Kirklees Council seizes green bins in non-recyclables purge

The council posted letter explaining why the bins had been taken

Householders are getting green bins confiscated for putting non-recyclable items in them, it has emerged.

Kirklees Council is seizing the bin for six months, telling its owner they will then have to apply to get it back, a letter seen by the BBC shows.

The West Yorkshire authority is using "advisors" to snoop on the contents of recycling bins, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

The BBC has contacted Kirklees Council for a response.

Tony Swiffen, 32, from New Mill, said his bin was removed without warning.

Mr Swiffen said he returned home from taking his son to school to find his bin had vanished and a letter from the council had been posted through his door.

'Not green bin day'

"They have snooped through the bags in my bin. But there's nothing I put in there apart from cans and paper. I take all my cardboard to the tip," he said.

Mr Swiffen says he believes he was targeted because previously he has bagged up his green rubbish in black bin liners.

In response to a previous warning he hand-sorted his rubbish to double check he was not breaking the rules.

"[But now] someone has come up the driveway and just taken my green bin from the house," he explained.

"It wasn't even green bin day. It was black bin day.

"For the next six months I'm going to have to put my green stuff in my black bin. How are they winning by doing that? It's ridiculous."

The letter from from the council said his bin had been taken as it had "contained the wrong items on 2 separate occasions".

"It is essential for us to only collect recyclable materials. If incorrect items are collected they mix with good recycling and spoil all of the recycling," the letter states.