What happens to my recycling?
Next time you enjoy a glass of mineral water, imagine the bottle in front of you becoming a garden chair.
Perhaps a strange thought but then consider the 1,000 tonnes of cardboard recycled by residents in the borough every year that is turned into brand new packaging.
Then spare a minute thinking about the paper that is turned into loft insulation and the steel frame on your bike which might just be made from recycled Coke cans.
H&F residents recycled 27 per cent of household waste during 2007/8. 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.
And little do residents know that when they recycle, not only are they helping the environment, but they are also helping H&F to cut council tax every year.
Cllr Greg Smith, cabinet member for crime and street scene, said: "Very few people realise just how expensive it is for the council to send our waste to landfill. In fact, landfill rates have almost doubled in the last two years. The best ways for H&F to avoid paying these onerous taxes is for residents to recycle as much as possible.
"We'd like to say a big 'thank you' to all our residents who recycle every week and ask those who do not do so yet, to help us to continue to keep your council tax low by getting the recycling bug."
So what exactly happens to your cereal box once you put it in an orange sack?
The council's team of 36 operatives in a fleet of 12 'split back' refuse and recycling trucks pick up orange recycling sacks from outside up to 57,000 residents' homes every week. The sacks are then sent to a special facility at Smugglers Way, Wandsworth, where they are weighed and the contents checked for quality, with any obvious contamination being removed.
The recyclables are weighed again, before being transported by river to a different centre in Crayford, Kent where the materials are separated into separate commodities before being baled and stored, ready to be made into new products. A similar facility will soon be open at Smugglers Way meaning that this river journey will not be needed.
The bales are then sold to a number of reprocessing companies, mostly in the United Kingdom but some overseas, who produce new items that include everything from glass bottles, to newspapers, garden furniture and even airplane parts.
Cllr Smith added: "I visited the centre at Crayford recently and found it incredibly interesting to see exactly what happens to our recycling once it is put into an orange sack. We know that we cannot continue to send our waste to landfill and pay the associated exorbitant costs so it is vital that residents grasp the nettle and help us to create a cleaner, greener borough. And with increased recycling having a direct impact on the level of council tax that residents pay, this really is a win win situation."
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 (eg Tetra Paks)
The following items cannot be placed in Smart Sacks or Smart Banks:
* Batteries - There are used battery recycling tubes at some public buildings for single use batteries (dry cell batteries, button batteries for watches and calculators and domestic batteries) and rechargeable batteries (eg. Nickel cadmium, Nickel Metal Hydride and lithium batteries). The council's recycling crew takes them to the civic amenity site in Smugglers Way, Wandsworth, where they are collected and recycled by Vinton Metals
* Textiles - Some recycling sites have textile banks, operated by charities Oxfam, Scope or Traid, for clothes, curtains, linen, blankets and other fabrics. Donated wearable clothes will go to charity shops, with the remainder will reprocessed into flocking for use as a filling material for padding and felt or made into cloth wipes for industry use.
* Books - Unwanted reads can be recycled at the council's book bank at Sainsburys supermarket in Townmead Road, Fulham.
* Furniture, appliances and other large items – If you buy a new item, asking your supplier to take away your old one is the best option. If you have good quality used furniture, call Furnish, a local organisation that will find a new home for your unwanted items, on 020 8969 3332. For any other items, you can arrange a ‘bulky waste’ collection by the council by phoning 020 8753 1100. Items will be taken to landfill, so this is the least environmentally friendly option and, from 1 April, there will be a charge to contribute towards the cost of collection and the extra landfill tax incurred.
Useful information:
* Click on www.lbhf.gov.uk for details of your nearest recycling facilities.
* Call the Cleaner, Greener Hotline on 020 8753 1100 between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday, or email Cleaner.Greener@lbhf.gov.uk.
