Green-lidded bin

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Green-lidded bin contamination - frequently asked questions

• Why is contamination in the green-lidded bin a problem?

  The contents of the green-lidded bin are taken to a facility where it is turned into compost. This compost is spread on farmland to enrich the soil.

  Because this process only composts garden waste, the facility will not accept material that is contaminated with other materials as it will affect the quality of the end product - compost. Compost which contains flakes of plastic or bits of metal cannot be spread on the land. This is why it is important that other materials, such as plastics, juice cartons and textiles, are not placed in the green-lidded wheeled bin. Due to the nature of the composting process the facility is also unable to accept food waste of any kind.

  If the facility rejects contaminated loads of green waste these will have to be put into landfill. We will be charged for this, and ultimately the cost of this will be passed on to residents.

• Prohibited items

  Do not put any of the following items into your green-lidded bin:

  • Cardboard
  • Food waste
  • All types of plastic - this includes plastic bags, black plastic refuse sacks, plastic films, plastic flower pots, polystyrene seedling trays and any ridged plastic (such as plastic buckets, toys)
  • Cartons - this includes laminated, waxed and foil-lined cardboard packaging (such as milk and juice cartons or washing powder boxes).
  • Textiles (such as clothes and shoes)
  • Duvets and pillows
  • Treated wood (such as fence panels, painted doors, wicker baskets)
  • Glossy paper and magazines
  • Glass
  • Metal
  • Ceramics and hardcore
  • Soil
  • Carpets
  • Furniture
  • Nappies
  • Fire ash
  • Dead animals
  • Pet faeces - this material is not accepted under the PAS100 standard and the composting facility is not licensed to accept it.
  • Hazardous wastes. This includes garden chemicals, asbestos, etc.
  • Pet bedding that is made from paper
• Why is it important to get the contents of your green-lidded bin correct?
  The law has changed regarding the standards for the contents of the green-lidded bin. The PAS 100:2011 standard is now tightening up on materials acceptable for composting and has reduced the level of contamination in the end product - compost.
• What bags can I use in my green-lidded bin and where can I get them?
  

  You can only use compostable corn starch bags in the green-lidded bin. You cannot place any bags of excess garden waste beside the green-lidded bin. You can buy these bags from our offices at a cost of £6 for a roll of 25 (reduced price for Dacorum Card holders).As bags are surplus stock from our old collection service, it states that they can contain both garden and food waste. However, please ignore what is written on the bag and only put garden waste in them. 

  Suitable compostable bags will bear the seedling symbol and display the code EN13432:

  We can only accept this type of bag, as this is the only one that is compatible with the composting processes used by our reprocessor.

• Why can't I put any plastic bags in my green-lidded bin?

  Plastic bags or biodegradable plastic bags will not be accepted in the green-lidded bin. This is because they will only break down into smaller pieces over time but will never fully biodegrade or compost. The only bags that will be accepted in the green-lidded bin are compostable corn starch bags, as detailed above.

  Please do not use any other branded biodegradable or compostable bags in the green-lidded bin as they may not be suitable for the composting process.

• My green-lidded bin only had a few wrong items in it, why can't it be collected anyway?
  Contamination of any amount or kind will not be collected. The problem with even small amounts of contamination is that when this is multiplied by the number of households on the collection round, which can be up to 1,500, this will result in significant levels of contamination in one load.