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Refuse Collection

Publish Start Date: 08/05/08

Users of the cardboard and garden waste collection service are being advised by Bath & North East Somerset Council how to avoid contamination by plastic materials.

The main materials that have been contaminating the loads include:

• Plastic film - particularly from boxes that contain both cardboard and plastic such as plastic windows on cake boxes
• Plastic bags
• Cardboard drinks cartons – these cannot be composted because they contain a mixture of cardboard and plastic film which does not break down in the composting process
• Plastic described as ‘biodegradable’ or ‘compostable’ – the Council cannot compost these contrary to what the labels might say

Materials such as plastic contaminate the load because they do not rot down and cannot be composted.

Plastic that claims to be biodegradable, compostable or made from cornstarch or similar such labels are also unsuitable.  This is because the outlets that the Council uses do not have the facilities to deal with it and also it is not possible to easily distinguish compostable plastic from non compostable plastic.

All material collected is being composted at present because the re-processors can do a limited amount of screening, but there is a danger that in the future some of this might get rejected and sent to landfill. Bath & North East Somerset Council is keen to stop this happening and is urging people to make sure that they don’t put any contaminant into the cardboard and garden waste collection.

The Council has issued the following guidelines to help people:

• When you put material out for collection, please make sure that you remove any plastic including plastic windows, handles, sticky tape or other attachments
• Make sure that you don’t put your cardboard out in a plastic bag. Tie it with string or pack it into a cardboard box
• Please also make sure that you don’t put any drinks cartons in.  These can be taken to Pixash Lane Recycling Centre in Keynsham where they can be recycled (other recycling banks for recycling drinks cartons are due to be installed in the next few weeks at various locations across Bath & North East Somerset).
• Make sure that you don’t put in any plastic material even it if claims to be biodegradable or compostable
• Finally if in doubt, leave it out.

Councillor Charles Gerrish, Council Cabinet member for Customer Services said: “The cardboard and garden waste collection is a popular service that significantly reduces the amount of waste that we send to landfill. But it is important that the service is used properly so that we can make sure that we compost as much as we can.  We urge residents to follow these guidelines and make sure that they leave out any plastic and drinks cartons and thank them for their co-operation with this.”

For more information on exactly what can and can’t be collected as part of collections, please contact Council Connect on 01225 39 40 41 councilconnect@bathnes.gov.uk or visit  www.bathnes.gov.uk/wasteservices

Last updated: Friday, May 9, 2008
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