People living in a part of Sittingbourne are being reminded of what can and cannot go in their recycling - as bin men have been told not to collect contaminated bins.

Swale council is sending more than 1,000 letters to households in Kemsley after a large number of people in the area - some 80% of households - were found to be putting non-recyclable items in their blue bins.

A council spokesman said: “The council’s waste contractors have been told not to collect bins that have been contaminated as this could lead to the entire lorry load being rejected at the waste transfer station.

“This would then need to be sent to landfill which costs more than twice as much, over £100 a tonne, than recycling.”

He added: “The letter thanks those who are getting it right and lists the kinds of items that can and can’t go into the blue bin.

“The most common items mistakenly put in there include crisp packets, sweet wrappers, food waste and black sacks.”

The warning comes just one month after people living on the Great Easthall estate were being told about the same issue.

At that time the council sent just under 900 letters to households on the estate.

The council said the reminder had worked well in Great Easthall and it was hoping for the same effect in Kemsley.

A spokesman said: “In late June, early July we have had three loads rejected due to a high volume of contamination.

“This was traced back to routes covering Kemsley.

“When officers went out with the crews on their rounds to investigate they found almost 80% of bins were contaminated.”

He added: “Following the improvement seen in Great Easthall after a letter drop, it was decided to try the same in Kemsley, including photographs of the kinds of contamination officers found.

“We hope this will help people in the area understand the service. We also hope to encourage them to take steps to avoid contaminating their recycling, which ultimately costs them money.”

When asked how much the letter drops had cost the council, the spokesman said the 892 reminders sent to Great Easthall equalled £257.92 ,while the 1,070 letters sent to properties in Kemsley cost £331.70.

To check what can and cannot be recycled, click here.

Read more: All the latest news from Sittingbourne