New waste and recycling collection scheme embraced
Residents are responding well to St Albans City and District Council’s new waste and recycling collection scheme, recycling 60.5% of household waste last month. They are “embracing” the new scheme that was launched in June 2016, according to a report presented to Cabinet on Thursday 26 January.
Roll out of the scheme to all homes in the District, including flats, was completed in November 2016. The latest statistics show that residents recycled 59.6% of household waste in the final quarter of 2016, up from 53% for the same period in 2015. For the last quarter, there was a 30.5% increase on the previous year, in the amount of glass, cans and mixed plastics, all now collected using the black bin. Over the same period, food and garden waste tonnages increased by 12.1% year on year and the amount of waste sent to landfill reduced by 13.6%. Projections indicate that the 2016/17 target of 57% should be achieved.
The report covers performance under the new waste management and street cleansing contract awarded to contractors Veolia Environmental Services earlier this year.
It acknowledges that there were early service delivery problems in October, mainly in relation to the emptying of on-street litter bins and street cleansing. These were mostly caused by staff shortages at Veolia and the majority of the issues have now been resolved. The contract is now fully staffed with permanent employees. As a result, street cleanliness performance has improved and a revised District-wide cleansing programme will be implemented in February 2017.
The routine emptying of litter bins is also no longer being reported as a significant issue. Cllr Daniel Chichester-Miles, Portfolio Holder for Environment for St Albans City and District Council, said:
“The new waste management and street cleansing contract is bedding down and initial teething problems are being overcome. I want to thank everyone living in the District for helping us increase recycling and reducing the amount of waste being sent to landfill. Please continue to recycle all your cans, glass, plastics, paper, card and garden and food waste. I am sure that by working together to recycle as much waste as possible we can boost the annual recycling rate to more
than 60%.
“Council officers are now looking at ways to improve recycling rates ward-by-ward. This will include boosting communications with residents in low performing areas. There will also be continued promotion of initiatives to reduce food waste. Use of the weekly food waste collection has a significant impact on reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.”
The full report on the new waste management and street cleansing contract is included in the agenda and papers for the meeting. Under the new waste and recycling scheme, the Council introduced a combined collection for cans, foil, plastics, glass bottles and jars, as well as a separate weekly food collection.
Full details of the new scheme are available at: https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/recycling-and-rubbish.
The Cabinet meeting on Thursday 26 January was webcast and can be watched on the Council’s website.
Councillor contact:
Cllr Daniel Chichester-Miles, Portfolio Holder for Environment for St Albans City and District Council
Tel: 01727 819281
Email: cllr.d.chichester-miles@stalbans.gov.uk
Contact for the media:
Amanda Wilkinson,
Senior Communications Officer
St Albans City and District Council
Tel: 01727 819317
E-mail: amanda.wilkinson@stalbans.gov.uk
www.stalbans.gov.uk
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