Residents are being urged to segregate and separate the items they put out for recycling to help cut down on contamination.
South Holland District Council says the contamination rate currently stands at 13 per cent, but this figure can be improved if items are put into green bags correctly.
Coun Roger Gambba-Jones, portfolio holder for waste management, said: “Problems happen when items are stuck inside each other – we recently found a cardboard box stuffed full of yoghurt pots, glass jars and paper.
“If materials are not segregated it makes it more difficult to recycle as the processing machines struggle to identify them.
“We realise this can be fiddly but we hope people understand that it will improve our overall recycling performance.”
Removing lids from bottles and jars before throwing them out is also helpful.
And items made from mixed materials such as crisp packets, which contain a foil and plastic, should not be recycled.
Other mixed material items include blister packs (which tablets come in), pet food pouches, laminated paper and cardboard.
1. Segregate – keep items segregated in your green bag. This means taking lids off jars and making sure your recycling isn’t packed inside another container.
2. Separate – make sure you only put things in that are made out of one material. Items such as crisp packets and tablet packets shouldn’t be put in the green bag.
For more details on correct recycling visit www.sholland.gov.uk, email [email protected] or tweet @SHDCWaste.
