Recycling Roundup 23rd October

Recycling Roundup 23^rd October

Residents in the Montpelier area of Bristol have accused Bristol Waste, the company contracted to collect recycling by the council, of refusing to collect recycling boxes if they are ‘contaminated.’

The company’s policy states that they are not obliged to collect recycling boxes if they contain broken glass, nappies, needles, or pet waste, but residents are saying that this means that recycling is being left for weeks without being collected. Residents have complained that the company has not told them what is acceptable for recycling, and so recycling has simply piled up in the street.

The company state that they leave stickers on ‘contaminated’ boxes which explains to the resident why their recycling has not been collected. They added that they are working with residents to improve recycling rates and to address the problem.

Image courtesy of WRAP UK

Casepak, the recycling and waste management company, have been awarded the contract to handle recycling on behalf of Leicestershire County Council. The council put out a tender in a bid to cut its recycling and waste management bill.

The company will handle paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, metal, and aluminium, which will be sent to their multi-million-pound recycling facility which handles a huge 150,000 tonnes of recycling every year.

Casepak’s initial contract will be for 4 years, and is set to begin in April 2018. The company has contracts with other councils in the area.

The council state that they hope that the new contract will boost recycling rates, and save them £1 million per year. They added that they are happy that a local company has won the contract as it contributes to the local economy.

Cornwall Council have revealed their overall recycling rates and they vary very widely across the county. While areas like Truro boast a rate of 30%, other areas like China Clay only recycle around 15% of their rubbish. The average Cornish household throws away 500kg of rubbish every year, 25% of which could have been recycled.

A survey revealed that only 4 in 10 residents feel confident that they are putting their recycling in the correct bins, and the council believe that this might be behind the poor recycling rates. The council highlighted the need for better information to be given to the public and they have launched a social media campaign to help residents understand what can be recycled, what happens to their waste, and how recycling helps the environment.