DavidM wrote:
> Jude wrote:
> > Yes, but is it better or worse than a plastic based product like
> > clingfilm / saran wrap? And foil can be recycled after use, which
> > plastic wraps cannot.
> >
>
> Do you recycle your foil? I can't remember seeing it on the list of
> things collected each week, I'll look it up when I get home.
> I'm all for protecting the earth's resources and putting things in the
> correct bins, but I don't recycle aluminium foil. I would imagine that
> it gets picked out and thrown onto the land fill pile when a bag of
> drinks cans and foil reaches the recycling depot. It must play havoc
> with the can shredders.
> My grandmother washes her used foil in the sink and rolls it out flat
> for the next use. Mad as a snake.


I throw my foil in the recycle bin....but then again, here in VA, we
don't have to separate our stuff. Everything goes in the same can -
plastics, paper, metal, glass gets mixed together in a collection bin.
I believe foil was specifically on the 'acceptable' list. So yes, my
daughter knows that her lunchbox comes home filled with her used
baggies and foil. We recycle the foil and wash out the ziplocs to
reuse.

Anyway, this does not answer the original question. Why is foil worse
for the environment than a petrolium-based plastic product?