People are being encouraged by Great Yarmouth Borough Council to do their bit to help reduce waste contamination rates.
On average across the borough, 10pc of all items in a general waste bin could have been recycled and 15pc of items found in the recycling bin are items which cannot be recycled.
In some areas of Great Yarmouth, this increases to almost 30pc.
Other types of contamination include:
- 70pc of the card found in rubbish bins could have been recycled
- 11pc of all the wrong things in recycling bin was food waste
- 25pc of all contamination was nappies, ceramics and electricals
This means those bins cannot be emptied, because incorrect items can lead to that bin and the entire contents of the lorry becoming contaminated, meaning none of the waste can be recycled.
As well as having a negative impact environmentally, it also has a harmful economic effect.
There is an additional estimated cost of £65 to recover or dispose of one tonne of waste rather than being able to reuse or recycle it.
Items that can be recycled include glass jars and bottles, plastic food pots, tubs and food trays, aluminium foil and foil trays, juice and soup cartons, newspapers, magazines, greeting cards, envelopes, leaflets, directories and wrapping paper.
People need to make sure items are clean, dry and not bagged when they go into the green bin.
But nappies, clothing, food waste, electricals, paper towels and tissues cannot go into the green bin.
Councillor Paul Wells, who chairs Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s environment committee, said: "Contamination rates remains an issue across the county, with people putting the wrong waste items into their recycling bins every week.
“Reducing our contamination is really important in minimising our collective impact on the environment and is everyone’s responsibility.
"We must all play our part in educating ourselves on what can and cannot be recycled.”
More information about what can and cannot be recycled in Norfolk can be found at Norfolk Recycles or via Twitter and Facebook: @NorfolkRecycles
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