Topping recycling success in the borough

Councillor Wera Hobhouse

The council will build on the success of its recycling service after a review of alternate weekly collections in the borough.

Having seen the level of recycling increase by 300 per cent in areas where alternate weekly collections have been introduced, cabinet members have decided to continue the roll out of the scheme to all households, but changes will be made to ensure residents know exactly what to expect from the service and measures to ensure problems can be dealt with quickly.

The move will help the council to achieve its target of recycling 40% of the borough's waste by 2010 and avoid the payment of hefty landfill taxes and charges,

Councillors faced with a variety of options, including weekly collection of residual (i.e. non-recyclable) waste and weekly collection of both residual and recyclates. These options were turned down because they could have a negative impact on the levels of recycling and waste sent to landfill together with the cost implications of the extra collections.

Cabinet member for the Environment and Sustainability, Councillor Wera Hobhouse said: "Alternate weekly collections produce a massive increase in recycling wherever they are introduced. Kerbside recycling increased from just over 9 per cent to over 36 percent when the Pennines Township moved to alternate weekly collections. When they were introduced in Heywood, kerbside recycling increased from just under 9% to over 34%.

"At the same time, we've listened carefully to what people have said and have taken the best decision for borough. The changes we are making mean that any problems can be sorted out quickly and easily.

"The decision is about much more than the cost. It is about actively encouraging people to recycle, so that we can reduce the negative impact on the environment and ensure a better future for our children."

New measures that will be put in place include:

• The creation of a customer charter for residents
• The introduction of specialist recycling staff to take into account individual needs and to ensure continuous improvements are made to the service.

The council will also now look at options for collecting food waste, tetra packs and other recyclable materials.  The entire scheme will be reviewed again in three years time.

All four townships in the Borough were consulted on the various options, with Pennines and Rochdale supporting the full roll out of the scheme and Heywood and Middleton recommending full roll out of fortnightly recycling collections, but with a return to weekly collection of residual (i.e. non recyclable) waste.

Dates for the roll out of alternate weekly collections to Rochdale and Middleton will be released in due course.