Can you recycle crockery, plates & mugs?
🚫 Not recyclable
Not glass recycling! Usable sets to charity; broken ceramics in general waste or rubble at the centre.
Ceramic melts at a different temperature to glass and ruins glass recycling. Charity shops take usable crockery. Broken pieces: wrap and general waste, or the rubble container at recycling centres. Chipped mugs live on as pen pots and plant pots.
Tips
- Never in the bottle bank — one plate contaminates the load
Which bin does it go in?
Not glass recycling! Usable sets to charity; broken ceramics in general waste or rubble at the centre.
Before throwing it away, see reuse, repair and donation routes.
Background: Recycling symbols explained.
Also searched as: plates, mugs, ceramics, china.
✓ Checked against current UK guidance: 14 Jul 2026. Spot an error or an out-of-date rule?