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Brown Bin

Please be aware that if your brown bin contains the wrong items it will not be collected until the contamination has been removed and only then will it be emptied on the next scheduled collection - we will not return to empty it before this time.

We recycle 15,000 tonnes of compostable material every year so the odd piece of parcel tape, a plastic plant pot or a small plastic-coated cardboard sandwich container coming from each household in North Herts adds up to a large landfill disposal bill for NHDC and our tax payers.

Contamination

Common contaminating items in our compost are:

• Tape on boxes e.g. parcel tape, sellotape or delivery info pouches
• Plastic sleeves on junk mail or paperwork
• Polystyrene and other packaging contained in cardboard boxes
• Plastic bags used to contain food waste or plastic-lined paper bags e.g. from sandwiches
• Blgs of general household waste
• Takeaway containers
• Plastic-coated paper plates
• Food/drink cartons (tetrapaks)

Contaminating items found in compost loads.   The paper in the plastic sleeve should have been removed from the sleeve and placed in the blue box for recycling. The sleeve should have been discarded in the grey bin.

All non-compostable items MUST be removed before the waste is placed in the brown bin as they will not compost.

Why is it so important to get the contents of your brown bin correct?

The law has changed regarding standards of compostable material. The PAS 100:2011 standard has reduced the level of contamination that is acceptable.  This means that the end material may not be classed as compost will be diverted to landfill - this may have implications to your council tax.  

The cost of contamination

The presence of the wrong items in your brown bin can mean:

• Employing people to pick out contaminating items.
• If small items still contaminate the waste after going through the picking process it will be sent to landfill.  
• Landfilling = £150 per tonne (the original cost of collecting the brown bin waste, composting processing costs, transportation of the contaminated waste to landfill and, lastly, the gate fee to take it into the landfill site).  

What can you do?

Please be very careful about the items they place into their brown bin.  Only place in food waste, card and garden waste.

Concerned about fortnightly brown bin collections?

Remember:

• Maggots are not a threat to public health.  They are caused by flies landing on food and laying eggs. This usually occurs before the food is put into the bin.  Do not give flies this opportunity by covering food as soon as you can, including pet food.
• If you experience problems with maggots in hot weather, pour boiling water over them to kill them quickly.
• Keep the bin lid closed as much as possible - flatten cardboard before placing it in the bin to stop the lid being pushed open.
• Avoid storing the bin in direct sunlight to stop the waste warming up and producing smells.
• If you wish to wrap food, use paper towels or card egg boxes (with the labels removed).  We cannot accept compostable liners.
• Regularly rinse the brown bin with a solution of vinegar and water, either in a spray or as a washing solution after collections or use a bin cleaning service.
• If you find the waste is sticking to the bottom of your bin try layering cardboard in your brown bin.

Frozen brown bin contents

In cold weather, bin lids and contents can sometimes freeze in place due to the high moisture content. To ensure your bin lid can be opened, you can place a piece of cardboard between the lid and the top of the bin. Please only do this in freezing conditions.

During prolonged periods of cold weather we will make every effort to empty the contents of all brown bins upon scheduled collection days but if we are unable to do so a bin hanger will be left to explain what has happened.