New information stickers for blue-lidded bins

All blue-lidded bins in Dacorum will have a permanent information sticker placed on their lids to explain exactly what materials can be correctly recycled in them. The roll-out of these stickers has already begun and will take several months to complete.

The items which are accepted in the blue-lidded bin is not changing – the new sticker will simply provide the correct information to help people recycle right.

Recycling is crucial for the environment and it is essential that everyone is playing their part to make sure that they are recycling their waste the best that they can.

One of the main barriers for people recycling correctly is confusion about what materials can be put in their bins. Dacorum has been collecting the same mixed dry recyclables in the blue-lidded bin since 2014. However, many are still not recycling all that they can, or are putting the wrong items in.

The new sticker will help to let people know that items which often cause confusion, such as aluminium foil, aerosol sprays, cleaning sprays and tetra-pak cartons which can all be recycled in their blue-lidded bins. This is alongside the items that people typically already know that they can recycle, such as paper, cardboard, glass and plastic pots, tubs and trays.

All items in the blue-lidded bin should be clean and loose; if items have lots of food waste still on them, they should be given a quick rinse before being recycled.

The sticker also confirms what materials cannot go into the blue-lidded bin. For example, not all plastic is accepted in the blue-lidded bins – soft, scrunchy or compostable plastic such as carrier bags, crisp packets, sweet wrappers, plastic film or polystyrene cannot be recycled.

When a bin is contaminated with the wrong materials, this can cause problems with the machinery at the sorting facilities, or affect the final end product. A heavily contaminated bin lorry could have its whole load rejected and sent to landfill or incineration. Because of this, the council cannot empty blue-lidded bins with the wrong materials in, which is why it is so important to ensure that everyone is recycling correctly.

The council’s website has more information about the materials that should go in each bin, as well as a downloadable leaflet that residents can print and keep if they wish. Visit www.dacorum.gov.uk/recycling to find out more, or to make a recycling query.