The Chair said that he requested a workshop was held at Sittingbourne Area Committee on how to improve recycling rates in Sittingbourne. He said he was keen to hear what people’s thoughts were on what could be done to improve recycling rates.

Why we should recycle – the Government have a 25 year environment plan to have zero avoidable waste by 2050. Each rejected load costs £2,000 more than if the load was recycled and there were benefits to the planet by reusing valuable resources.

What was contamination – it referred to the presence of incorrect or unsuitable materials within a waste or recycling stream.

Consequences of contamination - contamination could disrupt sorting operations, increase costs and cause otherwise recyclable items to be rejected and treated as refuse.

Contamination rates – spoiled loads in Swale could cost the tax payer more than £1m this financial year if the current rate continued. Between April and July 2025, 181 collections were spoiled across Sittingbourne, Sheppey and Faversham. The highest number of rejected recycling loads took place on Fridays, mainly from the Sittingbourne area.

Most common contaminants – included textiles, food waste, electrical items, black sacks containing non-recyclable waste, sanitary items, nappies and personal hygiene products.

Battery fires – one battery could start a fire in a refuse vehicle or waste facility when crushed or damaged. Lithium-ion batteries were a leading cause of waste truck fires. Fires put crews at serious risk and they could destroy vehicles costing tens of thousands of pounds. It was an increasing problem due to vapes and toys, batteries should be removed and disposed of at donation points which could be found at www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk

Items that cannot be recycled kerbside – just because something can be recycled, it does not mean it belonged in your blue bin. Many items could be recycled using participating shops, pharmacies and manufacturers take-back schemes.

Simpler recycling – from April 2027 residents would be able to recycle flexible plastics kerbside.  But until then, please continue to take flexible plastics and film to your local supermarket. More information could be found at www.gov.uk/guidance/simpler-recycling-household-recycling-in-England

The following comments were raised and responded to by the Environment Campaigns & Performance Officer and the Environmental Contracts Manager:

·       Education in some areas was a challenge, could letters be sent out to households? officers responded that Swale Borough Council (SBC) were starting a joint campaign with Kent County Council (KCC) and would be monitoring crews initially. They would then follow-up with letters. The campaign would start in April 2026 in Sittingbourne. This was a countywide project and Swale was the pilot area.

·       There was a potential cost to life as every Fire & Rescue crew attending a truck fire, were not available to attend house fires. Members suggested putting together a video jointly with the Kent Fire & Rescue Service (KFRS) to highlight this issue. Officers would contact KFRS to see what campaigns they had planned.

·       Some people could not travel to recycling centres – there were recycling bins in locations such as Milton Recreation Ground.

·       It was not always possible to completely clean out some food containers – officers confirmed that a small amount of residual food was acceptable but as much should be cleaned out as possible.

·       It was difficult to get clear sacks for recycling – officers advised that clear sacks were available at Swale House or Sheerness Gateway or could be ordered online. Cardboard boxes could also be used.

·       To help educate residents about what could be recycled, could stickers be put on bins? Officers said that new residents would have stickers on their recycling bins.

·       KCC were not making it easy to recycle at their centres which could result in fly-tipping. Could information be published about what could go there? Officers responded that Kent Resource were doing a campaign about this, and they would also speak to KCC about this issue.

·       To encourage education on recycling at schools, could there be a community recycling champions scheme where prizes could be awarded to the best school, it could be an incentive for children to recycle.

·       Currently residents in Sittingbourne High Street could not recycle. Officers responded that from 31 March 2026 recycling has got to be made available to all residents in Swale.

·       Could Tetra Paks be recycled? Officers said they will be recyclable in Swale from 6 April 2026.

The Chair thanked everyone for their input and asked if feedback on this item could be provided at a future Sittingbourne Area Committee meeting.

It was also agreed that a summary of this discussion should be submitted to the Environmental Services & Climate Change Committee for their information.