A SQUAD of bin detectives are to carry out checks to make sure residents aren’t throwing away the wrong kind of rubbish.

The move by Renfrewshire Council aims to tackle the problem of “contaminated” bins.

From Monday, collection teams will be checking blue recycling bins for anything that isn’t paper, card or cardboard in a bid to reduce the cost of processing and improve the environment.

READ MORE: Renfrewshire Council bin changes slammed for causing chaos

A red tag will be placed on any bin found to be heavily contaminated, outlining that it will not be collected until the offending items are removed.

Residents will have two days to contact the council to advise it has been cleared and the bin will then be collected from outside their home within the following five days.

Councillor Cathy McEwan, convener of Renfrewshire’s infrastructure, land and environment policy board, said: “Firstly, I want to thank our residents for the way they’ve engaged with the new bin collection service as they’ve recognised the difference recycling can make to our local environment.

“This is the next step in improving the recycling we collect even further and we want people to recognise that they need to use their recycling bins correctly – with an initial focus on the blue bin before moving onto our other recycling bins in the near future.

The Gazette: Cllr Cathy McEwan Cllr Cathy McEwan

“By ensuring you only place paper, card and cardboard in your blue bin, you will be making a real difference to our local environment, as well as lowering the cost to process recycling and allowing us to reinvest this money in our key public services.”

The introduction of new bins in December 2018 for plastics, cans and glass has seen the recycling rate in Renfrewshire increase in every quarter since, although contamination remains a costly issue, with the cost of disposal increasing depending on the level of contamination.

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