Dustman warns rubbish ‘won’t be collected’ if one item is found in your bin

Pay attention as it could land you in trouble!

He has cautioned that your recycling might be “rejected” and abandoned if you mistakenly include a particular everyday item in your bags, so it’s best that you know about it.

We might assume that we can bundle everything together, but it appears not every item can be chucked into plastic recycling, after all.

And there is a single item you must exclude as it can actually contaminate your entire recycling load, says a popular binman, going by The No1 Binman on TikTok.

You might be caught off guard by this revelation, as he outlined what you need to understand in a video posted online.

And it is, wait for it… crisp packets.

@theno1.binman Replying to @georginawalker7 Crisp packets are not recyclable in household bin. same for carrier bags #binmen #binman ♬ original sound - The No1 Binman

“Crisp packets do not belong in your recycling bin. You're meant to take them to the supermarket and recycle them there, because it's a different type of plastic”, he revealed in the video.

“Just like carrier bags, just like film, bubble wrap - all that stuff does not go in your recycling. Take it to the tip, they can sometimes dispose of it there differently, or take it to a supermarket.”

“There's loads of stuff. Polystyrene, plastic, but it doesn't go in your recycling bin, because it takes up too much room and it costs too much money to recycle because there's barely any plastic in it. It's mainly air.”

“Please check before you put it in your bin. Normally, it's like tins and bottles. Easy things to put in the recycling. Please check before you do it because you don't want your bin to be contaminated. Don't be the person who gets their bin rejected when you want it to be emptied”, he added.

You don’t need to panic, however, as you can recycle them through specialist collection programmes such as TerraCycle or at numerous supermarket drop-off locations for “soft plastics”.

At these points, they're gathered alongside plastic bags so they can be handled appropriately.

You should keep in mind that refuse collectors can, and frequently do, decline to collect people's waste if it's contaminated with incorrect items.

They may also refuse waste that's excessively heavy, or if there's “side waste”, such as additional bags or items placed beside the bin.

Your council will likely place a sticker on your bin if it isn’t collected, indicating why it was left, and you'll then need to remove the incorrect items before the next collection.

What you should always know is that you should check your local council guidelines to understand the specific rules applicable in your area.