Cornwall Council to Increase Recycling

Cornwall Council has taken a major step forward to help increase recycling rates in Cornwall with this week's decision to look at the opportunities to collect and recycle a wider variety of materials.

Following last year's decision to maintain weekly rubbish collection as part of the new single waste contract, the Council has now agreed to look at including other types of plastics in the kerbside recycling collection service.  The decision is subject to a detailed report on the financial and operational implications of the proposal.

The new kerbside recycling service, being delivered by Cory Environmental Municipal Services across Cornwall from April 2012, will mean everyone in Cornwall will have the same recycling collection service.  Householders will be provided with a reusable box and three bags which will be delivered over the coming months.  

Proposing the recommendation to include mixed plastics and tetrapaks in the recycling service, Julian German, the Council's portfolio holder for waste management, said it was vital that Cornwall increased its recycling rates.  "By streamlining the way we collect recyclable materials such as glass, plastic bottles, cardboard, cans and paper, we make it easier for everyone to recycle and provide residents with a value for money service" he said. "We hope this will encourage more people to recycle what they can, helping to reduce landfill costs and preserve the environment."

Members of the Cabinet also agreed to the changes to the current system for collecting garden waste.  Under the new system, which will be introduced on 1 April, garden waste will be an optional subscription service using wheelie bins and reusable bags for collection. 

Currently householders can buy garden waste bags at 74 pence each – which equates to a cost of £23.50 to dispose of around 1,860 litres of garden waste.  People using the new wheeled bin service will be able to dispose of 6,340 litres of waste for the same cost – making the new service around three times cheaper.

Householders who subscribe to the service will have their garden waste collected fortnightly on an allocated day.  Anyone who does not want to subscribe can continue to use household waste recycling centres or compost their garden waste at home.

"By collecting green waste in this way, residents only pay for what they need, making it a much fairer system across Cornwall" said Julian German.  "It also means that those without gardens, or who take their garden waste to the HWRCs, or compost at home, will not be subsidising the service – only those who want it, pay for it! 

"This will save council tax payers' money because collection vehicles only need to visit the streets and properties where the service has been requested, rather than visiting every street as is currently the case. "