| Alternate weekly collections: increasing performance at little additional cost Alternate weekly collections, where residual refuse is collected on alternate weeks with recyclables/compostables, are becoming increasingly popular amongst local authorities. They enable comprehensive multi-material collections to be implemented at little additional cost and also encourage waste minimisation and recycling.
Details Eastleigh Borough Council (EBC) is one of thirteen local authorities in the County of Hampshire that form part of Project Integra, the name given to the integrated waste management partnership in Hampshire. There is a mix of rural and urban housing, for which the council provide in-house waste management and recycling services. In the mid-nineties Eastleigh operated a year long trial to assess the potential of alternate weekly collections for dry recyclables and residual refuse. Black sacks were used to collect the residual refuse on one week and clear sacks were used to collect the dry recyclables, which included plastic bottles, the following week. Key factors considered prior to making the decision to roll such a scheme out across the borough were: ease of use for residents; whether there were sustainable markets for the dry recyclables being collected; and whether the scheme had the potential to meet Government targets. The trial was a success and in 1996 Eastleigh proceeded to roll alternate weekly kerbside collections for dry recyclables and residual refuse out across the borough. However, the decision was taken to provide wheeled bins in place of sacks, in order to provide sufficient secure storage space for residents and easy and safe collection for operatives. Residual refuse is collected using grey wheeled bins, whilst dry recyclables are collected using green wheeled bins. 140l or 240l bins are allocated depending upon family size. Materials accepted for recycling include plastic bottles, food and drink cans, newspapers, magazines, catalogues and cardboard. The collection scheme now covers all of the 48,632 households in the Borough, enabling the council to achieve a 34.7% recycling rate (05/06). Once collected, the dry recyclables are transported to the transfer station at Otterbourne and from there to the materials recycling facility (MRF) at either Portsmouth or Alton, where they are sorted and bulked up ready for sale to end market. No additional collection vehicles were required when the council introduced the kerbside collection of recyclables, as the same collection vehicles are used to collect residual refuse one week and recyclables the next. Therefore, the only costs involved in introducing and operating the collection of recyclables was of supplying households with an additional wheeled bin together with ongoing costs of scheme promotion and education. Materials used to promote the scheme included collection day calendars, information leaflets, road shows, school visits (these can include undertaking a waste analysis to encourage waste minimisation), telephone helpline and coverage in local press. This was particularly important in addressing public concerns as the scheme was rolled out. Eastleigh have found that the best method of maintaining scheme performance is to provide constant information to raise awareness so that the importance of recycling is not forgotten. The council provides general information on all materials collected for recycling annually and produce focused articles in the council magazine 6 times a year. With regard to plastics they have found that stating “If it’s a bottle, use the recycling bin, if it’s not, use the residual bin” works best in terms of minimising contamination of the dry recyclables. In addition to the alternate weekly collection of dry recyclables and residual refuse, in July 2003, Eastleigh introduced a DEFRA-funded chargeable weekly collection of garden waste in a trial area. This has now been rolled out across the borough. In addition the Council also operates a kerbside collection for glass bottles and jars from 98% of its households. Further information www.eastleigh.gov.uk |
