Get behind the Shake It Out campaign

Putting recycling in the right place helps keep services running and saves money for the things residents care about most.

That’s why the council is asking residents to get behind its Shake It Out campaign - a simple action that will help improve recycling and protect vital local services.

Last year, more than £280,000 worth of recycling in the borough couldn’t be recycled and had to be sent for incineration after high levels of contamination from incorrect items caused entire lorry loads to be rejected. This often happens when recycling is put into plastic bags, instead of being emptied out.

When recycling is left in bags, collection crews cannot always see what’s inside, making it harder to spot incorrect items and increasing the risk that an entire waste load will be rejected.

Residents will start to see new tags on blue-lidded bins, encouraging everyone to get behind the Shake It Out campaign. The campaign encourages residents to shake recycling out of bags and place loose items in the bin. This small change helps crews recycle safely and properly.

Bins containing items that don’t belong in recycling, such as food waste, will be tagged and left uncollected.

The bin tags also include a clear reminder of the items most often placed in recycling bins by mistake:

• Food waste
• Textiles
• Nappies

In Brent, food waste is collected weekly using food caddies or communal bins. Textiles can be collected free of charge through a bookable service, and nappies should always be placed in the general rubbish bin.

Cllr Krupa Sheth, Cabinet Member for Public Realm and Enforcement, said:

“We’re asking residents to get behind our Shake It Out campaign by making one small change at home.

“If recycling is placed loose in blue-lidded bins, we can collect it and recycle it properly. That’s better for the environment and helps us avoid wasting money that could be spent on essential services.

“Last year, the cost of dealing with contaminated recycling could have paid to fix around 3,500 potholes.”

Residents who use bin bags indoors should empty their recycling into the blue-lidded bin and put the empty bag in the rubbish bin, as plastic bags and liners can’t be recycled through the service.

Find out what can be recycled in Brent.