Wrong rubbish blitz could be on its way to Wolverhampton
A crackdown on the wrong kind of rubbish being put out for recycling is on the way in Wolverhampton, it has emerged.
Bosses are looking at how binmen make their collections at properties across the city to see if they can stop householders putting out rubbish that can't be recycled.
It is part of a £2.8 million overhaul of Wolverhampton's refuse service, which has also seen bosses looking at entering people's rubbish into raffles in a bid to boost recycling rates.
It is unlikely, however, that officials will follow in the footsteps of neighbouring Walsall Council, where more than 2,000 bins a week have gone uncollected for containing the wrong kind of rubbish.
Officers, dubbed 'binspectors', have been checking green bins for the wrong items since November last year. Those found to contain things such as food, nappies and household waste were given a yellow sticker and not emptied. It sparked a flurry of complaints from angry residents.
Councillor John Reynolds, Wolverhampton City Council's cabinet member for city services, said: "We are currently carrying out a comprehensive audit of the types of collections that can be made from properties across the city, with a view to improving the quality of the dry recycling we are collecting by reducing the amount of non-recyclable waste being mixed in with it.
"This audit, which is being carried out with the help of residents groups, will also enable us to identify those hard to reach properties, which would benefit from a bespoke food waste collection service.
"We are determined to make it as easy as possible for the people of Wolverhampton to recycle as much as they can, and that includes food waste.
"At present, people living in hard to reach properties such as high-rise flats are unable to recycle their food waste using the caddie system in operation across the city, but this is something we are hoping to introduce at some point."
Council officials are also studying collection rounds to see if any improvements can be made.
The authority faces hefty fines if it increases the amount of rubbish it sends to be incinerated rather than recycled, meaning it has to find ways to improve recycling.
