If you have received a sticker on your waste or recycling then it usually means that you have placed the wrong items in your bags, your bags are too heavy, you've put out too many black bags for collection or have put your bags out on the wrong collection day.
View further details on contaminated recycling and what to do if you receive a sticker.
What do the stickers mean?
TOO MANY BLACK BAGS
You have placed more than 3 standard 70 litre black bags out for collection. You will need to remove the uncollected bags from the kerbside and take them back into your property.
SORRY WE MISSED YOU
The Council's Enforcement and Awareness team were in the area today and called to chat to you. This could be regarding a waste issue, to offer you advice or to let you know about changes in your area.
Contaminated recycling happens when the wrong items are put into a bin, bag or sack.
The most common wrong items are:
- nappies, tissues and sanitary items in the wrong bag
- food waste in with clear bag recycling
- clothing or textiles in with clear bag recycling
- electricals and batteries in with clear bag recycling
- Green waste in a clear bag or in a green sack with soil, garden ornaments, stones etc. These items are recyclable, just not at the kerbside. Please take to your local Community Recycling Centre
- the right items, but dirty or with leftover food, oil or grease in them
- Food waste that contains plastic packaging such as bread bags
Our collection crews won’t be able to collect your recycling if it is contaminated or contains items not accepted at the kerbside. We need your recycling to be clean, dry and empty.
What do I do now?
You will need to address the issue and follow the instructions on the sticker.
This could mean removing nappies from your clear bag and registering for nappy recycling to get PURPLE bags and a nappy collection day allocated - this can take up to 10 days, so you can put these items in your black bag/bin waste until they arrive.
If you have placed food in your CLEAR bag with other recyclables, especially paper, these items would now be contaminated and will need to be placed into your black bag/bin waste as they can no longer be recycled. Plastics, glass etc., could be rinsed in leftover dishwater, air dried and placed bag into a new CLEAR bag.
What happens if you ignore the sticker?
If you continue to ignore the advice on the sticker and leave the item out on the kerbside this may lead to enforcement action.
This further action could result in a £100 fine or court action.
What if I am struggling to recycle?
If you are doing your best to recycle and would like more support, please email us at recycling@rctcbc.gov.uk and we will look to offer you some advice.
If you are struggling to stick to the black bag waste limits you can request an additional black bag allowance - please note that your waste and recycling will be inspected as part of the decision process.
If you are struggling to get your recycling and waste to your collection point because of illness or physical difficulties, you can request an assisted collection.
Challenging the sticker
If after reading the above information, you would still like to dispute that your waste is contaminated please email us at recycling@rctcbc.gov.uk