Unsuitable Items Discovered in East Riding Household Recycling Bins

Household recycling containers have been found to contain items such as toilet seats, pool noodles, and socks, which are not meant for recycling. The East Riding of Yorkshire Council has stated that processing rejected recycling loads, characterized by an excessive quantity of non-recyclable materials, incurs double the processing cost. Annually, the council faces expenses of approximately £250,000 to manage inappropriate waste types, despite this figure having decreased over the last few years. Sarah Atkinson, a waste services manager, commented: “There’s a thought that ‘if I put it in the blue bin, perhaps they’ll be able to sort it out at the end’.” Nevertheless, despite the majority of individuals “trying to do the right thing”, only materials that reprocessing companies accept are subsequently recycled. Waste collected from kerbside recycling in the East Riding is transported to a waste transfer station located in Hull, before being moved to a recycling facility in Hartlepool. The council has ceased sending waste to landfill sites; consequently, any load that cannot be recycled is directed towards “energy recovery”—a process that transforms waste into heat, electricity, or fuel—resulting in “none of it gets recycled”. Ms Atkinson stated: “We have to pay to get that burned,” adding, “It costs about double the amount to send things to energy recovery than it does to recycle them.” She further remarked: “It’s a real loss for the hard work that’s been done. It’s also the environmental cost of it going to the wrong place.” She acknowledged that the council recognized the potential “confusing” nature of determining which plastic types belong in specific bins. As an illustration, while (clean) yoghurt pots are accepted, hand cream tubes are not. Throughout the last year, the council has conducted a campaign urging residents to place items loosely into recycling bins instead of using plastic bags, which are non-recyclable. In certain instances, waste collection teams have marked bins found to be contaminated, advising individuals against the use of bags. Ms Atkinson noted: “People have really got the message and helped us out.” This concerted effort has resulted in a reduction of costs for excessively contaminated loads—those requiring rejection—from approximately £70,000 in the 2022-23 period to merely £4,500 over the last year. Concurrently, expenses associated with extracting non-recyclable materials from otherwise acceptable loads have also decreased, yet they continue to amount to roughly £250,000 annually. The council’s recommendation is: if uncertain, consult their website, which provides an extensive and searchable guide detailing acceptable and unacceptable items for recycling. The BBC invites audiences to listen to Lincolnshire highlights on BBC Sounds, view the latest episode of Look North, or submit potential news stories. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external sites and provides information on its approach to external linking.