Recycling Contamination

Question

I understand that some recycling material put out by households for collection has to be sent to landfill because it hasn’t been cleaned properly by householders.
 
Could you please tell me what percentage and tonnage of material put out for recycling in your council area ends up in landfill because of “contamination”?
 
Do you know the financial cost to the council of this?

Answer

Could you please tell me what percentage and tonnage of material put out for recycling in your council area ends up in landfill because of “contamination”?

Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar (CNES) operate multiple methods to collect materials for recycling which include:
Co-mingled (Plastic, Paper & Cans) and Glass,
Twin Stream (Paper & Card and Plastic & Cans)
and also Bring Sites which mirror the service within the area.

The Co-mingled is positively picked to separate Paper and Plastic and processed Co-mingled prior to baling and sending away for recycling.  The Twin Stream is baled as two separate material types and sent away for recycling and Glass is also sent for recycling, our material is not generally rejected by the reprocessor. All the material that is sent for recycling is delivered to a reprocessing facility in Scotland, it is out with our control what happens to material thereafter.