Adur and Worthing councils in West Sussex expects to see recycling rates increase by between 5-7% following a move to alternate weekly collections for waste and recycling.
From September 2019, most residents will see their general waste (grey lid) collected one week and their recycling (blue lid) the next, in a bid to “boost recycling”. Currently, residual waste is collected weekly.
An infographic produced by Adur and Worthing councils
Waste bins
The news comes as the council reveal that more than half of the waste produced by residents in Adur and Worthing, placed in their general waste bins, can be recycled or reduced.
Just 42% of the waste produced by residents should be going in the grey-lidded general waste bin, the council claims. The council says that in the main this material is made up of food waste which makes up nearly 30% of general tonnage, followed by plastics, paper and glass. Garden waste, textiles and electrical waste are also found in the general waste bin.
Despite calling for an improvement in recycling rates, the council does not currently offer food waste collections. Instead it advises residents to dispose of this material in the grey general waste bin.
Recycling rates
Currently, only 36% of waste collected in Adur district and Worthing borough is recycled or composted – below the average for West Sussex, the council notes.
Councillor Emma Evans, Adur district council’s executive member for environment, said: “These figures show quite clearly that we can improve on our recycling, and over the next few months we will be working with residents to show them what they can do.”
Councillor Edward Crouch, Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for Environment, said: “Not only is it good for the environment to recycle more and send less to landfill, but when we move to alternate weekly bin collections, it will also help residents reduce the amount which goes in their general waste bin.”
Adur and Worthing councils are encouraging residents to recycle more
According to the council, over 75% of local authorities in the UK have now moved to alternate weekly collections and many have seen a reduction in waste and an increase in recycling “by up to seven per cent”.
Following the changes, Adur & Worthing Councils said they expect to see recycling rates increase by between 5-7% per year, helping them move towards the national target of recycling 50% of waste by 2020.
Cllr Evans added: “We think people understand the need to do more to protect the environment. We also need to save costs in these strict budgetary times. The evidence is clear that we can do both by moving to alternate weekly collections.”
Recycling is collected commingled and sent to a materials recycling facility (MRF) in Ford, near Arundel, operated by Viridor. Collections are carried out in-house.
The post Adur and Worthing gears up for alternate-weekly collections appeared first on letsrecycle.com.
Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
