Kentish Express Ashford & District
Don’t mix up your recycling
Warning that bins will be rejected if they have other waste inside
mmilehamchappell@thekmgroup.co.uk New bin collection service in Singleton, Ashford the loads collected are clean and can be recycled.
“If Biffa find an unrecyclable item in your recycling bin, unfortunately the crew will not collect it for that week. We advise you to take your waste to the KCC Household Recycling Centre for disposal instead.
“Your recycling bin will be collected upon your next recycling collection, provided the correct items are present.
“We need to make sure we are collecting recycling that can be recycled in our area. If you are unsure whether a particular item can be recycled, consult your Wheel of Waste or visit our website for more information.”
The bin crews will look out for items incorrectly placed in recycling loads such as carrier bags, dark plastic food trays, sanitary waste and garden items.
Every waste load rejected at the recycling plant costs £14,000 to both the local authority as waste contractors and the county council as waste disposal.
Any unrecyclable item can potentially contaminate a whole load, which could represent as many as 500 households that have carefully separated the right materials for recycling.
The council’s recycling service – once classed as one of the country’s worst – is now regarded as one of the nation’s most improved, and has been shortlisted for two categories in the 2015 National Recycling Awards.
For more information visit the ABC website at www.ashford. gov.uk/waste
For a free ‘Wheel of Waste tool’ to reveal which bin household waste should go in email streetscene@ashford.gov.uk
For information about how to sign up to an optional fortnightly garden recycling service, visit www.ashford.gov.uk/gardenrecycling Cllr Clair Bell, ABC portfolio holder for public interaction and borough presentation said: “We do appreciate that understanding which plastics are recyclable can be confusing.
“However, earlier this year we sent out a leaflet with top tips on recycling so it’s certainly worth residents referring to their copy.
“New EU regulations on what can and cannot be recycled mean we have been encouraging everyone to ‘recycle smart’ to reduce the amount of contamination found in our waste loads.
“Our Biffa crews have always checked the quality of recycling materials they are collecting, but due to recent loads being rejected at the recycling plant, now we are having to be stricter.
“Residents should not worry, the main items our crews will be looking for are sanitary waste like nappies, plastic carrier bags and black sacks, and soft plastics like crisp packets and sweet wrappers.”