People who leave used masks and gloves in their recycling boxes will NOT get them collected, council bosses have warned.
North Somerset Council says it has seen an increase in recent weeks in people leaving used PPE, such as face masks and gloves in their kerbside recycling boxes.
People are being urged to protect the health and safety of collection crews by putting any potentially contaminated waste in their black general waste bin.
A spokesman for North Somerset Council said: “We are seeing an increase in disposable masks and gloves being put in recycling boxes.
“These are not recyclable and for their safety crews will not collect boxes where they find them.
“Please put all disposable PPE in your black general waste bin.”
The warning comes just weeks after concerns were raised about the amount of masks and gloves being discarded on the district’s streets.
Council contractors collected more than 200 dumped masks on Weston-super-Mare beach in just weekend.
And they said that double that number were left littered around the town centre.
Crews have also been faced with recycling boxes left out for collection stuffed full of used tissues.
The rise in the number of discarded face masks is thought to be down to the fact it is now mandatory to wear a face covering in shops and pubs.
People are being urged to use reusable face masks where possible.
The spokesman added; “People do not have to use single use face coverings as there are ones which can be washed and re-used.
“For those who do use the single use masks we would ask them to do the obvious thing and dispose of them properly in the bins provided.
“If the bins are full, the message is simple, people should take their rubbish home with them and put them in their own bin.
“Littering is not only unsightly but discarding items like this is a potential health risk to our crews.
“Our crews should not be forced to pick items up like this just because people cannot be bothered to do the right thing."
People can already be issued £75 fines for littering, dog fouling and antisocial behaviour and other breaches of a public space protection order that covers the whole of North Somerset.
