Can you recycle disposable gloves?

Single-use gloves — nitrile, latex or vinyl — are contaminated after use and made of unrecyclable flexible polymers, so they always go in general waste. They cannot go to soft-plastic points either. Washable rubber gloves last far longer; when they die, they're general waste too.

Tips

• Marigolds outlast hundreds of disposables
• Never litter gloves — they persist for decades

Which bin does it go in?

General waste

Before throwing it away, see reuse, repair and donation routes.

Background: Plastic numbers 1–7 explained.

Also searched as: latex gloves, nitrile gloves, rubber gloves.