THOUSANDS of recycling bins have been removed from homes because people aren't using them. 

North Lanarkshire Council chiefs have confirmed the decision has also been prompted by "a decline" in the market for recyclable materials.

It's understood around 5000 blue bins from properties in the likes of Airdrie and Motherwell are due to be removed. 

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A council spokeswoman said: “When the council introduced its current household waste and recycling service in 2017, around 5,500 properties did not have space for the four bins required.

"As a result, those properties remained on the alternate weekly collection service; blue recycling bin for paper, card, metal and plastic, collected one week and a general waste bin the next.

Glasgow Times: North Lanarkshire Council's Motherwell HQ North Lanarkshire Council's Motherwell HQ

“Since then, the market for the mix of recyclable materials collected in the blue bin has declined and the cost to dispose of it is very high, even for high quality materials. 

"In general, contamination of the materials in the blue bins on the alternate weekly collection routes is so high it is unfit to be recycled. As a result, the council decided to remove the alternate weekly collections and provide these households with a weekly general waste collection.

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“We appreciate that some households have been recycling and want to continue, so we have directed them to other recycling facilities in their local area and will work with local communities on other recycling options.”