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Berrylands’ residents rise to the recycling challenge
Recycling rates in Berrylands have quadrupled since a ground-breaking refuse and recycling trial was launched in the area at the beginning of March.
- The amount of waste being recycled using the kerbside green box has more than doubled from an average of 2.41kg per household per week up to 6.10kg per household per week
- An additional 3.58kg per household per week of cardboard and organic waste has been diverted from landfill since the trial began
- The amount of waste being sent to landfill has plummeted from an average of 7.73kg per household per week down to 4.47kg per household per week
Lee Marshall, Chair of the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee, said: “On first inspection, the waste minimisation and recycling figures from the Berrylands Trial look very impressive. The data is particularly interesting as the trial includes some features that are not yet being widely used, such as the weekly collection of food waste for recycling. Local Authorities across the country are having to make brave decisions in order to meet the challenging targets set for them by Government. The Berrylands Trial was a brave step for Kingston Council, but it is clearly paying off.”
Councillor Liz Shard, Executive Member for Sustainability and Biodiversity at Kingston Council, added: “The waste minimisation and recycling rates achieved since the Berrylands Trial began really are remarkable. These figures have been facilitated by the improved recycling service on offer, but it is the tremendous effort and support of residents living in the trial area that have achieved them, so I would like to thank them very much.
“Most of us are aware that sending our rubbish to landfill is bad for the environment. But there are also severe financial implications to burying our waste in the ground, and these are less well-understood. Kingston Council, along with every local authority in the country, has been set a very challenging target by central Government of achieving a 65% reduction in the amount of biodegradable waste we send to landfill by 2020. Authorities that do not meet these ‘landfill allowance’ targets will be penalised with heavy fines of £150 per tonne over their allowance. On top of this, Councils also have to pay a Landfill Tax, which at the moment is set at £24 per tonne, but by 2010 will have doubled to £48 per tonne.
“This has huge financial implications for all local authorities. Any areas of the country that do not succeed in dramatically reducing the amount of waste they send to landfill over the next decade face a very difficult future. To put things into perspective, based on the amount of rubbish we currently send to landfill, it would translate into an additional cost to Kingston Council of £1.5m – or 3% on council tax.”
Rob Dickson, Head of Environment and Sustainability at Kingston Council, concludes: “It is critically important that we are successful in dramatically reducing the amount of waste we send to landfill. The borough-wide waste management contract comes up for renewal in September 2008, providing us with the perfect opportunity to restructure our services and help us achieve this ambitious goal.
“We are fully aware that there are concerns amongst some residents in the trial area about certain aspects of the scheme, such as the size of the black wheelie bin and the number of different containers that are being used. But the participation rates and tonnage data speak for themselves and show that the vast majority of residents are playing an active role. The lessons learnt from the trial will be invaluable in helping us to shape the new services due to come online in September 2008.”