SPOT checks are being carried out on random Droitwich Spa residents in a bid to cut down on the amount of recycling being contaminated.

Between April and Jun of this year, approximately 18,000 tonnes of waste in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, which is about nine per cent of all recycling, had to be resorted because it had been thrown into the wrong bin.

The green bins are the worst for misplayed recycling, with everything from carpets and clothing, to dirty nappies, car batteries, and food waste turning up in them.

Now Wychavon District Council is urging residents to try and make sure they sort their recycling out before throwing it away to cut down on the costs of resorting it all later on.

The mistaken rubbish can end up in landfill when it could have been recycled, something which the council is keen to avoid if possible, or even in the case of liquids like engine oil, contaminate whole batches of recyclable items and make them unsuitable for anything other than landfill.

Spot checks are already being carried out on recycling bins by council staff and collection crews, who put labels on bins with a high level of contamination, and over the next few months more spot checks will be targeted at those areas which data shows have a particular problem with contamination.

Any households identified as struggling to recycle properly will then be offered advice and information.

Councillor Emma Stokes, portfolio holder for environment on Wychavon District Council, said: “Most people put the wrong thing in the wrong bin because of confusion. Our spot checks aren’t about the bin police going around trying to catch people out but to identify those residents who need extra support and encouragement to get their recycling right.

“There are those who deliberately and persistently contaminate their recycling and for the most serious offences we are prepared to fine people and take court action if necessary.

“While we can only collect certain things in the green bins from the kerbside, the Household Recycling Centre at Hill and Moor is able to take a wider range of items.

“The majority of our residents are keen recyclers. We recycled 43 per cent of all waste collected across Wychavon last year – that’s about 13,600 tonnes - and by working together we can prevent even more from going to landfill.”

Councillor Anthony Blagg, cabinet member with responsibility for environment on Worcestershire County Council, added: “Given disposing of our waste to landfill costs county taxpayers more than £11million annually, it’s important the right items go in the right bin so we can ensure we are recycling all we can.”

For more information on what can and cannot be recycled, visit wychavon.gov.uk/recycling-guide. Tips and guidance are also available on the Wychavon District Council Facebook page.