Is Your Recycling Bag Contaminated?

This page explains what a contaminated bag is and how to avoid it. It also gives examples of the types of materials you can recycle in the green and brown bags.

What is contamination?

It is a recycling bag that does not contain the correct materials. Contaminated recycling may not be accepted by recycling processors and end up in the landfill.

There are 2 types of contamination:-

1. when you place materials in the green or brown bag that are not accepted or
2. when you add materials to the bags that are unclean. For example, greasy food containers and tins containing food bits.

By placing the correct materials in the right bags, you can ensure that your bags are not contaminated or left behind by our recycling crews.

Please always rinse containers and bottles to remove food particles.

To avoid contamination, please use the recycling bags for the correct materials only.

What is accepted in the bags?

In the green recycling bag you can place:-

• plastic drink bottles such as milk, pop, squash and water bottles,

• yoghurt pots, margarine tubes, plastic food trays without the film cover, plastic egg cartons and plastic and polystyrene cups,

• plastic detergent bottles such as washing up liquid and shampoo and conditioner bottles,

• aluminium cans, clean food tins and pet food tins,

• washed aluminium trays and wrapping foil,

• empty aerosol cans that have not been pierced and

• Tetrapak such as juice and milk cartons.

In the brown recycling bag you can place:

• paper, junk mail (always tear off the bit that contains your personal information) and envelopes,

• cardboard and greeting cards and

• newspapers, magazines, catalogues, telephone directories and shredded paper.

For safety reasons please ensure that your bags weigh less than 7 kilograms each.