Recycling contamination
If recycling bins or sacks contain too many items that can’t be recycled, they have to be collected as rubbish instead. This wastes resources as well as your recycling efforts.
Wheelie bins
If a wheelie bin is contaminated our crew will put a sticker over the lid to explain why the bin hasn’t been emptied. The sticker shows which items can be recycled. It’s the responsibility of residents to remove any items that are not listed on the sticker, as it’s these that are preventing us from emptying the bin.
Those items should be put in the black rubbish bin. We’ll send letters to residents if a bin is contaminated more than once in an eight-week period, and will send more letters and try to visit where contamination is frequent.
Bulk bins and recycling sacks
Bulk recycling bins are used by residents in blocks of flats and estates. If these are contaminated, they're automatically collected as rubbish because it's not safe to remove items.
When this happens, a red sticker will be placed on the bin telling residents not to use the bin as it has been contaminated and is waiting to be collected as rubbish.
Clear recycling sacks
Clear recycling sacks are used by residents in flats above shops, or in some houses that don’t have space in a front garden to store bins. If sacks are contaminated, they’re automatically collected as rubbish instead, because bags of waste can’t be left on the pavement between collections. A sticker will be put on any contaminated recycling bags to let residents know why they can’t be collected as recycling and are to be collected as rubbish. It's very important to make sure you’re putting the right items in your recycling sacks.
Make sure to collapse and fold down cardboard as much as possible and put it inside your recycling sack, as wet cardboard can’t be recycled. Any cardboard boxes containing polystyrene and other non-recyclable packaging, or that have been left out in the rain, will be collected as rubbish.
Common contamination items
Food waste
This can spoil recyclable materials, so remember to empty and rinse out any food containers before putting them in your recycling bin or clear sack.
If your property has a wheelie bin for recycling, you should also have a food waste bin and kitchen caddy. These should be used to recycle your food waste. If you don’t have these bins they can be ordered free of charge.
If you have a garden, you can compost your food waste, although you’ll still need to use your food waste bin for any meat, fish, or cooked food.
If those options aren’t available to you, as a last resort you can put food waste in your rubbish bin.
Bin bags and plastic bags
Recycling should be put in your recycling bin loose. This is so that our crews can easily tell whether the bin contains recyclable materials, and also makes it easier for the materials to be separated when they get to the Materials Recycling Facility (MRF).
You can use any container to collect recyclables in your home, and then empty the contents of the container into your recycling bin, reusing the container.
Rather than throwing plastic bags in the rubbish bin, they can often be reused, or recycled in some supermarkets.
Polystyrene
This breaks down into tiny pieces which contaminates other materials collected for recycling. Polystyrene should be put in your rubbish bin.
Textiles
Textiles can clog the machinery at our recycling facility. You should donate textiles in good condition to charity. Textiles in unusable condition can be recycled separately at recycling centres and textiles banks.
Plastic wrapping and film
This includes items like bread bags, plastic packets and cling film. These materials are so light that they end up in the paper recycling stream and contaminate it.
Rather than throwing them away, plastic packets and film can be recycled at some supermarkets.
Foil packaging and tin foil
These are usually contaminated with food. Some foil packaging, like crisp packets, is made up of a mixture of materials, including plastic and metal. This cannot be easily separated and makes it difficult to recycle.
Foil packaging can be recycled at recycling centres.
Crisp packets should go in your rubbish bin.
What to recycle
If in doubt, leave it out.