Many residents experience the frustration of putting their recycling bins out on collection day only to find them left unemptied. A binman known as The No1 Binman, who has amassed over 200,000 followers and nearly four million likes on TikTok, has recently shed light on a common cause for this issue.
In one of his videos, filmed from behind the wheel of a bin lorry, he showcases how contamination of recycling bins can lead to collections being refused. The clip features him opening a recycling bin and removing a black rubbish bag, which he then discards. A caption in the video reads “Because of all that junk,” suggesting that the presence of inappropriate waste caused the entire bin to be rejected.
Contamination occurs when household waste is mixed with recyclables, and bin crews cannot always determine the contents of bags, especially black ones. As a result, an entire recycling load may be deemed unsuitable for collection.
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Liverpool City Council explicitly instructs residents to place recyclable materials loose in blue recycling bins or bags. It emphasises that bins containing black-bagged waste, plastic bags, food, liquids, textiles, electrical items, and certain other materials will not be emptied.
Therefore, placing recycling inside black bags within the blue bin, perhaps to keep things tidy, actually risks the bin being left uncollected.
The council adds that bins containing incorrect items will not be collected and may have a yellow sticker attached explaining the issue. Residents are advised to remove the non-recyclable items and present the bin again on the next collection day. Furthermore, extra bags of recycling or general waste left outside the bin will not be collected.
To avoid such problems, residents are encouraged to carefully check what materials are acceptable for recycling before bin day. Suitable items for the blue bins include loose paper and cardboard, cans, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, tubs, and trays.
This video from The No1 Binman serves as an important reminder that shortcuts, such as placing recycling in black bags, may lead to entire collections being refused. For any doubts regarding recycling materials, Liverpool City Council’s online recycling guide is recommended as a reliable resource.