Finished with your cardboard boxes?

Keep them clean, dry, flattened and ready for recycling.

Keep your cardboard flat, dry and ready
A man and girl handling cardboard boxes together at home.
Small actions. Big impact.Compare cardboard examples

Keep your cardboardflat,dry andreadyto recycle.

Flattened cardboard boxes held together in a stack.
It’s the small everyday habits that make a big difference.
Cardboard

Not all cardboard can be recycled.

Choose an example

Clean, dry and flattened

Ready for recycling.

Keep them clean, dry, flattened and ready for recycling.

Back to preparation
A stack of flattened cardboard boxes, ready for recycling.
Greasy, food soiled or wet

Pop it in your general waste bin.

If it is greasy, food soiled or wet, pop it in your general waste bin. Look for grease marks, leftover food or wet patches.

Not sure where it goes? Before you pop something in your recycling bin, take a quick check.

Recycling checker
A person putting used takeaway boxes into a general waste bag.
Small actions. Big impact.

Why it matters

Greasy cardboard can contaminate good-quality recycling, making it harder to sort and process.

Keeping greasy cardboard out of your recycling bin helps protect the materials that can be recycled and means more of your recycling has the best chance of being given a new life.

Not sure where it goes?

Before you pop something in your recycling bin, take a quick check.

Our recycling checker makes it easy to find out what can be recycled at home and where to put the things that cannot.

Recycling checker