Record recycling and composting rates means less sent to landfill
People in the Vale of White Horse are recycling and composting more than ever before, meaning less of their waste is going to landfill, according to new figures.
In June the combined recycling and composting rate recorded by Vale of White Horse District Council contractors Veolia was 39.7 per cent - the highest rate set so far in the district.
This record rate is particularly impressive because it was achieved in a month when the total waste that could be recycled or composted was actually lower than the previous month, but the amount of waste put out that could not be recycled or composted was also low. This means people are reducing the amount of waste that they put out for collection that would have to go to landfill.
In May another record was set when Council contractors collected 1,465 tonnes of recycling and composting material - the most ever collected in one month in the district. A major factor in this increase was the amount of garden waste collected had almost doubled to 650 tonnes compared to the year before.
This is a result of the Council's successful brown bin scheme, which more than 12,500 people in the Vale have now signed up to.
The Vale has a target to recycle or compost 34 per cent of all household waste during 2008/9, and so far this year that target has been exceeded each month.
When the Vale’s new waste and street cleaning contract starts in October 2010 the recycling rate should increase further because mixed plastics will be collected for recycling from the kerbside for the first time. New weekly collections of food waste for compost will mean this will also be diverted from landfill.
Council staff based at Abbey House are also playing their part in reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill following the introduction in June of new recycling facilities throughout the building. Since then, around a quarter of a tonne of recyclable waste is being collected each week.
The Council has also arranged a new glass recycling deal for the bars at the Guildhall and Wantage Civic Hall.
Cllr Jenny Hannaby, Executive Member with Portfolio Holder responsibility for Waste Operations, said: "These figures are so pleasing - not only are the recycling and composting rates increasing, people appear to be changing their habits and reducing the amount of waste they create. Everyone has a part to play in the ongoing drive to reduce the amount we send to landfill, and I would like to thank all those people in the Vale who are taking such a responsible attitude to how they dispose of their waste."
The Council’s website www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk contains lots of tips on how to reduce, reuse and recycle waste. There is also information about how to join the Brown Bin scheme as well as details on how to order a discounted composter to enable you to compost your own garden waste.
