Waste contamination

Two wheeled bins for an individual property

“My bin is contaminated, and it was not collected, what happens now?”

If a bin is contaminated with inappropriate or wrong materials, the bin will not be emptied or collected until the item(s) or material(s) have been removed from the bin by the property owner.

The Council’s Contractor collection crews will place a sticker on the contaminated bin and/or report the bin as being ‘contaminated’ on their system. The Council’ Contractor system is linked to the Council’s Missed Bin Reporting Form. If you try and report a missed bin collection you will find the reason for non-collection online. You can dispute the reason for non-collection. You need to remove the offending item(s) or material(s) to ensure the collection of the bin on the next scheduled bin collection. To learn what can or cannot go in the bins please visit What goes in each bin

Two Wheeled bins for a shared property

“My shared bin is contaminated and it was not collected, what happens now?”

Contamination is when the wrong items are put in the black refuse, green recycling or brown food and garden waste bin. If a bin is contaminated with inappropriate or wrong materials, the bin will not be emptied or collected until the offending item(s) or material(s) have been removed by the residents. As you share bins please ensure all parties know what can or cannot go in the bins please visit  What goes in each bin

You need to remove the offending item(s) or material(s) to ensure the collection of the bin on the next scheduled bin collection.

Two Wheeled bins for a block of flats with a managing agent

“The shared bins are contaminated and it was not collected, what happens now?”

Contamination is when the wrong items are put in the black refuse, green recycling or brown food and garden waste bin. If a bin is contaminated with inappropriate or wrong materials, the bin will not be emptied or collected until the offending item(s) or material(s) have been removed.

To learn what may be the contamination in the bins: please visit What goes in each bin

If you have a managing agent for your block of flat, please get in touch with them to deal with the contamination – photos and details of the contamination will assist them in processing your request.

Communal Bins (resident information for blocks of flats and estates)

“The communal bins are contaminated, and they were not collected, what happens now?”

Four wheeled bins are used by residents in blocks of flats and estates. Residents are to use the apertures in the lids of the green recycling bins to place recyclable items into the recycling bin. These recycling bins are locked to help prevent large items that cannot be recycled being placed in the bin.

Only recyclable items should be put in communal green recycling bins. Only food waste should be placed into the grey food waste bins.

To learn what may be the contamination in the bins: please visit What goes in each bin

Please get in touch with the managing agent of your block to deal with the contamination – photos and details of the contamination will assist them in processing your request. 

Contamination of the green recycling bins

Putting non-recyclable material in the green recycling bins – two wheeled or communal - could result in the recycling bins not being emptied. However if the contaminated green recycling bin is emptied into the collection vehicle when the recycling collection vehicle goes to the recycling facility, the recycling facility may deem the whole or part of the recyclable material load from that vehicle as unsuitable for processing to be recycled.

Our recycling information page contains tips on recycling at home and information on how recycling benefits us all.

Persistent Contaminated Two Wheeled Recycling bins

If the green recycling two wheeled bin at a property are continuously reported by the recycling collection crew as being reported as being contaminated; The Council may seek to start enforcement action against those residents that are responsible for the green recycling bin with letters being issued and if the recycling bins continue to be contaminated this may result in a Fixed Penalty Notice to the householder.

Persistent Contaminated Communal Recycling bins

Waltham Forest provide a weekly refuse and recycling collection.  Recycling is compulsory in Waltham Forest.  It is the responsibility of the landlord to provide accurate information to tenants on what can and cannot be recycled, tenants should be encouraged to recycle as much as possible.

When communal green recycling bins are reported as being contaminated, we aim to notify the Managing Agent of the block to letting them know the recycling bins contained non-recyclable material.  We also give them information to pass on to residents with tips on how to recycle correctly.  It is the responsibility of the Managing Agent to make sure that communal recycling bins are not contaminated on the scheduled bin collection days.

In instances where the communal recycling bins are persistently contaminated, we will not empty recycling bins until the Managing Agent has taken appropriate measures to ensure the residents are disposing of their household recycling correctly.  If the contaminated waste is not removed this will lead to repeated missed bin collections, accumulation in material and possible enforcement action being taken. Information about what can and cannot be put in recycling bins can be found on our  recycling information page