Failing To Recycle

Householders who fail to dispose of their rubbish adequately are costing the taxpayer thousands of pounds.

A new recycling system is in place across Fife which requires residents to use the brown bin for food and garden waste.

The content is then placed in a special engine and generator to produce electricity.

Fife Council says brown bins are regularly being used to dump glass, plastic and engine parts.

Cllr John Wincott, Sustainability Champion, said, "This is a major problem for the Council because the brown bin waste is used in the AD Plant. This plant takes the garden and food waste and turns it into gas to generate electricity, and compost for sale. Unfortunately, compost that is contaminated with broken glass, plastic and metal is no use at all and cannot be used. The pile of contaminants in the picture is the result of just one lorry load of waste."

He continued, "Because of this contamination, we are now having to take operators off other tasks and ask them to hand pick the contaminants out of the waste as it is delivered to the plant. Of course, this is difficult job and it is costing the Council money that would be totally unnecessary if people only put the correct materials in their brown bins. "

Cllr Wincott concluded by adding, "Of course, it is important that all of the different bins are only used for the types of materials that they are supposed to be used for. But the brown bins are especially critical because they feed the AD Plant which has the potential to be a major resource for Fife Council. It is vital that the feedstock into the plant is uncontaminated or the impact on the operation of the plant could be significant so please use the brown bin only for garden and food waste."