The Worcestershire-based council will now be delivering leaflets to residents warning that it can refuse to collect a recycling bin if found to be contaminated.
During a spot check of one truck which had collected from green recycling bins, 23% of the contents were found to be contaminated or contain non-recyclable items including nappies, animal waste and sanitary waste, the council explained.
In the same load, an additional 3% was material which can be recycled elsewhere (such as household recycling centres) but cannot be accepted in kerbside collections, such as clothing, wood or electrical items.
Redditch borough councillor Brandon Clayton, whose portfolio covers environmental services, said: “Redditch borough council is committed to having a positive impact on climate change and has set up a committee to deal with such issues.
“Our contamination rate is shockingly high and it is not fair that our residents who are recycling properly are not seeing their efforts end with the results they intended.
“This leaflet reminds people what they can recycle but also that the council can legally refuse to collect a bin that is contaminated until the resident has put it right.
“And, with the threat that in 2050 there will be more plastic in the sea than fish, we are prepared to take such action if the information we are giving to residents, via a lot of different channels, is not taken on board.”
Energy
Redditch explained that although a “small amount of energy created from burning general waste” is used by the National Grid, it is not as environmentally friendly as recycling which uses 95% less energy to make new products than using raw materials.
“The council can legally refuse to collect a bin that is contaminated until the resident has put it right”
For instance, the council stated that recycling a bleach bottle can save enough energy to power a street light for 6 1/2 hours or recycling just one drinks can could save enough energy to power a TV for 4 hours.
Councillor Matt Dormer, leader of Redditch borough council, said: “This new way of working is not designed to punish those conscientious residents who do their best to recycle properly but to stop the inconsiderate people who contaminate collections by putting obvious general waste in their recycling bins.
“We are not in the business of issuing fixed penalty notices for waste – which some other councils do – but instead want to work with residents to unlock a cleaner, greener borough and significantly reduce the impact of contamination.”
The council recorded a 30.3% recycling rate in the 2018/19 financial year, and has a population of around 85,000.
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