Residents lead the way in meeting the recycling challenge

The new recycling scheme, which introduced weekly food recycling and alternate weekly collections of refuse and dry-recycling materials in April 2011, has boosted Cheltenham’s recycling and composting figures to 50% between April and June 2011 compared to 35% in the same period in 2010. The amount of waste going to landfill is consequently down from 52kg to 37kg per household per month, and this is saving tax-payers around £500,000 per year in landfill tax.

Beth Boughton, waste and recycling manager said: “I am really pleased about the way Cheltenham residents have responded to the recycling challenge and are using the council’s services to recycle food, plastic bottles, cardboard and other materials that would have previously gone to landfill. Residents tell me that seeing how much food is going into the caddies also makes them realise how much food is wasted and that it helps them cut-down on the amount of food they buy.”

Cheltenham Borough Council’s garden waste collection is proving very popular with residents with over 10,500 households subscribing to the service at the end of July. At £36 a year this is less than £1.50 per collection, and less than the cost of a tank of fuel in an average car. Roadshows will be taking place around the borough to further promote the benefits of the scheme to residents.

Rob Bell, operations director said: “The garden waste collection scheme is a fantastic service for local residents with the wheeled bins proving so much easier to manoeuvre than the old green-bag scheme. The council also offers an “assisted lift” scheme for residents who find the bins too difficult to move because of disability or age.”

Councillor Roger Whyborn said: “Now that autumn is here, many residents will be cutting-back their shrubs and flowers, collecting fallen leaves and mowing their lawn for the final few times – this is an ideal time to sign up for the garden collection scheme.

“However in some streets people cannot accommodate the wheeled bins and the council is working on plans to offer an alternative service in these areas. Mainly these are terraces and similar streets where it is not possible for a resident to wheel a bin from the garden to the Highway for collection. In the future, householders in these roads will be able to have disposable bags for their garden waste to be collected in instead of bins. For reasons of safety these bags will be much smaller than the old green bags and will be completely removed on collection rather than emptied and returned as the old bags were.

“It is expected to have this new scheme up and running in time for next year’s growing season and further details will be communicated closer to the time. For operational reasons it will not be possible to offer this service in streets where residents are able to accommodate wheeled bins.”

For media enquiries, contact: Richard Gibson, policy and partnerships manager telephone 01242 235354, email richard.gibson@cheltenham.gov.uk