UK households are being urged to check what they are putting into their recycling bins after a bin worker warned one everyday item is still catching people out. The warning comes after Ashley, who has worked as a binman for 13 years and regularly shares recycling advice online, highlighted one common mistake that many people continue to make.
According to Ashley, the item should not normally be placed in household recycling bins, despite many people believing it can be recycled alongside plastic bottles and food containers. The item in question is plastic clothes hangers.
Plastic hangers belong in general waste
Replying to someone who asked whether plastic hangers could go into a recycling bin, Ashley simply said: "No." He explained: "They shouldn't be in there, they should be in your general waste bin, because it's a hard plastic, and a different type of plastic to bottles, and containers."
Ashley said anyone with broken plastic hangers should put them into their general waste bin rather than household recycling. He also said the same advice generally applies to wooden hangers. He added: "It's the same thing for your wooden ones, they would have to go in your general waste bin."
Donate or return hangers when possible
Ashley suggested that if hangers are still working, they can be donated to a charity shop, which would likely accept them. He also advised that when shopping at stores like Primark or Matalan, customers can simply say, "I don't want the hanger" at the checkout.
For wooden hangers, Ashley noted that they could be taken to a recycling centre, which may have a separate section for them, but he advised checking with the local council as rules can vary.
Other items to avoid in recycling
Ashley also highlighted several other items that should not usually be placed in household recycling bins. He warned against putting polystyrene into recycling, saying it should be removed from packaging before the remaining cardboard or plastic is recycled.
He also urged people never to throw away disposable vapes or batteries in household bins because of the fire risk they pose. Ashley said dry paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, tubs, pots, drink cans, empty aerosol cans and glass bottles and jars can generally be recycled through household collections, although residents should always check with their local council as recycling rules can vary across the UK.
