Recycling

I burst the air of them and then put them into the bag provided for non re-cyclable materials, like empty plastic frozen peas bags etc

You could try advertising them locally on Freecycle - I've got rid of a few that way. Don't know any other way, sorry.

If they are marked with a 4 in the recycling symbol, they can be burst then recycled with carrier and other polythene bags (including frozen pea bags, crazyH) at larger supermarkets. I read a useful tip recently - if you try to stick your finger through the bag and it stretches before tearing, put it in with carrier bags.

The council recyclers just leave them in my bin. I suppose I could try the supermarket for recycling plastic bags etc only they tend to be more than full with a massive overflow.

I burst them and then put them in the bins at supermarkets for recycling plastic carrier bags.

Thanks for those tips but I did the finger stretching test which means it might be recyclable, however the number in that recycling symbol is a firm 2 and again Google tells me: "This symbol is also used to indicate that an item is made from recycled materials. In this case, it might have a number in the middle indicating the percentage of recycled materials used to make it. Or it might say “Made from recycled materials.” Items made from recycled materials are sometimes recyclable but sometimes not"!!
Clear as mud then. Stop using Amazon seems the best solution.

Some carrier bags are made of a plastic marked 2, gardenoma, so you would be safe to take your air pillows to the supermarket. I started recycling other plastic bags, like the sort that magazines come in, with the very few carrier bags I couldn't avoid, ages ago. It had occurred to me that the bags didn't know that they didn't have handles and couldn't be described as carrier bags, but that wasn't their fault and it was a shame to discriminate against them. Nothing wrong with stopping using Amazon though!

Some plastic wrapping (an increasing amount, and including some fruit net bags, I am happy to say) is marked "Recycle with bags at larger supermarkets. Do not put in kerbside recycling" or words to that effect. That will be why yours are being left, 25Avalon, I would imagine.

Hope that helps.

Thanks Wheniwasyourage for that long msge, that is really helpful to know. They've been dug out and on their way to the recycling bin at Sainsbury's.

In my experience, Amazon use stiff brown paper to pad out their boxes. It's the other companies which sell through Amazon but do their own packing and dispatching that may use other paddings. I can't say anything about how to recycle them as it is probably different in my country.

I think putting them on free sites is a good idea. People who sell a lot of things on line would probably find them very useful. I have used some to wrap around large potted plants when storing in my unheated greenhouse over the winter months.

I keep a bag of them in the loft and if I buy handbags, toilet bags, etc; maybe for presents and they sometimes arrive flat packed I put the puffy bags in them. I think they look much better padded out. Saddo I know

I used them in the bottom of the garden tubs, that way I didn’t need to use so much compost to fill them.

It depends a lot on what your council can recycle. You have to check your local regulations.

Best thing to do - don't buy from Amazon. Remember the High Street, we'll miss it when it's gone!

I keep them for packaging things I sell online, I am trying to declutter at the moment, I also have a stash of boxes, must get going again!

JackyB is right, it isn’t direct deliveries from Amazon that are wrapped in plastic, they are actually very good and wrap in scrunched up paper waste, and parcels are in corrugated cardboard. They use other suppliers who wrap in plastic though.
I take my soft plastic waste to the recycling centre in town, together with light bulbs, paint cans etc. etc.

Anyone know where you can recycle plastic coat hangers with metal tops. I guess charity shops are over run with them. Do M&S take them?