FIFE COUNCIL is urging families to be more careful about how they are recycling amid continued misuse and contamination of brown bin material.

The bins are only meant for garden and food waste but the bizarre list of items that has been found in them includes engine parts, a pushchair, a tin of syrup and paving slabs as well as the usual plastics and glass.

It is a costly problem for the council as the contents of brown bins are used in the £15million Anaerobic Digestion Plant at Lochhead, which converts the organic waste into methane that is then used to generate electricity.

But contaminated material can’t be used and as a result, the problem is costing the council unnecessary money as they are forced to take workers off other tasks and have them pick out the items by hand.

Last month, the Press reported that recycling bins being contaminated with general waste could cost Fife Council more than £500,000 per year in lost income and increased processing charges.

Now Councillor John Wincott, sustainability champion, has branded the situation a “major problem” that is proving expensive.

“Of course, it is important that all of the different bins are only used for the types of materials that they are supposed to be used for,” he said.

“But the brown bins are especially critical because they feed the AD Plant which has the potential to be a major resource for Fife Council.

"It is vital that the feedstock into the plant is uncontaminated or the impact on the operation of the plant could be significant so please use the brown bin only for garden and good waste.” For advice about recycling visit www.fifedirect.org.uk/wasteaware