Residents urged to build on success to date and recycle more to protect our planet
Recycling rates in Telford and Wrekin have increased, but householders are being urged to separate waste and recycle more after a recent sample study of waste collected showed that more than 50% of household rubbish going into red top bins could have been recycled.
The annual results table published by Defra released in March this year, showed 47% of household waste was recycled in the borough in 2019/20, up 2.2% on the previous year, and 3.2% better than the average in England of 43.8%. Whilst the news was welcomed by local councillors and Veolia, more can be done to improve the amount households are recycling.
Veolia’s sample analysis found that more than half the material placed in the red top bin could actually have been recycled, comprising:
- 34% food waste
- 9% paper and card
- 6% plastics, tins and glass
- 3% textiles
- 0.2% batteries and bulbs
- 0.6% Garden Waste
As recycling is one of the best ways we can have a positive impact on our planet, Veolia, the UK’s leading resource management company, and Telford & Wrekin Council are raising awareness of recycling to encourage residents to take more recycling out of their red top bin and make better use of their purple top bin, their blue bag and, particularly, their food caddies.
Steve Mitchell, Regional Director for Veolia said: “We have been thrilled with the way the new food waste service was introduced and the support we received from the local community. This analysis shows we still have a great deal more work to do to ensure these valuable materials end up in the correct container, so we can continue to preserve our world's natural resources.
“The food waste that we found in the red top bins could have been recycled and gone on to create enough energy to boil a kettle nearly 22,000 times! It would also have produced nearly 8,000 tonnes of fertiliser to restore farmland, as well as avoiding nearly 3,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
“I urge anyone who is unsure of how to use their recycling service to visit Telford & Wrekin Council’s webpages for guidance.”
Cllr Lee Carter, Telford & Wrekin Council cabinet member for neighbourhood services, said: “The increase in our recycling rate is great news, but the results of Veolia’s analysis show there’s still a lot more we can all do by making better use of our kerbside recycling collections. As well as benefiting our planet, recycling brings the disposal costs down, which reduces pressure on budgets. The money saved helps us to protect other frontline services that our residents need."
Cllr Carolyn Healy, cabinet member for climate change, added: “Reducing waste and recycling more is part of our journey to becoming carbon neutral. We can all do our bit to help protect our planet, whether it’s buying less at the weekly shop, ensuring we eat what we have bought, composting when we can and recycling any food waste in our weekly food collection.”
Tips on recycling, making best use of your kerbside collections, and ordering containers and food candies here. There’s also lots of information in your annual collection calendar.
Details on the borough’s carbon footprint action plan and ways you can get help make a difference Sustainable Telford and Wrekin.
Defra results for local authority collected waste for England here.
