| BRECKLAND COUNCIL Residents’ commitment key to high recycling rates
Details In 2002, Breckland Council launched a new kerbside twin wheeled bin recycling scheme that has rapidly grown in popularity and is achieving impressive levels of recycling, increasing from 4% to over 30% and achieving the council’s March 2004 target. The key to the success of the scheme is the introduction of an alternative weekly refuse/recyclables collection service following extensive consultation with householders in the community. The consultation was carried out in December 2001 to establish what approach to waste residents would prefer. Five options were presented on how Breckland’s waste could be managed to enable the council to achieve statutory recycling targets. Residents voted in favour of a fortnightly approach, allowing the council to use one fleet of vehicles and crew to collect both dry recyclable and residual waste by alternating the week of collection for each type of waste, i.e. week A = dry recyclables, week B = residual waste. The scheme was initiated in a pilot area in 2002 and since then has been expanded to serve 52,000 households. The remaining 1500 households became involved in the scheme in January 2004. Dry recyclable materials collected in the new black 240l wheeled bin include paper, card, food and drinks cans, aerosols and plastics bottles. Residents use their existing green 240l wheeled bin for residual refuse, with garden waste collected via a chargable service or deposited at household waste recycling centres. No residual side waste is accepted. The fortnightly approach has been well received and has allowed the council to offer a comprehensive collection of dry recyclable materials at minimal additional cost. It has been noted that on residual waste collection weeks, vehicles are making noticeably fewer visits to landfill than before, indicating that the quantity of waste being deposited in the residual bins has been reduced. “The scheme has been implemented very smoothly, which is evident in the rapid increase in our previous recycling rate from 4% to over 30% in the areas were recycling has been operating,” says Peter Cockburn, Community Waste Officer. “Change is never easy, but residents have adapted very quickly to a new way of thinking and it is with their commitment that the scheme has proved successful.” To ensure residents understand how the scheme operates a high-profile awareness campaign was carried out by Breckland Council, targeting all households in each phase. Following the launch of the scheme and the promotional campaign, Breckland estimates to achieve an overall recycling rate of 25% (including green waste), by March 2004. With the whole District recycling, the next annual figure is estimated to increase to around 33%. Further information www.breckland.gov.uk |
