Recycling is a duty not a choice

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Recycling is a duty not a choice

Thursday October 8, 2009

Did you know that if borough residents were to recycle twice as much as they currently do, it would save the council a whopping £2m a year in landfill charges?

Recycling A duty not a choiceThat is the equivalent of almost three per cent of all the council tax due to be collected in the next year!

So the next time you find yourself throwing an old newspaper or bottle into the bin think again.

Because if you were to start recycling your rubbish, not only would you be helping to save the planet but you would also be saving yourself some hard-earned cash.

The council spends approximately £4m each year sending waste to landfill. In fact, landfill rates have almost doubled in the last two years. You can help the council avoid paying these onerous taxes by recycling as much as possible. And the less waste sent to landfill, the easier it is for the council to continue to slash council tax.

Cllr Greg Smith, cabinet member for crime and street scene, said: " ‘Recycling is a duty, not a choice’- In this day and age recycling really is something that we should all be doing. Sending our waste to landfill is no different to throwing our money in the bin so now is the time for us all to make a conscious decision to change our behaviour.

“We would like to say a big 'thank you' to all our residents who recycle every week and ask those who do not to help us to continue to keep your council tax low by getting the recycling bug. Recycling is such an easy habit to get into so why not start today?”

H&F residents recycled over 28 per cent of household waste during 2008/9. The council picked up a massive 15,700 tonnes of recyclable material - paper and cardboard, glass, cans and tins, plastic bottles and drinks and food cartons - through its orange sack doorstep collections.

It couldn’t be simpler for residents to recycle. The council introduced same day waste and recycling collections earlier this year and now both recycling and rubbish is collected by a team of  36 operatives in a fleet of 12 'split back' refuse and recycling trucks. In total, the council's team pick up orange recycling sacks from outside up to 57,000 residents' homes every week.

Residents are being urged to do four things that will help to boost recycling figures and save taxpayers money. They are:

  • Put your rubbish and recycling out at the right time (after 9pm on the day before collection or before 6am on collection day).
  • Use heavy-duty black sacks for rubbish, not carrier bags that easily break and spill onto the street, and use orange sacks for recycling all the items described above.
  • Put securely tied sacks or dustbins out for collection at the front of their garden or path.
  • Store waste securely between collections to prevent foxes and vermin ripping bags.

What can you recycle with the council?

You can put the following in the borough's Smart recycling banks or orange sacks:

  • Paper and card - Newspapers, magazines, catalogues, directories, leaflets, loose paper, card and cardboard (please flatten)
  • Glass - Glass bottles and jars (no lids please)
  • Cans, tins and aerosols
  • Plastic bottles (please remove lids from plastic bottles and squash them if possible)
  • Paper-based drinks and liquid food cartons (e.g. Tetra Paks)

The following items cannot be placed in Smart Sacks or Smart Banks:

  • Food waste, cigarette ends or garden waste
  • Broken glass, pyrex or window glass
  • Paint, chemical containers or batteries
  • Other plastics (yoghurt pots, margarine containers, plastic bags or plastic film)
  • Builder’s waste or rubble
  • Foil or polystyrene
  • Paper towels, tissues or nappies
  • Textiles

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