Recycling continues to rise in the borough
Recycling continues to rise in the borough with the latest figures showing residents recycling over 2,000 tonnes more in 2015 than the previous year. This is an increase of 17 percent.
As a result, the recently published national League tables for Local Authority recycling performance show Telford & Wrekin is significantly climbing the table, overtaking 25 other local Authorities since last year alone.
This rise in the rate of recycling can in part be attributed to the introduction of the purple top bin. Veolia, the Council’s appointed Contractor, issued a purple top bin for glass, cans and plastic to residents in June 2014.
The purple top bin replaced the previous small red box and orange net, reducing the requirement to separate waste and therefore making the option of recycling more attractive to local residents. A blue bag is also used to collect paper and card.
The added benefit of the purple top bin being much larger also means that it is now easier to recycle larger quantities of waste.
The benefits of recycling are immense. First and foremost, the more waste that is recycled, the less pressure there is on landfill. Therefore this significantly reduces the impact on the environment.
Since the introduction of the new system, when comparing recycling collected in 2013/14, accumulatively over the last 2 years an additional 9,500 tonnes of recycling materials have been collected from residents.
An example of the difference each family can make is immense. If each family recycled just 1kg more of both green waste and recyclable material each collection, this would equate to a further £210k saving per year, a figure worth noting!
Councillor Shaun Davies, cabinet member for Business, Neighbourhood and Customer Service, said: “Our increase in recycling in the borough and our excellent surge up the league table in just one year is excellent news. I am sure that this increase is partly related to the introduction of the purple top bin from June 2014.
“However, I am also sure that residents in the borough are continuing to become more savvy about recycling and all its benefits.
“I am hopeful that this year we will see a further increase in recycling, given that this will be the first full year that the purple top bins will have been in use.
“But let’s not rest on our laurels and assume that we will do better. We still have two months before the end of the financial year, and by taking an extra second to think about each piece of rubbish we are about to throw away, we could actually make last year’s achievement look small.
“And we mustn’t forget about the savings that recycling can bring. We now know how much the Council must cut from its budget over the next three years. It might sound crazy, but if we each make an effort to recycle a little bit more we could help support vital Council services.
To find out more about what can be recycled in Telford and Wrekin visit www.telford.gov.uk/recycling
