Craven residents have been contaminating their recycling with rubbish including textiles, plant pots, pet food pouches, crisp packets, bits of old vacuum cleaners and even nappies.

Residents are being reminded to check the information on their new bin stickers and on the council’s website at www.cravendc.gov.uk/recycling to make sure they are putting the correct items in their blue recycling bins.

Waste collection crews are checking bins to ensure they do not contain the wrong items and if they are contaminated, will not collect them. Red stickers are being placed on contaminated bins advising residents why their bin has not been emptied.

Residents with a red sticker on their bin are advised to remove the contaminated waste and put the bin out again on the next scheduled collection date. Alternatively, the waste can be taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centres at Skipton or Settle. Residents are asked not to call Customer Services to report this as a missed collection.

Wyn Ashton, Environmental Services & Housing Manager at Craven District Council, said: “We understand that it can be difficult to remember which items can be recycled. This is why we have put new stickers on all residents’ blue recycling bins, reminding them exactly what can and can’t be placed in the bin. This information is also available on our website.

“Please remember that the waste in blue recycling bins must be loose, not bagged, and we also ask residents to wash and squash items before placing them in the bin. Clothing and other textiles cannot be accepted.

“If the amount of contaminated waste becomes too high, this costs the council - and the council taxpayer – money, so we need to ensure the correct materials are placed in the bin.”

Craven District Council’s waste processor, J&B Recycling, has been investigating after the amount of contaminated waste being placed in Craven bins increased significantly over recent weeks.

Other rubbish found included plastic and foil laminated paper, plastic film, jiffy bags, polystyrene, pet food pouches, and packaging contaminated with food.

From June this year residents have been able to place more items in their blue bins, including a new range of plastic and foil items. However, there are many items which are not suitable for recycling.

The new items which can be accepted since June include foil containers and trays, clean aluminium foil, plastic ready meal trays (as long as they are not black), yogurt and jelly pots, margarine and ice-cream tubs, fruit and veg punnet containers, cream and soup or sauce pots, and clear bubble wrap.

There are a number of items that are not suitable for recycling. These include clothing and other textiles, black plastic of any kind, any bagged waste, any food waste, paint tins or wallpaper, toys, garden furniture, bin liners, cling film or plastic film, food wrappers, crisp packets or tubes, books, and cereal plastic inner bags.

Residents are also asked to remember to wash and squash their items, and are advised that bottle tops should be placed back on plastic bottles before placing in the bin.

Stickers have been placed on residents’ blue recycling bins advising them of all the items that can be recycled – and those that can’t be accepted in the blue bin.

The information is also available on Craven District Council’s website at www.cravendc.gov.uk/recycling where a copy of the sticker can also be downloaded and printed.

Craven households throw away over 20,000 tonnes of rubbish each year. The percentage of waste recycled in Craven was 44.12 per cent during April to December 2017.

There is a target in York and North Yorkshire of 50 per cent recycling by 2020. The Government is proposing that this should increase to 55 per cent across the country by 2025, to 60 per cent by 2030 and to 65 per cent by 2035.