The quality of recyclable household waste being collected in North Lanarkshire continues to be high – thank you to residents for your efforts.

The majority of waste taken to processing plants to be recycled has been rated in the highest two quality bands since our new service was introduced last October.

Bin lorry loads are assessed by the processors on arrival to ensure that only the correct materials from household bins are included. If a load includes significant amounts of the wrong materials, this contaminates the whole load. 

As a result, the processor will either pay the council less for each tonne or charge the council a higher disposal and treatment fee and send the entire load to landfill, which is a wasted effort for all households. This could mean the difference between us receiving £64 per tonne to paying £125 per tonne. 

For the first eight months of the service, bins with the wrong materials have been tagged to advise households of the materials each bin accepts, but the bin was then uplifted within a few days. This was done to allow residents time to adjust to the new service.

From 18 June, any tagged bins will not be emptied until the next uplift cycle, in three weeks’ time.

The tag asks the resident to phone Northline where staff will provide advice on the materials wrongly placed in the bin; if possible, the resident should remove the incorrect materials and present the bin at the next uplift cycle in three weeks’ time. If the whole bin is contaminated with the wrong materials, the resident is advised to take the rubbish to their nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre.

If the resident is unsure about why their bin has been tagged, they can request a visit by a Waste Minimisation Assistant to provide advice on recycling.

There is comprehensive information on our web site and on social media to help residents understand which items can be placed in each bin.