The short answer
Published by John Fox, BinDay. Last updated 29 October 2026.
Yes. Food cans and biscuit tins go in household recycling, clean, dry and loose. Labels can stay on food tins, and metal lids can be recycled too. Drinks cans with the Re-turn logo go back to a Re-turn point for the deposit. Aerosols follow a separate civic amenity route.
Last checked 29 October 2026 by BinDay against the sources below. This guide covers the Republic of Ireland; bin colours and collector instructions can differ.
Why this answer
MyWaste accepts metal or plastic biscuit and sweet tins and tubs in household recycling. You can also reuse tins and tubs for storage. Food tins are not part of the deposit return scheme.
Keep Re-turn drinks cans empty and undamaged for return. Aerosols are not covered by the food-can advice: MyWaste directs pressurised spray cans to civic amenity sites. Use the BinDay machine finder link below for Re-turn locations.
What to do
- Empty food tins and biscuit tins, then keep them clean and dry.
- Put ordinary food tins and biscuit tins loose in the recycling bin.
- Return Re-turn drinks cans empty and undamaged for the deposit. Keep aerosols separate.
Common mistake to avoid
Do not use the food-tin recycling rule for aerosols or paint tins.
Not sure about something else?
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Sources and local checks
- MyWaste: food tins
- MyWaste: biscuit and sweet tins
- MyWaste: aerosols
- MyWaste: empty paint cans
- Re-turn: drinks bottles and cans, and how to return them
- BinDay tool: find a Re-turn machine
For a collection point, check what it accepts before travelling. For household-bin instructions, find your collector. How BinDay checks sources and corrects mistakes.
Council pages for this item
Irish local authorities license private collectors rather than running household bin rounds. Use the council page for civic amenity and official waste links, then confirm your collector.