A refuse collector has revealed the real reason they look inside bins before emptying them. If you're an early riser on collection day, you may well have noticed your wheelie bin being inspected before it's taken away.
Bin workers will open the lid and have a look inside before deciding whether to wheel it over to the lorry or leave it on the kerb with a note. Now, one binman has shed some light on why they take the time to check each bin before emptying it.
Strict recycling rules
Ashley, who shares tips and advice on his No. 1 Binman TikTok account, received a comment from a follower querying why bin workers carry out these checks. The frustrated commenter argued that bins ought to be collected without inspection, given that residents pay through their council tax.
In response, Ashley said: "The thing is, general waste, mainly yes. It goes in the back; you are not really looking for much stuff with that. Recycling, on the other hand, has to be the correct stuff."
Ashley went on to explain that inspecting recycling bins is a necessity, as there are strict rules on what can and cannot be recycled. Placing the wrong items in the bin could even pose a significant fire hazard.
Fire risk and contamination costs
He highlighted the particular danger of vapes being discarded in recycling bins, which are typically loaded with paper and cardboard. "There could be fires in the back of the lorry," he warned. "We don't want fires in the back of a lorry, it is never good. That's the reason we check."
Ashley also revealed there is a further, more expensive reason why waste collectors are required to inspect the contents of recycling bins. He explained: "The council has to pay more if we take a lot of contaminated bins. The lorry will get rejected, and instead of getting money for the recycling, they have to pay for the general waste to take it away."
"That's the reason why they told to check it. If you want to get rid of your rubbish or your recycling, put it in the right bin."
Should the lorry become contaminated with non-recyclable waste, the entire load is rendered unrecyclable. Gedling Borough Council clarified: "It takes just 5% of contaminated waste for a lorry load of otherwise recyclable materials to be rejected from the recycling centre."
"When this happens, that lorry load will be sent to the incinerator instead, along with your general waste. This means that all of the other recyclable materials in that load will not actually be recycled."
