After a warning, offending blue bins won’t be emptied
Recycling items should not be put in bin bags
EAST Riding blue bins containing recycling in plastic bags will be tagged under a new council scheme.
Orange tags will be put on blue bins as a warning if recycling has been put in bin bags of any colour under the East Riding Council scheme.
The bin will still be emptied on that occasion, but if it still contains recycling in bin bags on the next collection day, it will not be emptied and another tag will be left on it.
Council Environment Portfolio Holder Councillor Paul West said waste needed to be kept loose in blue bins so as much of it could be recycled as possible. The council stated the scheme was launched because it was becoming a growing problem in the East Riding.
Bin bags cannot be opened at recycling plants and they can damage sorting machines. The waste inside cannot be separated or recycled and bin crews cannot check to make sure the correct items are inside before emptying them.
Recycling disposed of loosely makes sorting the waste quicker and more efficient. The scheme for blue bins follows a similar push on food waste in 2017 to encourage people to dispose of it in brown bins and not green bins.
It led to brown bin waste increasing by 1,600 tonnes, the equivalent of 14 million apples. Cllr West said the problem of bagged recycling in blue bins needed to be fixed.
He said: “Residents in the East Riding are still some of the best recyclers in the country, but plastic bags in blue bins cause a problem. It’s very important to keep items loose in blue bins so we can make sure as much is recycled as possible.”