Council warning over knives in recycling boxes

A local authority has asked residents not to put sharp items in their recycling boxes to "keep staff safe".

Douglas Council has confirmed knives have been found in kerbside collection boxes, which should have been disposed of in the metal bin at the civic amenity site.

Chairman of the council's Environmental Services Committee Falk Horning said broken glass and needles had also been found, which could also injure operatives.

But he said he believed "people had been trying to do the right thing by recycling their rubbish" and it was an "uncommon occurrence".

A kerbside collection service for many residents in the Manx capital was first introduced in 2008.

Horning told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that while protective gloves were worn, those tasked with sorting recycled items by hand were "in danger of getting cut", which meant "total protection" could not be given.

It was "really important" that staff faced that danger "as little as possible", he said.

The councillor said the team were on "very tight time schedule" to sort through boxes once they had been collected and had to "act fast" so "we can't have any sharp objects" inside.

He also said if broken glass was been left in a box, it could not be processed with the contents put in a rubbish bin.

He said the households that had left the items out "probably had the best intentions" and "wanted to recycle as much as possible", but the council needed to "ensure the safety of its staff ".

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