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This is another article that had to be dropped from the winter issue of the Selattyn & Gobown Parish Roundabout due to lack of space and the fact that the changes had already been implemented. Any views? Unfortunately cardboard can no longer be put in garden waste bins or sacks. This change was approved at Shropshire Council Cabinet today and will affect all households in the Shropshire Council area. Why is it changing? Recent changes to national composting regulations mean that any compost produced across the UK must now be of a much higher quality. This new standard is called PAS 100:2011. The new rules mean that compost can no longer contain cardboard because the inks, dyes and coatings on cardboard may contaminate the compost. Compost producers will no longer accept garden waste and cardboard that is mixed together. This means, regrettably, we will no longer be able to collect cardboard for composting. What happens next? To inform householders of this change, a leaflet will be put under the lids of all rubbish bins from the 31 October 2011. A permanent sticker will then be put on garden waste bin lids to act as a reminder to residents not to put cardboard in. When will the change start? Residents will no longer be able to put cardboard in their garden waste bin (or sack) from Monday 28 November 2011. What will residents do with their cardboard now? We will ask householders to continue to recycle their cardboard by taking it, if they are able, to their nearest Household Recycling Centre. Otherwise we will be advising them to put their cardboard waste in their rubbish bin. Veolia are also looking for suitable sites around the county to place approximately 20 bring banks for cardboard. What happens if residents put cardboard in their garden waste bins (or sacks) after 28 November? If cardboard is in garden waste bins (or sacks) after 28 November Veolia will not be able to empty it. After this date, if cardboard is mixed in, entire loads of garden waste would be rejected at the composting facility and it would then have to be sent to landfill. Residents will get a bin hanger which explains why their bin has not been emptied and what they should do. The future We are working with Veolia to find new practical and cost effective ways of collecting cardboard in the future to make sure that we continue to recycle as much of our waste as possible.