This is how to avoid a ticking off from the 'bin police' checking recycling sacks in Milton Keynes
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Recycling sacks are being checked on doorsteps all over MK - and the results show clear confusion about what can or cannot be put inside them.
Results have revealed that the vast majority of people are putting at least one thing they shouldn’t into their recycling.
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Hide AdMK Council is this week urging people to remember that just because something is recyclable, it does not mean they can recycle it here in Milton Keynes. And they've come up with a new buzz phrase - 'If in doubt leave it out'.
A council spokesman said: "Being a good recycler is as much about what you leave out. If you’re not sure, put it in your black sack."
The council has taken out a £97.500 contract with the charity Keep Britain Tidy to provide 'specialist communication support for recycling contamination'.
This means Keep Britain Tidy officials are paid to check recycling sacks for offending items such as nappies, greasy pizza boxes, unwashed plastic containers and crisp packets.
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Hide AdThe charity has also updated the council's website about MK' recycling rules. Today we can bring you a definitive guide of what is allowed to go in the clear sacks and what is not permitted.
Some may find it surprising. For example sweet wrappers are forbidden, as are thick plastics. Paper is obviously permitted but padded envelopes, tissues and kitchen roll are not.
Perhaps most baffling, considering the world's plastic problem, is that plastic bags cannot be recycled in MK and should not be put in the sack.
The items below are NOT allowed:
Items with food or drink still inside
Plastic bags or cling film
Bubble wrap
Fruit nets
Crisp, biscuit or sweet packets or wrappers
Thick, hard plastics like toys or reusable food containers
Padded envelopes
Tissues, kitchen roll or cotton wool
Wet wipes or cleaning wipes
Nappies (disposable or biodegradable)
Disposable or compostable coffee cups
Polystyrene
Laminated paper
Items with food or drink still inside
Plastic bags or cling film
Bubble wrap
Fruit nets
Crisp, biscuit or sweet packets or wrappers
Thick, hard plastics like toys, lunchboxes or reusable food containers
Coffee capsules/pods
Pet food pouches
Metal pans or tools
Clothes, fabric or rags
Broken glass or china
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Hide AdThe following is a list of items allowed to be placed in the clear sack:
Food and drink cans
Pet food tins
Sweet and biscuit tins
Loose metal lids from bottles and jars
Empty aerosol sprays cans
Clean tin foil or foil food trays
Newspapers
Shredded paper
Paper envelopes, including window Envelopes
Leaflets
Cards
Cardboard, broken down so fits in the bag
Catalogues
Clean pizza boxes
Milk and juice cartons
Drinks and milk bottles – wash, squash and lid back on
Plastic bottles with pumps and triggers
Cleaning product bottles
Loose plastic lids from bottles and jars
Plastic pots, tubs and trays, including black plastic
Ready meal containers
Disposable plastic cutlery
Meanwhile, there's also confusion about what should go in the blue box, designated for glass. Only glass bottles and glass jars are permitted and their lids should always be removed first.
Not allowed in the blue box is broken glass, as this can cause injuries, drinking glasses or Pyrex (this melts at a different temperature to glass bottles and jars so can’t be recycled by the MK plant) and any other glass items such as perfume bottles, light bulbs or mirrors.
At this time of year, when people are busy in the garden, green bins are filling quickly. In these, people can put any food waste, cooked or raw, and most garden waste.
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Hide AdBut NOT allowed is any quantity of soil and branches that are more than 15cm in diameter.
Cllr Emily Darlington, who was Cabinet member for public realm when Keep Britain Tidy specialists were recruited earlier this year, said: "We know that more and more people in Milton Keynes are committed to recycling and are trying to get it right, but every week we see a lot of things in the clear recycling sacks that shouldn’t be there, like dirty nappies, glass bottles, food waste, and old clothes.
"Dealing with things that cannot be recycled costs Milton Keynes Council hundreds of thousands pounds per year. That’s money that could be better spent to help local people. We are very pleased to be working with Keep Britain Tidy to help residents recycle correctly.”