A £5,000 sticker campaign has been rolled out as Swale council fights to improve recycling rates.

The authority is placing stickers on around 120,000 household waste and recycling bins over the coming weeks across Sittingbourne, Sheppey and Faversham.

The stickers will ask people to think about what they are putting in each bin. Incredibly, some residents have been putting dirty nappies amid cans and tins to be re-used.

Swale says food waste, textiles, garden waste and black bin bags have also been found in the blue bins.

If the levels of these contaminants are too high, it adds, the entire load may be rejected and everyone’s recycling on that collection round is lost.

Cllr Julian Saunders, cabinet member for environment, said: “We need residents to be part of the solution and help us ensure we can recycle what’s in our recycling bins, instead of having bin loads rejected from the recycling facilities for too many contaminants.

“The stickers will show what can and can’t go in our recycling and household waste bins, and if everybody makes a small improvement in how they allocate their waste, we can make a positive impact across the borough.

“Every resident can make a difference when it comes to how they dispose of their waste. Whether it’s washing food waste from recyclables before placing them in the blue bin, opting to start home composting or asking for a food caddy for food waste, even small changes will help us recycle and tackle climate change.

“It will also help create a circular economy where more products are re-used and recycled rather than new raw materials being used to create more waste.”

To check what can and cannot be recycled, visit swale.gov.uk/waste-wizard

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