East Northamptonshire Council’s residents are ‘cheesed off’ with the newly-introduced recycling tag system, Irthlingborough Mayor John Farrar has said,

Earlier this month, the council introduced a new colour-coded information tag system to remind residents what should and should not go into their recycling bins.

Green tags were initially attached to bins to outline which waste goes in which bin, and when and where they should be situated for collection.

Now, any residents that fill their bins incorrectly (or with the improper waste), will have a yellow or red tag attached to the bin.

A yellow “oops” card indicates that, although the waste has been removed for recycling, there are items in the bin that the council doesn’t recycle. As such, the tag acts as a warning that if this behaviour persists, the bin may not be emptied. A red “sorry” card indicates that a bin’s content has not been removed for recycling and explains why disposal was unfeasible.

It is hoped that the system will stop unrecyclable waste from being collected, as it ‘wastes the good work of other residents who recycle correctly', and costs the council money.

Not un-emptied “without good reason”

Speaking of the system, Councillor Glenn Harwood MBE, Chair of the Waste and Recycling Working Party, said: “We don’t leave recycling bins un-emptied without good reason and appreciate that over time people may need reminding about just what goes in which bin. Some people can get ‘recycling-happy’, throwing everything into the green lidded bin, but placing items that are non-recyclable into the recycling bin, jeopardises the success of the whole service and costs a great deal of money.

“Garden waste, food waste, textiles and disposable nappies are some examples of items, which should not go in the green-lidded recycling bin. Unfortunately, these items are often the cause of a load being rejected.

“Using the tag system, we can remind customers of what goes in which bin and increase our recycling rates which saves resources, prevents pollution and saves money.”

“It’s not gone down very well”

However, Irthlingborough mayor, John Farrar, has said that the system has ‘not gone down very well’ with local residents.

He said: "People are saying they should collect the refuse by law and if they don't, they should have a refund on the council tax.

"I can understand why the council is doing it... I was one of the district councillors who took the decision so I'm not trying to distance myself from it. However, people are a little confused, and those who have a red sticker on their bins are a bit cheesed off."

Read more about East Northamptonshire Council’s recycling tag scheme.