Walsall binmen mixing up recycling - after controversial rubbish crackdown

Residents today complained of double standards after Walsall Council's mission to get more residents recycling saw bins left on the borough's streets due to "contamination".

Outraged residents complained to councillors after spotting binmen emptying both regular and recycling bins into the same lorries.

Council bosses today admitted the mixing had taken place as they battled to catch up on rounds missed after the 20-tonne bin lorries could not be used in last week's snow and ice.

But it has angered families in the borough, where workers dubbed 'binspectors' have been putting stickers on bins they deemed had the wrong rubbish inside. In one round, 11,000 bins went uncollected.

Shayne Smith had not seen his recycle bin collected for more than a week and rubbish for over two weeks until both were picked up on Monday.

The 44 year-old of Dursley Close, Willenhall, said: "I find this both ironic and annoying as Walsall Council officials have, for the last few weeks, been checking bins to see if the correct items have been put in for recycling. To put the recycling bins in the vehicle designed for rubbish is an absolute disgrace and deserves an explanation to the taxpayer."

Willenhall councillor Ian Shires said he had received dozens of complaints from outraged residents who had accused the council of double standards.

He said: "I can understand why the council has taken the action it has as it desperately tries to catch up on the massive backlog of unemptied bins which have accumulated during the recent severe weather.

"Desperate situations require desperate action. The lesson to be learned here is to communicate widely what you are doing and why you are doing it."

Transport chief councillor Tom Ansell said: "A small percentage of homes had their recycled waste included with their household waste as a last resort," he said.

"This was to stop waste building up on our streets and remove bin bags from as many homes as possible."