Residents in Rotherham who place the “wrong” type of rubbish in their bins could be taken to court and be fined up to £2,500 under strict new council measures.
Town hall officials in the South Yorkshire authority will also be monitoring reports of households who leave their bins out on the street after 7pm on the day of collection.
As well as this, Rotherham council bosses will use computer records to check on claims from those who complain their bins were not properly emptied.
The strict initiative comes as the council reports the contamination of recycling bins is costing more than £1million extra per year due to extra disposal costs and lost recycling income.
The initial fine for breaking any of these rules ranges from £80 to £400. If this is not paid, residents could then end up in court and served with a conviction and a fine costing up to £2,500.
121,800 houses which house 271,000 residents will be hit with the new measures in April 2025, alongside a public consultation.
Rotherham says the move could help to meet the council’s recycling target of 45%, reduce waste management costs and ensure that recyclable materials are processed correctly.
The plans include a ‘traffic light’ system for the contaminated recycling bins. First-time offenders will receive a yellow tag warning on their bin, a second violation will see an orange tag accompanied by a warning letter and a third offence will see a red tag and a fixed penalty notice handed to residents.
The council has also proposed a positive enforcement scheme where locals who have previously broken the rules, but have changed their habits, will see a green tag on their bin as a reward.
Educational campaigns through local media, digital tools, and outreach programs will focus on reducing contamination and encouraging better waste sorting.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Taxpayers are fed up with wasting their time sorting through rubbish.
“While wanting to increase recycling may be a noble ambition, these increasingly complex rules and reduced collections risk punishing hard working households who make innocent mistakes.
“Local authorities should focus on providing the services residents pay for, not petty bureaucracy that belongs in the bin.”
