THE borough's new recycling scheme has again been slammed after bin men were seen throwing cardboard and plastic in with general waste.

Under the new system, which is run by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, the bins are supposed to be emptied into different sides of the collection lorries to ensure the recyclable material isn't contaminated.

But residents in Spencer Way, Redhill, were shocked when they saw the refuse collectors throwing all the waste into the same side of the lorry, meaning none of it could then be recycled.

It comes after The Mirror reported last month how paper and cardboard was being mixed in with food waste, again meaning none of it could be recycled.

Chris Moore, 47, lives on Spencer Way.

He said: "People have gone to a lot of trouble to recycle and these bin men come along and mix it all together in the back of the lorry. It's a joke to be honest. We spend the week washing tins out and they're just throwing it into the back of the lorry."

Mr Moore added that when he phoned the council and asked if people actually had to recycle, he was told that residents didn't, but the council would charge them an extra £31 a year for another bin.

Other residents have complained that the collection timetable is not being followed properly and they are being left with overflowing bins for weeks on end.

Gary Walker, who lives in Woodmansterne Lane, Banstead, said: "As most of the bins are now only emptied fortnightly, it means that the soiled cat litter is only emptied every two weeks.

"The food waste bin is not of use to me as I use nearly all my food, and any waste is thrown out to the birds.

"I am certainly not happy with this system – it should be changed back to the old one."

Tracy Langdale from Horley also contacted the Mirror about the new system.

She said: "It's a bit of a joke really.

"The bin men are saying they can't take the rubbish because it's not been separated properly, but then they just dumping everything in one lorry

"We're a big family and the bin isn't big enough so we had to phone up about that as well."

The council refused to comment on the issue of recycling being mixed in with general waste by their workers.

In a statement a spokesman said: "The council's new recycling and refuse service has led to significant reduction of tonnage waste being diverted from landfill and recycled.

"A small percentage of weekly collections are missed but, in relation to the number of collections per week, this is a small amount and we strive to remedy missed collections within two working days."

The council aims to boost recycling from 38 per cent to 60 per cent by 2015.

Artcile from SurreyMirror in thisissurreytoday