Skull, deer’s leg and dead hedgehog among weird objects found in recycling
– Enfield’s recycling efforts diverting waste from landfill
– New informative posters to help residents to make recycling easier

Enfield residents appear to have a macabre side, with a skull being one of the more unusual items found in a recycling bin by perplexed refuse collectors.

Enfield Council’s recycling team has come up with the top ten weirdest things found in recycling receptacles in the last year and the am-dram, fake skull certainly shocked them when it stared back at them during a collection earlier this year, momentarily halting operations while it was investigated.

The gothic theme appears to be strong in Enfield; a dead hedgehog, false teeth and a deer’s leg – hoof intact – also made the list, as did scatological items, such as dog faeces and toilet seats.

Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Daniel Anderson, said: “It may not quite be Nightmare on Elm Street, but there is a serious side to all this. Incorrect items thrown into a blue bin can lead to an entire recycling load being rejected and instead being diverted to landfill, which is both financially and environmentally expensive.
“We are proud of the efforts most residents make to recycle and Enfield Council is endeavouring to make recycling as easy as possible as part of its campaign to build strong communities.

“Nonetheless, every year nearly a thousand tonnes of contaminated recycling material is thrown away simply because people think nothing of tossing any old items into their recycling bins. It’s got to stop.”

Other recently discovered ‘oddities’ in recycling bins have included a leg of lamb and car engine parts.
Blow-up dolls and vibrators were discovered in recycling bins back in 2013.

The blue-lidded recycling bins can hold all manner of items, such as food tins and cans, glass bottles, empty aerosols, paper and card, but they can’t take clothes or shoes, foil, electrical items, nappies or shredded paper.

For a full list of what can and can’t go in your recycling bins, please see Enfield Council’s website. Go to: https://new.enfield.gov.uk/services/rubbish-and-recycling/household-collections/what-goes-in-your-bin/. Barrowell Green Recycling Centre in Winchmore Hill can accept many things.

Residents also need to make sure they remove the lids to bottles and to rinse out any food from recyclable receptacles. Look out for the Council’s posters around the Borough and new livery on refuse vehicles, explaining how best to recycle.

Notes:

People recycle the weirdest things. The top-ten list is as follows:
Leg of lamb
Skull (false)
Dog faeces
Car engine parts
Dead hedgehog
Deer leg (with hoof)
Toilet Seats
Wig (real, not comedy)
False teeth
Tent

*Each rejected truck-load of recycling waste costs Enfield Council £1,000 to send to landfill sites.

Further information on recycling can be found here: https://new.enfield.gov.uk/services/rubbish-and-recycling/household-collections/recycling-banks/