125,000 recycling bins uncollected in Sandwell over wrong rubbish
More than 125,000 recycling bins went uncollected in a borough over the last three years because the wrong rubbish had been put in them.
Bins were left at the side of the road in Sandwell as residents had placed waste in them unsuitable for recycling.
Local authorities have come under pressure to ensure a large proportion of waste is recycled rather than sent to landfill but their cause has not been helped by households failing to follow instructions about what rubbish should be placed in different bins.
A total of 35,187 recycling bins were rejected during 2019 due to "contamination", figures released under the Freedom of Information Act showed. That is the equivalent of 676 every week on average.
That figure was down from the previous year when 46,746 were refused. The total in 2017 was 43,610.
Councils have been forced to increase messaging over the importance of recycling over recent years in an effort to meet green targets.
Sandwell Council cabinet member Maria Crompton said the authority had delivered clear advice on recycling and that it had to trust residents to follow it.
She said: "We do tell people on a regular basis what's allowed to go in the blue bin and what's not. It's surprising there are that many bins not being emptied because they've got the wrong stuff in.
"Some people don't care and just put whatever in."
Councillor Crompton added: "We encourage people to use recycling, not necessarily for the council's benefit but for everybody's benefit."
In November the Local Government Association said clearer labelling was needed on packaging stating which items can and cannot be recycled to help councils boost their recycling rates.
The current national recycling rate has been static at around 45 per cent of household waste in England over the past few years – against a recycling target of at least 50 per cent to be achieved by this year.
It follows a dispute in Sandwell between bin workers and waste management firm Serco over working conditions. Crews initially voted for industrial action before an agreement was reached with Serco and the council meaning action would be avoided.
