels on the horizon, the safest advice for now is to remove them and put them in your general waste rather than your recycling or food waste.

This episode of Recycled Cont...

Expanded foam packaging, such as expanded LDPE used around blinds and picture frames, sits in a recycling grey area. It's neither truly rigid nor flexible, so it's usually not accepted in kerbside or flexible plastic collections. For now, this "Schrödinger's plastic" is best treated as general waste unless a specialist recycling option is available.

This episode of Recycled Content, is the 'Rubbish or Not' from episode 96 of Talkin...

What happens to all those discarded drinks bottles at the London Marathon, and what might change when the UK's Deposit Return Scheme arrives? We explore how the event already collects bottles separately for recycling, why marathon bottles aren't a straightforward fit for DRS, and how refill stations and compostable cups help reduce waste.

This episode of Recycled Content, is the 'Rubbish Question' from episode 94 of Talking Rubbish...

Wallpaper can't be recycled once it's been used, as it's usually contaminated with paste and often has coatings or mixed materials that make the paper unsuitable for recycling. Any leftover wallpaper in good condition is worth saving for future repairs or offering on local reuse or free swap groups, but once it's been stripped from the wall, it belongs in your general rubbish.

This episode of Recycled Content, is the 'Rubbish or No...

Air fresheners might look like packaging, but under the EU's new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), they're unlikely to disappear. PPWR introduces sweeping new rules on packaging, including bans on some single-use formats and ambitious reuse targets, but because the air freshener container is essential to delivering the product itself, it's more likely to be treated as part of the product rather than packaging. It's a...

Used cooking oil should never be poured down the sink. In this episode, we explain the best ways to dispose of it, from adding small amounts to your food waste to taking larger quantities to a recycling centre where it can be turned into biofuel. We also look at products that solidify cooking oil, whether they're worth using, and a few simple ways to stop leaky bin bags.

This episode of Recycled Content, is the 'Rubbish or Not' fro...

Litter-picked rubbish left for collection can look like fly-tipping, but if it's been arranged with your council or waste contractor, it isn't an illegal waste deposit. Before organising a litter pick, check your council's guidance, use the bags they provide where possible, and arrange collection or take the waste home. Coloured bags or clearly labelled sacks can also help prevent your hard work from being mistaken for a fly-tip.

T...

Nasal sprays might look like simple plastic bottles, but are they actually recyclable? We investigate why some carry recycling labels despite containing a metal spring inside the pump mechanism, and reveal why the recycling advice on certain brands may be wrong.

This episode of Recycled Content, is the 'Rubbish or Not' from episode 92 of Talking Rubbish, which first aired on 30th April 2026.

While every effort has been made to prov...

Emily asked what percentage of AA and AAA batteries are actually recycled. The official UK figure suggests around 45% of household batteries are recycled, but the reality is more complicated. We explain why lead-acid batteries dominate the recycling statistics, why this masks the performance of everyday household batteries, and why the true recycling rate for AA and AAA-style batteries may be closer to 14% than 45%.

This episode of...

We've had loads of questions about plant pots recently, including from Andrea on WhatsApp and John in the Binbox. The good news is that, under Simpler Recycling, councils that collect pots, tubs and trays should now also be collecting most plastic plant pots at the kerbside, with DEFRA confirming they fall into the same category. If your council says yes to pots, tubs and trays but no to plant pots, it's worth challenging. Black pl...

Why are cartons now going in the plastic bin? It does seem to contradict our usual rule of thumb for composite packaging, where we say to go with the predominant material. If it looks and feels like cardboard, it normally belongs with the cardboard recycling, even if it has a plastic lining. Cartons are the exception. The Government's guidance now recommends councils collect them with plastic recycling, although not every council h...

A few weeks ago we talked about glass plug-in air fresheners, which raised another question: what about the plastic bathroom air fresheners? At first glance, you'd think they'd be recyclable, but they're actually a tricky one. The outer shell is hard plastic with a sealed pouch of liquid inside, and the manufacturer says the unit isn't recyclable because it would need to be taken apart. It's a great example of a product that could ...

Ever noticed "Wash, Squash, Separate" on a recycling truck? It might sound like it contradicts our usual advice, but it depends on how your recycling is collected. If your recycling is source-separated at the kerb, squash away, it saves space and won't affect sorting. If it all goes into mixed recycling, it's usually better to leave bottles and cans intact because recycling centres often rely on their shape to sort them. As always,...

Disposable floss picks, these tiny plastic-and-nylon dental tools are turning up on streets across Britain, prompting questions about why they're everywhere and how they should be disposed of. We discuss the rise in flossing, why floss picks are a recycling nightmare, and why reusable or disposable interdental brushes used and binned at home are a much better choice.

This episode of Recycled Content, is the 'Rubbish or Not' from ep...