Can You Recycle Aluminum Foil After Using It In The House?

Aluminum foil is a must-have item and one of the most versatile tools to keep in the home. You never know when you'll need to wrap leftover food for guests or hasten your ironing so that you aren't late to an appointment. You can also ball up some aluminum foil to give your dishes a good scrub, use it to extend a weak WiFi signal, or replace your pot lid with the material if the original lid is nowhere to be found. The problem with foil arises when it's time for disposal. Some may not know that aluminum is in fact a recyclable product. However, while you can definitely throw your used aluminum into the recycling bin, there is a strong exception as to which pieces of foil make the cut.

While aluminum foil can perform lots of part-time jobs around the house, its disposal is never as well thought out. We usually just ball it up and toss it into the garbage. Unfortunately, this material isn't great for the environment. Not only does burning the aluminum release harmful gasses into the air, but it can also take up to 400 years to break down. Thankfully, there is a way to make aluminum foil last forever. Not many people opt for recycling as a viable option to get rid of unwanted foil, but it's the best way to make sure the environment stays green. 

Recycling aluminum foil isn't usually the go-to option when it comes to disposal, but it's the most favorable choice for the benefit of the earth. One mistake people make is adding aluminum that's mixed with plastic to their recycling batch. That bag of chips does taste exquisite, but the bag itself may not be made out of just aluminum foil but may also contain a plastic film. The scrunch test is a sure-fire way to determine if a product is completely made out of foil. If you ball it up and it bounces back into shape, then it's an imposter that's made out of many materials, and it cannot be recycled.

Aluminum foil recycling goes a long way in saving energy because there is no limit to how many times it can be processed. However, instead of sending it out to be upcycled, you can find another use for it right in your home. You can repurpose foil as many times as you want, the same way you reuse plates and cups. First, check if the foil is still in good condition size and texture-wise, and if so, you can give it a rinse or a wash. You can even stick a sheet of aluminum foil in the dishwasher instead of giving it a manual scrub and dry off the water before using it again. Just be sure it's properly washed and free of food particles to prevent bacteria growth.

A major problem with recycling aluminum foil is that a lot of us have no idea that even the smallest bits of food waste can contaminate an entire batch of to-be-recycled aluminum. Therefore, this material must be thoroughly cleaned and spot-free before being sent out for recycling. A proper wash of your foil should make it good to go. Be sure to use enough soap, as grease is a strong contaminant and can easily be spread. Once your foil is all tidied up and dry, ball it up into at least a 2-inch diameter size and toss it in the recycle bin. If you can't get it squeaky-clean, you may be better off finding another use for it around the house.

Further, depending on your location, you may or may not be able to recycle aluminum foil, as not everyone has a recycling plant nearby that accepts it. Luckily, there is a resource for this called Recycle Nation. You can search for the nearest recycling locations and see if they take aluminum products or not. You can also check the Google map available on the platform or look at Earth 911 for even more recycling locations and listings. If you're in an area that doesn't take aluminum, try to find ways to reuse the material in your home.