(From left to right) Aidan O'Rorke, Harrison Hardisty-Blackwell, Brian Blackwell and Councillor Chris Moorby determined to help increasing recycling in Craven

New stickers will start to be applied to all household blue bins across Craven next week reminding residents of what they can and cannot recycle.

In a bid to reduce contamination and help increase recycling, Craven District Council will place stickers on the lids of approximately 28,000 blue bins across the rural district over the coming weeks. The colourful stickers show pictures of what people can and cannot put in their blue bins. If unsure, the stickers feature a QR code, which can be scanned and will direct users to https://www.cravendc.gov.uk/waste-recycling/blue-bin-recycling/ for what to recycle and how.

Statistics show residents recycled 39.30% of waste in 2021/22 and the teams at the Council’s waste management aim to increase recycling by at least another 3%.

It is understood, the most common contamination items in Craven are:

• Black bagged waste
• Coffee cups (any type)
• Polystyrene
• Black plastic
• Soft plastics
• Crisp/sweet packets & wrappers
• Dog waste bags
• Textiles/Footwear
• Carrier bags
• Nappies

Speaking about the initiative, Craven District Council lead member for Greener Craven, Cllr Chris Moorby said: “The stickers are an excellent way of reminding people what they are allowed to throw in their blue bins and improve the quality of recycling collected. Many people still find themselves hovering over a recycling bin, not sure whether the item in their hand can go in the blue bin or not. They may look for a label, but still be unsure. Now, they can look at the recycling bin sticker and check.”

 Cllr Moorby went onto remind residents to avoid using black bags in recycling bins. “We cannot emphasise enough that black bin liners should not be used in blue bins. All your recyclable items – tins/can, paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, glass etc must not be bagged unless in clear sacks provided by the Council. This is extremely important because if recycling is dirty or in a black bag, it can contaminate a whole lorry full of collections, which would result in none of it being recycled.”

Similar views were expressed by the Council’s Environmental Services Manager, Tracy McLuckie, who said: “Recycling the wrong things can cause more harm than good. If everybody makes a small improvement in how they allocate their waste, we can make a positive impact across the district. Let’s create a greener and more sustainable district for everyone. Please use your blue bin responsibly.”

The Council collects recycling every two weeks.