RECYCLING SERVICE TO BE EXTENDED

Press Release

13 January 2012

A major overhaul of waste collection services, which will include simpler ‘co-mingled’ recycling for householders as well as bringing about big savings in the scheme’s £2.4m operating costs, has been approved by Melton councillors.

The Council Leader Cllr Rhodes said

“Our waste service will be changing from April 1st 2012. At present it costs over £2 million a year and savings have been found. Lengthy negotiations have reduced contract costs by over £100,000 a year, which will go a long way to keeping council tax frozen and meeting the government’s funding cuts. We think the changes are fair and reasonable and whilst customers will be asked to pay around £35 a year for their garden waste  to be collected fortnightly, we are going to change to a mixed collection of all recyclable materials in the brown wheeled bin. This will include almost everything that is recyclable and push up recycling rates by 25% and send less to landfill. All types of plastic and cartons will be accepted and using just one bin will make it easier to recycle”

At Wednesday’s meeting of the Rural, Economic and Environmental Affairs Committee, members agreed to adopt a new strategy which will remove the need for the small recycling boxes into which residents currently have to sort glass and some plastics or paper and cardboard. Instead, the brown “wheelie bin” currently used for garden refuse will be used for all recyclable materials as part of the new “comingled” system, enabling householders to simply put all of their recyclable materials into one container.

Cllr Orson the Committee Chair said “The council needs to change the way it collects recyclable materials to meet cuts to funding and stem rising costs. Following lengthy talks with our waste contractor a new service will start on April 1st  and will allow our residents to recycle almost everything , including all types of plastic, and will use a single wheeled bin in place of the boxes . We hope this very customer friendly service will be popular and that recycling will go up and less waste sent to landfill”

The new strategy will enable the council to keep collections on a fortnightly basis, with the black bin service for normal waste remaining unchanged. The service will still be provided by the Council’s current contractors, Biffa.

However, it will mean that the fortnightly collection of garden refuse will no longer be part of the overall council scheme. Instead, householders will be able to subscribe to a new “garden club” service operated independently by Biffa.

For around £35 a year, subscribers would receive a new “green” bin and have a fortnightly collection service as before. Alternatively, people with small or no garden refuse needs could simply decide not to subscribe or take their own garden refuse to their local council tip.

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