Council counts the cost of contaminated recycling

The council is spending thousands of pounds to dispose of contaminated recycling

Recycling contaminated with the wrong items is costing one Kent council tens of thousands of pounds despite campaigns to raise awareness.

Medway Council said it paid £25,000 in additional disposal costs in the five months since it revealed large costs last year due to contaminated recycling.

In November 2023 it said it had paid £57,000 over 12 months to deal with waste which had been put in the wrong container.

A council spokesman said information on how different types of waste should be recycled is widely available.

From October 2022-November 2023, 3,000 tonnes of waste had to be processed separately because it had been contaminated.

Items such as sanitary products, nappies, food, small electrical goods, batteries and textiles were often put into the wrong bags, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

'Follow guidelines'

In the five months from November, 1,042 tonnes of recycling was contaminated and had to be disposed of separately from correctly bagged recyclables.

That is a rejection rate of 17% for the 6,117 tonne total so far this year, compared to 20% for October 2022 to last November.

Council efforts to inform residents about which items go in black bin bags and which in the clear recycling bags appear to have been unsuccessful so far.

An environmental team runs events and spreads information through the authority’s website and social media pages.

A Medway Council spokesman said guidelines were printed on recycling bags issued to households, and were also available on the council's website and social media channels.

They added: "We would encourage residents to check out the information and follow the guidelines to help us recycle their rubbish."