Waste collectors inspect bins before emptying them, and a binman has now explained why. The checks are not about being nosy but are essential for safety and cost reasons.
Why do binmen check bins?
Ashley, who runs the No.1 Binman TikTok account, responded to a comment questioning why bins are checked. The commenter argued that bins should be taken without checks since people pay for the service through council tax.
Ashley explained that general waste is usually fine, but recycling bins must contain the correct items. Strict rules govern what can be recycled, and wrong items can create a fire risk.
Fire risk and contamination
He highlighted that vapes often end up in recycling bins filled with paper, which can cause fires in the back of the lorry. "We don't want fires in the back of a lorry, it is never good. That's the reason we check," he said.
There is also a financial reason. Ashley noted that councils pay more if a lorry is contaminated. "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," he explained.
Consequences of contamination
If a lorry is contaminated, the entire load cannot be recycled. Gedling Borough Council stated that just 5% of contaminated waste is enough for a lorry load to be rejected. In such cases, the load is sent to the incinerator, meaning all the recyclable materials in it are not actually recycled.
