As they hand sort through items that are supposedly recyclable they are forced to deal with rubbish that not only damages the environment but threatens their safety.

Elouera Recycling’s Daniel Robinson said most people would not believe the things that come out of some resident’s recycling bin.

Mr Robinson said that one of the most disturbing discoveries recently is a number of used needles.

“People are not doing the right thing. There are plenty of places to dispose of needles in Cootamundra,” Mr Robinson said.

Other items disposed of in the recycling bin on a regular basis are dirty nappies, food scraps and recyclables that have not been cleaned and contain off milk.

“We’ve had a bag of dog faeces in the recycling which obviously contaminates a lot of the other recyclable items with it,” Mr Robinson said.

“Last week staff discovered a dead seven foot python!”

Cootamundra Shire Council engineering director Gary Arthur said that despite continuous international, national and local education campaigns about recycling people seem to get complacent or just don’t care.

He believes that Cootamundra is no different to anywhere else, however, stressed the importance of separating recyclables from other forms of waste and putting thought into how we dispose of our waste.

Cootamundra mayor Paul Braybrooks said that apart from the environmental cost, there is a greater cost to residents if they don’t recycle.

“Anything that doesn’t get recycled goes to land fill at Bald Hill. The more waste that gets transported to that facility the greater the cost,” Cr Braybrooks said.

“Recyclables that are extracted from the general waste decreases the amount of rubbish going to landfill and therefore the cost to us all.”

The council pays $80.70 per tonne to transfer waste to Bald Hill and over the past 12 months 4028 tonnes of waste have been transferred to the site.