Thousands of bins uncollected in Peterborough every year due to 'contamination'

Thousands of bins are being rejected by refuse collectors every year in Peterborough – as residents are putting the wrong items inside them.

More than 11,000 green bins have been rejected in Peterborough over the past 12 months.

The city council has also said that more than 10 per cent of the items placed in green bins that has been collected cannot be recycled.

Now residents are being urged to ensure they put the right items in the right bins, to ensure more recycling can take place.

A spokesperson for Peterborough City Council said: “If recycling bins are not emptied at the point of collection due to a clear indication to crews of incorrect items being placed in them, the occupier will be notified and it will be their responsibility to clear it before their next collection day.

“These incorrect items will then hopefully be removed, put in the black bin or taken to the Household Recycling Centre if applicable. We do not have information on the quantity of material this equates to, however the number of bins rejected in the past 12 months due to contamination is 11,080.

“Separately, if incorrect items are discovered during the recycling sorting process at the Materials Recovery Facility, they will be sent for energy recovery. This site differs from the location for black bin/general waste in Peterborough and changes monthly.

“On average, since April 2024, 13% of material in green bins has been items which can’t be recycled in the green bin such as food waste, hard plastics and textiles. All of which can actually be recycled if residents take the time to use the food waste caddy provided or take items such as textiles to a charity shop or clothing banks.”

What can be placed in green bins:

Plastics - tubs, trays, pots, film, carrier bags and bottles (tops and caps can be left on but please remove any absorbent layers)

Metal - food tins, drink cans, clean foil, aluminium trays, empty aerosols, large metal sweet tins, biscuits tins (tops and caps can be left on)

Paper - newspapers, magazines, holiday brochures, junk mail, envelopes, telephone directories and catalogues

Cardboard - packaging card, egg boxes, juice and squash cartons

Glass - bottles, jars, (lids tops and caps can be left on)

You must place shredded paper within (for example) an envelope to ensure it's contained. Alternatively, place shredded paper in your black bin or home composter if you have one.

What should not be placed in green bins

Polystyrene, crisp packets, baby/pet food pouches, toothpaste tubes, shredded paper, black bags, pyrex or ceramics

Food - please use your grey food waste caddy

Textiles - can be taken to the Household Recycling Centre

Video tapes and CDs

Energy saving light bulbs

Electrical appliances - can be taken to the Household Recycling Centre

Hard non-packaging plastics (eg. washing up bowls, plastic toys, etc)

Non-household packaging metal items (eg. baking trays, saucepans, etc)

Batteries and disposable vapes should never be placed inside household waste and recycling bins. They can cause fires in collection vehicles. In 2023, the council dealt with 10 fires in collection vehicles.