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Proposals to reduce the amount of inappropriate material being placed in the blue (recycling) bin in Babergh have led to a certain amount of misunderstandings. This Fact Factory aims to set the record straight on the key issues:
FACT 1: Thanks to the care and dedication shown by the vast majority of householders, Babergh has one of the best recycling rates in the country (30% plus)
FACT 2: Nonetheless, each year some Babergh residents manage to throw away 6000 tonnes of inappropriate material (eg food waste, nappies etc.) which should go into their black bins
FACT 3: These 6000 tonnes, aside from being unpleasant (and sometimes dangerous) for the sorters to deal with, have to be separated from the legitimate recyclable materials
FACT 4: This costs an estimated £33,000 per year – equivalent to £1 for every household – money which could be better spent on other things!
FACT 5: Babergh is proposing ways of warning and then dealing with households who persistently contaminate their blue bin. It is not intended to target the accidental or inadvertent item that finds its way in to the bin!
FACT 6: To do this, Babergh is proposing a stepped process of warnings and actions intended to give householders every opportunity to get it right.
FACT 7: A yellow sticker will be put on a bin containing moderately inappropriate material such as textiles and shredded paper. If the contamination is repeated, a red sticker will be issued, the bin not emptied and the reasons for this given
FACT 8: A bin containing seriously inappropriate material such as pet, nappy or clinical waste will automatically receive a red sticker with the bin not emptied and the reasons for this given
FACT 9: After this, repeat offenders will receive in sequence: a warning letter, a visit from a Council officer and finally (as a last resort) service of a statutory notice and the possibility of a fixed penalty fine, likely to be of the order of £60 - £100
FACT 10: Local councils have the authority of Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act (1990) to specify what should and should not be placed in any bin
Malcolm Firth, Babergh’s Head of Environmental Services said “Babergh has an excellent relationship with residents over the issue of recycling, with the majority really working hard to make the TwinBin Scheme work. If a household occasionally makes a mistake and moderately inappropriate material finds its way into their blue bin, then Babergh will still collect it. However, for the persistent offenders who damage the efforts of others, there is little alternative but to take a firm line”.
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