NORTH Ayrshire Council will impose 'contamination' tags on bins that have the wrong items placed in them.

Starting on Monday, June 27, the crackdown, dubbed 'Right Stuff, Right Bin', is part of an initiative that is designed to crack down on bad habits when it comes to waste management - with a £2.5million bill for NAC each year for sending waste to landfill.

As the second highest performing local authority in the country when it comes to recycling, the local council knows what is talking about when it comes to rubbish.

Collection crews will start to place the tags on the bins from Monday and these will explain why it has not been collected and what the householder should do next. The bin will be uplifted next time round, providing the wrong items have been removed.

This could leave bins full or overflowing for a number of weeks so it is imperative that you are not caught out by the new scheme.

The council's rules of recycling are:

  • Blue bin should only contain loose recyclable glass containers, plastics, metal cans, tins, cardboard and paper – these should not be placed within plastic bags
  • Brown bin should only be used for both food and garden waste; and
  • Grey bin should be used for all other household waste.

Councillor Tony Gurney, Cabinet Member for Place, said: “Although we are currently one of the leading local authority areas in Scotland when it comes to recycling, we are never one to rest on our laurels. 

“This determination to be sector-leading, teamed with the ever increasing need to reduce costs, has led us to introduce the Right Stuff Right Bin campaign.

“This allows us to work together with members of our local communities to help protect and enhance the area for future generations.  By putting the right stuff in the right bin they can help us drive down our landfill costs while building upon our already fantastic recycling results.”