Bracknell's Recycling Crisis: Contamination Costs Council

Bracknell residents are putting the wrong rubbish in their recycling bins and it is costing the council money, councillors have been told.

The issue came up at a scrutiny meeting where councillors questioned council leader Helen Purnell and senior officers about performance and rising contamination in blue bins.

Councillor Gerry Webb (Labour, Great Hollands) urged clearer guidance on the bins themselves. She said: "Having looked at various different councils and their approaches, I think we should look at getting something to stick on the top of bins. Maybe there is a bit of cost involved, but as a recommendation it seems worthwhile."

Bracknell Forest collects blue recycling bins every two weeks, food waste weekly and general rubbish every three weeks.

Between January and March almost one in five recycling collections were contaminated, above the council's target of 16%. Contamination topped 20% in January and February before falling to 12% in March.

Councillors were warned contamination harms recycling rates and adds costs. Cllr Purnell (Labour, Great Hollands North) said: "I noted it was an issue last quarter and it's continued to be an issue."

She added: "Any contamination, the amount that it costs not just the environment but the council financially as well." Cllr Purnell said she had asked the cabinet member to look at stickers like those used by Reading Borough Council. "I think if we can get that, just a simple sticker stuck on our blue bins, that'll go a long way."

She also said: "Reading Borough had really beneficial results. That's a small investment for a potentially big saving."

Conservative councillor Gareth Barnard suggested a lighter tone could help. He said: "If we can make any messages slightly humorous then they might land well." He added: "The world is full of people telling us what we can't do and what we shouldn't do. If there's a way of making the message a bit more exciting and gather some press interest, people might take it on board."

Blue bins can be left uncollected if they contain non-recyclable items; residents must remove the contamination and wait for the next collection or pay for an extra pickup.

Katie French, Local Democracy Reporter