CRAVEN householders who throw the wrong kind of rubbish in their blue 'recycling bins' are being warned they run the risk of them going unemptied.

The council says it has been forced to act after recycling bins have been use for the disposal of crisp packets, clothing, pet food pouches, and even nappies and bits of old vacuum cleaners.

All such rubbish it not able to be sent on for recycling by the council, and renders the bins 'contaminated'.

Now, the council, which only extended what it could recycle in June, is reminding people what they can - and cannot - put in their blue bins.

In the meantime, waste collection crews will be checking bins, and any with the wrong kind of rubbish will go uncollected, and a red sticker put on them, explaining why.

Residents with a red sticker will be told the remove the offending rubbish and try again on their next collection day - or take it themselves to Household Waste Recycling Centres at Skipton or Settle.

Red sticker householders will also be asked not to call the council's customer service desk to report it as a missed collection.

Wyn Ashton, environmental services and housing manager at Craven District Council, said: “We understand that it can be difficult to remember which items can be recycled. This is why we have put new stickers on all residents’ blue recycling bins, reminding them exactly what can and can’t be placed in the bin. This information is also available on our website.

“Please remember that the waste in blue recycling bins must be loose, not bagged, and we also ask residents to wash and squash items before placing them in the bin. Clothing and other textiles cannot be accepted.

“If the amount of contaminated waste becomes too high, this costs the council - and the council taxpayer – money, so we need to ensure the correct materials are placed in the bin.”

The council’s waste processor, J and B Recycling, has been investigating after the amount of contaminated waste being placed in Craven bins increased significantly over recent weeks.

Other rubbish found included plastic and foil laminated paper, plastic film, jiffy bags, polystyrene, pet food pouches, and packaging contaminated with food.

From June residents have been able to place more items in their blue bins, including a new range of plastic and foil items. However, there are many items which are not suitable for recycling.

The new items which can be accepted since June include foil containers and trays, clean aluminium foil, plastic ready meal trays - as long as they are not black - yogurt and jelly pots, margarine and ice-cream tubs, fruit and veg punnet containers, cream and soup or sauce pots, and clear bubble wrap.

Items which cannot be recycled include clothing and other textiles, black plastic of any kind, any bagged waste, any food waste, paint tins or wallpaper, toys, garden furniture, bin liners, cling film or plastic film, food wrappers, crisp packets or tubes, books, and cereal plastic inner bags.

Items should also be washed and squashed and bottle tops should be placed back on plastic bottles.

To find out what can and cannot be put in the blue bins, go to: cravendc.gov.uk/recycling where a copy of the sticker can also be downloaded and printed.