Recycling up to 54 per cent following wheelie bin roll out

Reference: 

005/14

The new wheeled bin recycling service in East Cambridgeshire has made an instant impact with the district’s recycling rate leaping up by over 20 per cent.

Between October and December 2013, over 3,864 tonnes were recycled in East Cambridgeshire – this compares to 2,293 tonnes over the same period in 2012. This equals a recycling rate for the district of 54 per cent in just three months of the new recycling system.

Feedback obtained since the roll out of the new services also suggests residents believe they are recycling more since they received their wheelie bins. 83 per cent of respondents said they were recycling more with their blue bins, while 57 per cent said they were recycling more garden and food waste.

In order to maintain this momentum the Council is continuing its promotional campaign by visiting local primary schools and holding roadshows in market towns across the district.

Cllr Richard Hobbs, Chairman of Community and Environment Committee at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “I would like to thank everyone in the district for their recycling efforts over the last three months. We thought our recycling rate would increase with the introduction of wheelie bins but I don’t think any of us expected such an instant and dramatic change. Such a significant improvement is testament to the hard work and planning which went into the roll out of the new service.

“However, we know we cannot be complacent and we have plans to keep promoting the recycling message over the coming months. We will be going to primary schools as well as holding roadshows in market towns to explain how the new service works and how residents can recycle more. We have made an excellent start and I am sure as we move forward we can do even more to raise our recycling levels further.”

The new recycling service involves:

  • A blue lidded wheeled bin recycling collection, including paper, glass, food & drinks cans, plastic bottles & hard plastic food containers, cartons and cardboard. This will be collected fortnightly.
  • A green lidded wheeled bin collection for garden and food waste. This will also be collected fortnightly.

Refuse in black sacks continues to be collected weekly with the annual supply of a household’s black sacks delivered with the new wheelie bins.

These changes are possible after East Cambridgeshire District Council successfully bid for £5 million from Central Government to fund a new recycling service and retain weekly waste collections last year.

For more information on the waste and recycling service in East Cambridgeshire please visit https://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/waste/recycling-service-changes or call 01353 665555.