You’ve bin shamed! Council’s ‘petty’ recycling scheme starts putting public notices on rubbish bins if families fill it with the wrong refuse

Council workers have outraged residents by sticking ‘shame cards’ on their rubbish bins. Bosses say this is a new initiative to ‘re-educate’ families about recycling.

The row over collections by South Kesteven Council in Lincolnshire has already been branded the ‘bingate’ scandal by top Tory leaders. Michael Gove who demanded an official apology to locals over the fiasco.

People living in the area say the new multi-bin system is too complicated and claim they are running out of space in their gardens after being given three separate bins for different types of waste.

In addition to the standard black bin for household waste, households have also reserved a purple bin for paper and cardboard and a silver bin for plastic bottles, glass bottles and foil.

From the start of this week, residents who had failed to fill the two recycling bins with the correct contents were left stunned to discover that waste crews had tied warning labels to their uncollected waste.

The plan has caused an uproar in the community and has been branded ‘petty’ by angry locals on social media.

Garbage pickers are outraged and have stuck ‘shame cards’ on residents’ bins in South Kesteven in what bosses say is a new initiative to ‘re-educate’ families about recycling

The tagging system has caused an uproar in the community and has been branded ‘petty’ by angry locals on social media

Steve Hall, a resident of the South Kesteven district, said: ‘If your bin was rejected as mine today was through no fault of mine but was a nice passer by putting the wrong waste in my bin then my recyclables will now end up in the trash. in the black bin, reducing the amount recycled and causing the council to miss its recycling targets.

“All it took was lifting out the paper bag of used food packaging. You had already opened the lid of the container, so you were already halfway there. Too much job value. What happened to decent work ethics and common sense? I despair.’

Social media exploded with complaints about the tags, with some residents threatening to boycott the recycling program entirely and simply throw all their waste into the black bins.

Natalie Thompson posted on Facebook: ‘I was tagged with shame… for recycling carrier bags and white bin bags, which were full of recycling. The label stated that the bags were not recyclable and could not be processed. It’s contradictory because the municipality gives out bags that you can buy for extra recycling.’

Paul Cassata joked, “They labeled our trash can without even opening it. I’ll have to get me some of the X-ray glasses they equip the garbage collectors with!’

Claire Hadlow added: ‘I put my cardboard bin out for the first time the night before the collection. The next day a label showed up saying it was contaminated. Someone had dropped a disposable diaper on it. I left it there and won’t use it again. In recent months he has been sitting outside with two others – both tagged.’

The multi-bin system was first introduced in early February this year, along with the tags, to educate people on how to properly dispose of their waste.

Statistics showed that around 7,000 incorrectly filled silver recycling bins went uncollected in South Kesteven on February 19 and 20.

This infuriated residents and forced the council to collect the contaminated recycling bins, giving people extra time to adapt to the new plan.

Four months later, Richard Wyles, the council’s deputy chief executive, warned residents that these containers would no longer be emptied from Monday, June 10 if they ‘contain non-recyclable materials’.

Mr Wyles said: ‘We would like to thank everyone who has carefully sorted their recycling; this partnership helps us get to a position where we can recycle as much of what goes into the bins as possible.

From the start of this week, residents who had failed to fill the two recycling bins with the correct contents were left stunned to discover that waste crews had tied warning labels to their uncollected waste.

The multi-bin system was first introduced in early February this year, along with the tags, to educate people on how to properly dispose of their waste

‘We have been open and transparent in saying that from the week commencing Monday 10 June, silver bin collections may be rejected if the bins contain non-recyclable materials.’

According to the council, waste workers rejected 6 per cent of recycling collections in the first two days of this week, taking items such as food, toys, plant pots, nappies or dog waste.

Paper and cardboard, and soft plastics including bin bags, plastic carrier bags, cling film and crisp packets, are the most common items incorrectly left in the recycling bin, the local authority added.

The council said it would also ‘collect rubbish data to understand what residents still find puzzling – and where this can help further’.

‘Anyone whose bin has been tagged, or who has questions about waste or recycling that need to be answered, can speak to our staff. They are all well informed and information brochures are available if required,” Mr Wyles added.

Conservative MP Michael Gove, Minister for Levels, Housing and Communities, weighed in on the waste debate in February when he called for a formal apology to residents whose bins remained overflowing.

“South Kesteven District Council has had a large Conservative representation in the past, but I am concerned about Ashley Baxter, the independent leader, that the Bingate scandal has still not had an appropriate response or apology,” Gove said in a video which was shared on X. .

Jonathan Eida, researcher at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, added: ‘Taxpayers are tired of wasting their time sorting through waste.

‘While increasing recycling may be a noble ambition, these increasingly complex rules and reduced collection risk punishing hard-working households who make innocent mistakes.

“Local governments should focus on delivering the services residents pay for, not on the petty bureaucracy that belongs in the trash.”