Binman settles debate on which bin to use for crisp packets and chocolate wrappers

We’ve still not cracked it.

A refuse collector has provided the definitive advice on which bin should be used for disposing of empty crisp packets and chocolate wrappers. The UK consumes more than eight billion packets of crisps annually, according to Statista, which also forecasts we’ll be eating more than 11 billion a year by 2030. That equates to more than 30 million packets daily.

The UK also ranks among the top five chocolate-consuming countries globally, meaning we’re also working through an enormous number of chocolate wrappers. However, while the recycling of food packaging in the UK has progressed considerably in recent years, there remains no simple method to recycle crisp and chocolate wrappers.

Modern crisp and chocolate packets and wrappers frequently contain multiple layers and are typically manufactured from polypropylene or polyethylene with an aluminium coating. You may hear this more commonly referred to as “soft plastics”. And the capacity to recycle this type of material on a large scale remains limited, despite most local councils now providing hard plastic collection for recycling. Environmental charity WRAP states: “There is still change that needs to take place for widespread roll-out of recycling collections at kerbside for plastic bags and wrappings.”

And Britain’s most famous refuse collector, who goes by The No1 Binman on TikTok where he shares guidance with more than 170,000 followers, has now clarified what to do with crisp and chocolate packets. “They do not go in any of your recycling bins,” says The No1 Binman, whose real name is Ashley. “A crisp packet, yes it can be recycled but you need to take it [to a supermarket]. Most supermarkets take them. And I know that means going to the supermarket with empty crisp packets to put them in their bins but if you’re asking the question of where they get recycled – that is where.

“Otherwise, you can put them in your general waste bin and they will get collected there. But if you’re looking to recycle crisp packets, then it goes in the bins in the supermarket. It’s the same for chocolate wrappers, because it’s such a thin plastic and made from different materials.”, reports the Mirror.

In 2023, the BBC highlighted how crisp packets originating from the 1960s were discovered washed ashore on a Norfolk beach, serving as a stark reminder of just how long plastics can endure. Among the finds were pre-decimalisation packets of Golden Wonder crisps, bearing a price of 5d, alongside 2d Spangles sweets.