Council simplifies collection of waste services to increase efficiency

7.06.38pm UTC (GMT +0000) Sat 26th Jul 2008

• THE Council is proposing to simplify its waste and recycling services to improve efficiency and save money.

A report that goes before the council's cabinet on Monday 7 July will recommend a simplification to household collections to be introduced from November this year. Residents will receive a new blue box for paper and flattened cardboard. The existing black boxes will then be used for all glass bottles, cans, plastic bottles, and foil which will be collected and compressed in the same vehicle to be later separated at a special sorting facility. Last year's changes saw the council's recycling rate increase by more than one third to over 40% - among the highest in the country. But the new regime has been relatively expensive to operate and has caused confusion to some residents.

Talking about the new service proposals Cllr Martin Elengorn said: "The changes we introduced to our waste and recycling services last year have brought about a step change in our performance. When we started last autumn our recycling rate was just under 32% - we are now recycling at over 40%. We now feel the time is right to bring forward a further change that will make the service more cost effective and be simpler for residents while at the same time maintaining the high level of performance that we have been achieving since late last year. Over the next few months we will be writing to all residents to make sure that they fully understand the change. Importantly the new service will not involve any change to residents' collection days."