Missed bins – contamination
If your bin has/bag not been emptied, please check to see if it has a tag on it. Bin / bag tags are used to let residents know that their bin/bag is contaminated or overweight.
What Is contamination?
Contamination happens when the wrong thing is put in recycling bins or bags. The items might not be recyclable at all, or they can reduce the quality of other recycling.
Why your bin/bag has a contamination tag
Your bin or bag has a tag because it contains items that don’t belong in that bin. This means it can’t be emptied until the wrong items are removed.
- There are items that are in the wrong bin / bag
- There are plastic bags in the bin / bag and we can’t see if there is recycling inside them
- The waste or recycling is wedged inside the bin and won’t come out
- The bin is too full or too heavy to empty safely
Find out which item goes in which bin
What You Need to Do
- Check the tag for details about what’s wrong
- Remove the incorrect items
- Make sure only the right items are in the bin
- Put the bin out again on your next collection day
Items that have been removed can either be placed in the right bin, saved until you have room in the right bin or taken to the Household recycling centre (tip on Shidas Lane)
Further information about contamination
The following items are the most common types of contamination in Sandwell’s recycling bins and bags:
- The wrong types of plastic - we can’t recycle plastic carrier and bin bags, crisp packets, film including cling film and hard plastics like children’s toys. These items need to be placed in the non-recycling grey bin
- Polystyrene – this can’t be recycled. These items need to be placed in the non-recycling grey bin or taken to the Household recycling centre (tip on Shidas Lane)
- Nappies – can’t be recycled. These should be placed in your non-recycling (grey) bin or in a purple (nappy) bag.
- Food – this should be recycled in your food waste (brown) bin
- Garden waste - which should be composted, taken to the tip or put in your garden waste bin
Why does contamination matter?
Recycling items helps save natural resources and reduces waste. If recycling is contaminated — like when food, liquids, or the wrong items are mixed in — it can ruin the whole load. This means the good materials can't be reused and may end up being incinerated or put in landfill, which has higher costs.
So, clean and correct recycling helps make Sandwell greener and cleaner.