A refuse collector has cautioned UK households that waste workers "won't take it" if they discover a particular item inside their recycling bin. Taking to TikTok to raise awareness, binman Ashley, who has garnered a following on the platform as a 'binfluencer', stated that the item "doesn't belong" in your recycling bin.
Polystyrene highlighted on BBC Morning Live
The refuse collector was featured on today's (November 12) episode of BBC Morning Live, where a clip of him alerting viewers to polystyrene was broadcast. In the footage, he pulls a large piece of polystyrene from a recycling bin while lip-syncing to the lyrics of "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister.
The caption on the video reads: "When the residents keep putting polystyrene in the recycling bin". Polystyrene should be disposed of in the general black bin rather than the recycling bin, unless local council guidelines specify otherwise.
Common mistakes explained
This point was reinforced on BBC Morning Live by Kevin Duala, who outlined several frequently misplaced items that people should refrain from putting in their recycling bin, polystyrene amongst them. He said: "The really big [common mistake] is polystyrene. Now this one should go in your general waste." He added: "It may be accepted at some recycling centres, but check your local council."
Polystyrene cannot be placed in household recycling bins as it is lightweight, fragments easily, and there is no cost-effective infrastructure in place for its collection. Polystyrene is excluded from household recycling bins because it comprises over 95% air, rendering it far too light and bulky to transport economically.
Why polystyrene causes problems
Moving truckloads of foam to a processing facility simply costs considerably more than the recycled plastic is genuinely worth. The foam is extremely brittle and readily breaks apart into tiny beads during normal waste collection.
These loose fragments adhere to paper and cardboard, contaminating whole batches of good recycling, while also blocking high-speed sorting machinery at recycling facilities.
Since polystyrene food trays also soak up grease and require specialised commercial melting equipment that most councils don't have, they should be placed in your general rubbish bin instead. Alternatively, clean packaging blocks can be reused for posting parcels or dropped off at a local recycling centre for energy recovery.
Pizza box guidance
Kevin also raised the question of pizza boxes, explaining that some sections could go in your paper waste bin, while others might be better suited to the general black bin. He said: "Takeaway boxes are made of cardboard, and these can usually be recycled when empty. Now, even with a little grease, they can go into recycling."
"But if they are covered in grease and there's food in there, maybe that should go into your general waste. The recycling process for paper and cardboard uses cold water, which, as you can imagine, is ineffective at getting all that grease off."
"So if the base is covered with grease, that goes in your general waste. But the top of the pizza box might be okay, so you can rip that off and then that might be able to go into your recycling. Again, check with your local authority."
