RECYCLING BLUNDER COSTS THOUSANDS

A resident’s recycling blunder has cost Stockport Council nearly £2,000 and has undone the good recycling work of residents.

Last week a sharps box containing used syringes was put in a green bin, because of the hazardous nature this contaminated the entire ten ton load of food and garden waste, which will now have to be sent to landfill.

                   Residents should return sharps containers to their GP
                  or pharmacy for safe disposal.

                   Left: SMBC Recycling bins

Councillor Stuart Bodsworth, Stockport Council’s Executive Member for Communities and Sustainability, said:

“This incident once again highlights how important it is to put the right thing, in the right bin. Anybody who thinks that it doesn’t matter which bin you put things in can clearly see from this incident that it does. This has had an impact on the environment and wasted resident’s recycling efforts.

“The vast majority of residents in Stockport are green-minded which is why Stockport has a 61% recycling rate – the best in the North West. Thanks to these excellent recycling efforts we have reduced the amount of waste being sent to landfill by tens of thousands of tonnes which has helped us avoid disposal costs of over £12 million since we started our changes back in 2007.”

To check you’re putting the right thing in the right bin you can visit www.stockport.gov.uk/waste, look at the information on your bins, check your recycling calendar or even download the free Recycle for Greater Manchester App.