Can Pringle tubes be recycled?

[hoppybird]

They're cardboard, aren't they? - but they have an aluminium base. Do you think I need to take the tube to pieces before I put it in our mixed recycling bin, or will the aluminium be magically separated at the processing place? Anyone know?

Not sure if Pringle tubes quite fit in with a topic entitled 'Ethical Living' though.

[PlasticBandit]

I recently talked to a council recycler person about this. These tubes are composites and unless you take them apart, they cannot be recycled. Sadly, there is no magic. If you kind of "pop out" the metal bits, then the cardboard tube can be recycled, as can the metal bits in the metal recycling, but unless the consumer makes the effort, then the whole tube has to go into domestic waste.
PS - Ethical living isn't about your Pringle habit, which

[hewlettsdaughter]

You can make great lighthouses out of them (scroll down this page).

[hoppybird]

Thanks for that.

[cruelladepoppins]

I used to find our local nursery school would take all kinds of packaging ... when I helped out there we made a fantastic robot out of a Saxa salt box and a couple of Pringles tubes.

[ravenAK]

I give them to the gerbils.

They love playing in them, & eventually shred 'em - so I can compost all but the base, which then goes in metal recycling.

[nighbynight]

Wouldnt they be able to go in with the Tetrapaks?
I will ask at our local recycling place. Will have to buy a tube of Pringles first, to show them what I am talking about

I would give them to the local primary school in teh UK though, if they can think of a use for them. How many do you have? are we talking one or two a year, or one for every child in teh school???

[liahgen66]

we put all our cardboard and metal and plastics together in one green bin so does this mean the tube can go in of shall i disassemble first then?

[Endron]

Says here you can but I suppose it might depend on your local authority. www.recycleforwestsussex.org/home-recycling/your-kerbside-collection/paper-and-cardboard/