*Update* Many supermarkets now accept crisp packets as they are considered flexible 'soft' plastic wrapping. So take your empty crisp packets to large Sainsbury's, large Tesco stores and (many) Co-op stores. Hurrah! Please note - although Morrisons do accept stretchy plastic wrapping for recycling, they DON'T accept crisp packets.
Here is a whole blog post on which supermarkets take which types of plastic and what they do with it - in short, Coop is the most reliable in my opinion.
Crisp packets are a mixture of foil and plastic, making them very tricky to recycle.
There is a brand of crisps (Two Farmers) which has biodegradable packaging, but they are sold by specialist delis and are not easy to get hold of. Luckily the mainstream crisp companies are working on biodegradable packaging, Walkers has said that by the end of 2025 their crisp packets will be easily recyclable or biodegradable.
That is a long time for us to abstain from crisps! Luckily Terracycle has crisp packet collection schemes all over the country. Look on their website here to find your nearest drop-off point.
Any crisp packets are accepted (branded or supermarket ranges), plus the outer bag of multi-pack crisps.
There is no need to wash / dry the crisp packets - just ensure they are empty, don't fold them up into triangles, store them in a lidded container (so they don't smell), then when it's convenient take them along to the drop-off location and post them into the big collection box. Terracycle wash, dry and shred the packets and turn the material into useable plastic items like outdoor benches.
Spread the word! So many people enjoy crisps, but so few recycle them.