1. Why wasn’t my recycling (brown) wheelie bin collected? Why does my recycling bin have a tag on it?

If your recycling (brown) wheelie bin has a bin tag, it means it contains items that shouldn’t be in the recycling. Please check the items listed with a cross on the tag, remove them from your recycling bin and place them in your refuse (grey) wheelie bin.

2. I’m not sure what items should go in my recycling bin, can you list them?

Please check our what goes in each bin page. It provides a full list of what can and cannot go in your recycling bin.

3. Can my recycling (brown) wheelie bin be collected this time? I will make sure it isn’t contaminated again.

Unfortunately the crew cannot collect a contaminated recycling bin because it would mix with the rest of the recyclables in the truck and contaminate the whole load, meaning none of it can be recycled.

4. If I remove the wrong items from my recycling bin, when will it be collected?

Once you’ve taken out all the incorrect items, your recycling bin will be collected on your next recycling collection day.

If you have extra recycling that no longer fits in the bin, that’s fine, you can put the extra recycling in clear bags and flatten your cardboard boxes.

Place them next to your recycling (brown) bin on your next collection day, and they will be collected.

5. I don’t have any items listed as ‘contaminants/no thank you’ on the bin tag. Why wasn’t my recycling (brown) bin collected?

Please check whether your recycling was put inside a bin bag or black bag. The crew cannot collect recycling in bags because they cannot see what’s inside.

Always place your recycling loose in the recycling (brown) bin.

6. I only recycle items that have a recycling symbol. Why was my bin tagged as contaminated and not collected?

Not everything with a recycling symbol can be recycled in the borough. Some materials cannot be processed at our local recycling facility, even if they show the symbol. This is why your bin may be tagged as contaminated. Only recycle items listed on the council website.

More information

For more information on what to do with rubbish and recycling, visit our A to Z of what to do with your rubbish and recycling page.