Nothing rubbish about new recycling service

FROM the first Monday in July, High Peak residents will be able to recycle plastics at the kerbside for the first time.

The Borough Council will deliver a new, brown wheeled bin to all households over a six-week period starting on Monday, May 21.

The new bin will be used for:

• Plastics – including bottles, tubs and trays
• Food tins and drinks cans
• Empty aerosols
• Foil
• Newspapers and magazines
• Cardboard packaging and boxes.

The expanded service, operated by contractors Veolia Environmental Services, will mean that around half of all households will see a change to the day or week during which their bins are emptied. But a leaflet spelling out the changes will be delivered to all properties alongside the new bin.

Anthony McKeown, executive councillor for community services, said: “The addition of plastics to the kerbside scheme means that we now have a truly comprehensive recycling service.

“The new, improved service is great news for keen recyclers who will no longer have to put up with the inconvenience and fuel costs of taking plastics to the neighbourhood recycling centres. The change will also see the end of the blue bags, with just the red bag for clothing being retained as part of the new service.

“And there will no longer be any need for people to put plastics in their black bin, along with general rubbish destined for incineration or landfill. Keeping waste out of landfill not only protects the environment, it also reduces our disposal costs and helps us keep council tax down”, he stressed.

The new brown bin will work alongside the green-lidded bin for garden waste and food scraps, the black bin for residual rubbish, and the green kerbside box – which will be used for glass only from Monday, July 2.

Cllr McKeown added: “The facility to recycle plastics at the kerbside is something that residents have wanted for a long time. That’s why I know that households will take to the new service with their customary enthusiasm, building on achievements that saw our recycling rate double to 42 per cent in the three years to 2010/11”.