Where does an empty silicone container go

That depends entirely on whether any residue is left. The relevant standard is drip empty and drain empty, meaning nothing more comes out when you turn the container over and shake it.

If the PET or HDPE bottle is genuinely empty, households can put it in the separate collection for plastic and metal packaging. Screw the cap back on before you dispose of it, so nothing leaks and the cap is recycled along with the bottle. Do not nest or stack containers inside one another, because the sorting plant can no longer separate them.

If a liquid residue is still present, the container as a whole goes to a household hazardous waste collection point or civic amenity site. A bottle with a dried or cured residue that will not come out belongs in general or residual waste.

The same principle applies to tinplate cans. A can that is genuinely empty and clean goes with metal packaging. A can with a dried or cured residue goes in residual waste, where the steel is recovered from the incineration residue with magnets and still gets recycled.

With silicone you have a practical advantage. Let the last residue cure in the bottle or can, cured silicone can often be pulled out as a skin. The skin goes in residual waste and the container is genuinely empty afterwards. Do not clean containers with solvent unless necessary, that only moves the problem into the waste water.

Two things to keep in mind. Household collection systems differ per country and per municipality, in the Netherlands packaging goes into the PMD stream while in Germany it goes into the Gelber Sack or Gelbe Tonne of the dual system. And packaging that has held chemicals is never recycled into food or drink packaging anywhere, it goes into a technical stream.

For businesses none of these household rules apply. Packaging waste from a company is commercial waste and goes through a licensed waste contractor.

Read more: disposing of silicone waste as a business