Council workers have angered residents by slapping ‘labels of shame’ on their bins in what bosses say is a new initiative to ‘re-educate’ families about recycling.
The dispute over collections from South Kesteven Council in Lincolnshire has already been branded the ‘bingate’ scandal by Tory leader Michael Gove, who has issued a formal apology to locals for the fiasco.
People living in the area say the new multi-bin system is too complicated and claim they are running out of space in their gardens after being fitted with three separate bins for different types of waste.
In addition to the standard black wheelie bin for household waste, households also have a purple bin reserved for paper and cardboard and a silver bin for plastic bottles, glass bottles and foil.
Since earlier this week, residents who had not filled their two recycling bins with the correct contents were surprised to find bin crews had attached warning labels to their uncollected waste.
The scheme has caused an uproar in the community and has been labeled ‘petty’ by furious locals on social media.
Outraged waste collectors have slapped “tags of shame” on residents’ bins in South Kesteven, in what bosses say is a new initiative to “re-educate” families about recycling.
The tagging scheme has caused an uproar in the community and has been labeled ‘petty’ by furious locals on social media.
Steve Hall, a resident in the South Kesteven district, said: ‘If your bin has to be rejected, as mine was today through no fault of my own, but a nice passer-by putting the wrong rubbish in my bin, then my recyclables now they will go. into the black bin, thereby reducing the amount being recycled and ensuring the council does not hit their recycling targets.
All it took was to remove the paper bag of used food packaging. You had already opened the bin lid, so you were halfway there. A lot of valuable work. What happened to a good work ethic and common sense? I despair.’
Social media erupted with complaints about the labels with some residents threatening to boycott the recycling scheme entirely and simply throw all their rubbish in black bins.
Natalie Thompson posted on Facebook: “I have a label of shame… for recycling carrier bags and white bins which were full of recycling. The label advised that the bags were not recyclable and could not be recycled. It’s controversial because the council provides bags that you can buy for extra recycling.’
Paul Cassata joked: “They labeled our bin without even opening it – they should get me some of the x-ray glasses they make the waste collectors use!”
Claire Hadlow added: “I threw out my cardboard bin for the first time the night before the meeting. The next day a label appeared on it saying it was contaminated. Someone had dropped a disposable diaper on top of him. I left it there and will not use it again. It has been sitting outside with two others – both tagged – for the last two months.’
The multi-bin system was first introduced in early February this year along with labels to educate people on how to dispose of their waste correctly.
Statistics revealed that around 7,000 wrongly filled silver recycling bins were not collected in South Kesteven on 19 February and 20 February.
This angered residents and forced the council to start collecting contaminated recycling bins, giving people extra time to adapt to the new scheme.
Four months later, the council’s deputy chief executive, Richard Wyles, warned residents that from Monday, June 10, these bins would not be emptied if they ‘contained non-recyclables’.
Mr Wyles said: ‘We thank everyone who sorted their recycling carefully; this collaboration is helping us get to a position where we can recycle as much as possible of what goes in the bins.
Since earlier this week, residents who had not filled two recycling bins with the correct contents were surprised to find that bin crews had attached warning labels to their uncollected waste.
The multi-bin system was first introduced in early February this year along with labels to educate people on how to dispose of their waste correctly.
“We have been open and transparent in saying that silver bin collections from the week commencing Monday 10 June may be refused if the bins contain non-recyclables.”
According to the council, waste workers rejected 6 per cent of recycling collections in the first two days of this week – to include items such as food, toys, plant pots, nappies or dog waste.
Paper and card, and soft plastics, including bin bags, plastic carrier bags, cling film and crisp packs, are the most common items left in the silver bin by mistake, the local authority added.
The council said it would also be ‘collecting bin data to understand what residents still find odd – and where it can help further’.
“Anyone whose bin has been tagged, or who has any questions about waste or recycling that need answering, can speak to our staff. They are all well informed and have information leaflets available if required,” added Mr Wyles. .
Tory MP Michael Gove, Secretary for Housing, Housing and Communities, weighed in on the bin debate in February when he called for a formal apology to residents whose bins were left overflowing.
“South Kesteven District Council has had a large Conservative representation in the past, but I am concerned for Ashley Baxter, the Independent leader, that the bingate scandal has yet to receive a proper response or apology,” Gove said. in a video shared on X. .
Jonathan Eida, researcher for the Taxpayers’ Alliance, added: “Taxpayers are fed up with wasting their time sorting waste.
“While the desire to increase recycling may be a noble ambition, these increasingly complex rules and reduced collections risk penalizing hard-working families who make innocent mistakes.
“Local authorities should focus on delivering the services that residents pay for, not the petty bureaucracy that is in the bin.”
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