The No1 Binman has shared a simple 'scrunch trick' to help households decide whether shiny packaging belongs in the recycling bin. The TikTok creator, who has more than 200,000 followers and over 3.8 million likes on the platform, explained the method in a recent video responding to a viewer's question about the foil tops found on bottles of wine, Prosecco and champagne.
How the scrunch test works
In the video, The No1 Binman said: "The foil tops from wine bottles, always wondered about these. Well I'm guessing you probably mean Prosecco bottles, because I think that's the only one that has it, or champagne, I don't know if white wine has it, maybe, I'm not a wine expert, but yes, that can go in your plastic recycling bin because it's made of aluminium."
He went on to explain how to tell foil from plastic film: "So the way to tell what it's made of is if you scrunch it up and it stays as a ball then it can go in your plastic bin. If it is like a film, like a silvery shiny film, and it's actually more plastic, that would go in your general waste bin."
Official advice backs the method
Recycle Now confirms that the scrunch test can help identify aluminium foil, which stays compressed into a ball, unlike metallised plastic film that springs back. The Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation gives the same advice, warning that shiny appearance alone does not mean packaging can be recycled.
The No1 Binman added: "So best thing, if it's scrunched into a ball, if it stays as a ball recycling bin, if it goes back to the shape it was originally, and then it'll go in your general waste bin because it's mainly a filmy plastic, which cannot be recycled in your household waste bin. So hopefully that answers your question and enjoy your bottle of wine."
Important distinction for bins
There is an important distinction when deciding which bin to use: aluminium is a metal, so it belongs in the metal recycling stream, even where councils collect metal and plastic together. Wales Recycles says clean foil and aluminium items can be recycled, and advises leaving screw-top aluminium lids on wine bottles and jars.
The best approach is to keep foil clean, remove any plastic film where necessary and check local collection guidance before putting it out. The scrunch test helps identify the material, but it does not replace checking what your council accepts.
