April 25, 2013 12.44 pm This story is over 131 months old

10% of Lincoln recycling goes to waste

Correct recycling: Most Lincoln residents use their brown bins to recycle materials correctly, but more than 10% has to go to waste due to contamination.

Although most Lincoln residents use their brown bins to recycle materials correctly, more than 10% of items placed into the bins should not be placed in there, including black bin bags.

Over recent weeks the City of Lincoln Council has been placing stickers onto recycling bins to remind residents what can and can not be placed inside.

The labels also state if an item is in there when it shouldn’t be, the collectors Cory Environmental may refuse to empty it.

Shane Harrison, Cleansing Services Officer at the council, said: “Most people in Lincoln use their recycling bins correctly.

“But there are a few people who put in items, such as black rubbish bags, which could cause a whole batch of recycling to be contaminated and end up in a landfill site.

“Black bin bags have now become the biggest contaminator in Lincoln, so we would urge people not to throw them in with their recycling.”

Items which can be recycled in the brown bin include cardboard, cartons, glass, paper, food and drink cans and plastic bottles.

But items such as food, clothes, paint, cling film and polystyrene are often found mixed in amongst the recycling efforts.

Once the bins are collected the recycling waste is handed over to Virador, the County Council’s recycling contractor, who separate the items ready to be reused.

[button url=”http://www.lincoln.gov.uk/living-in-lincoln/rubbish-recycling-and-waste/household-and-garden-waste/what-to-put-in-your-bin/115143.article” title=”City of Lincoln Council Recycling”]Find out more about what can be recycled[/button]