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If you put non-recyclables in your blue bin (such as food waste, nappies, take away boxes), these items will contaminate the rest of the items in the bin.

It is also important to place paper into the inner caddy and all other materials like glass jars and cardboard boxes into the main part of your recycling bin.  

What happens if your blue bin is contaminated:

• Your bin will not be emptied.
• A yellow tag will be placed on the lid of your bin. 
• You will be asked to check your waste and to remove any items which are not allowed in your blue recycling bin.
• Your bin will not be emptied until the offending items have all been removed, and you will have to wait until your next collection day.

Why items with food, liquid or grease cannot be recycled: 

• Items that have left over food or liquid on them can ruin the rest of the recycling in the lorries and at the sorting plant.
• Items that have left over food or grease on them cannot be recycled - this includes takeaway pizza boxes. The grease cannot be separated during the recycling process and one box can ruin a whole load.

Why it's important not to put wrong items in your blue recycling bin:

• If every household put just one wrong material in their recycling bin that cannot be recycled such as food, nappies or pet waste, it may result in entire loads of potential recyclable materials being rejected.
• There is a further cost to the council to arrange for the disposal of the rejected load at a much higher cost than the cost of the recycling.

Why you need to separate paper by placing it into the caddy:

• Paper is collected separately from the other materials so it can be transported to the paper mill direct for reprocessing without the need for the separation processes.

Why it's important to keep your recycled items dry:

• It's important to keep your recycled items dry and your bin lid closed. No wet paper or cardboard should go in the bin and you should empty all cans and bottles before recycling.
• If your recycling gets wet, the paper and cardboard will stick to any glass items. This means we cannot recycle these items anymore.
• Wet paper and cardboard can also stick to the machinery and clog up the system at the recycling plant. Therefore, we cannot remove wet cardboard placed next to your bin either.