Wrong rubbish blitz sees Walsall bins unemptied

Yellow stickers have been placed on scores of bins which were found to be containing the wrong rubbish. Angry residents today labelled the crackdown "madness".

Growing numbers of borough households have had their green recycling bins rejected after officers found them to be containing the wrong kind of waste.

Council chiefs have said they are taking a stand after increasing amounts of recycling had to be sent to landfill due to it containing wrong items, costing more money.

Bin crews were out in parts of Delves yesterday.

Father-of-two Graham Farmer, of Yew Tree Road, was among those whose bin was not collected.

He was told it was because it was found to contain a carrier bag by inspectors who were travelling alongside binmen.

The 48-year-old sales executive said: "The council says they want us to recycle and then when we do, this is what happens. It's madness.

"We're trying to do our bit by recycling but it feels like we're being penalised."

A fellow Yew Tree resident, who did not wish to be named, added: "I've always tried to do my bit and sort my recycling.

"And now I get told it won't be taken because there's a plastic tray in there that I didn't know couldn't be recycled."

Residents in nearby streets including Bell Lane also found their bins adorned with yellow stickers, which tell them items such as textiles or clothing, electrical goods, food waste, nappies, black bags and general waste are not accepted.

Meanwhile, some residents in Blackthorne Road claim crews did not travel down their street and collect any rubbish, although no yellow stickers have been placed on their green bins.

Security worker Wayne Paddock, aged 27, of Blackthorne Road, said: "Nobody has been to collect our bins today.

"We saw the truck go past the top of the street and people walked down looking in our bins but nobody actually came to collect the rubbish."

But he added: "In other streets around us they were refusing to empty recycling bins with these stickers on.

"They say people should go to the tip if they can't wait until next time to get their bins emptied but a lot of the people who live around here are quite elderly.

"How are they supposed to do that?"

No one from Walsall Council was today unavailable for comment but officers have previously said it is early days of the new crackdown.