Taking recycling to the waterways
Cherwell's successful recycling scheme is notching up another first - by taking to the waterways.
Thanks to a joint initiative by Cherwell District Council and British Waterways, canal users at three sites in the district can now recycle paper, plastic bottles and cans, rather than throw them into bins to be dumped in landfill.
Cherwell has installed blue wheelie bins at Cropredy Wharf, Banbury Bridge Street and Canal Road, Thrupp. They're all popular stop-off points for canal users. And owners of permanently moored boats at the sites will be given recycling bags to help them use the scheme.
And both Bridge Street and Canal Road have had new bins installed for glass recycling. At Cropredy there are already glass recycling facilities at the nearby cricket club.
Until now, around 7.5 tonnes of waste was collected between the three sites each week and dumped in landfill. Cherwell’s recycling team estimates that the new scheme could cut that by at least 3 tonnes.
Cherwell's portfolio holder for community, health and environment, Councillor George Reynolds, said: "This is another Cherwell initiative to take our recycling to a new level. We're already very close to the 50 per cent recycling mark and extending our service to a whole new area like this can only help push our campaign forward. Like our bins in lay-bys on the A34 and A41 and at bus stops in Kidlington, this scheme has a double benefit. It encourages recycling and helps to reduce litter. As these canalside sites are in some of the district’s most scenic locations, I know this initiative will be welcomed by everyone who enjoys using the canal."
Hannah Graves, environmental advisor for British Waterways South East, said: “We're delighted to be working in partnership with Cherwell to provide recycling facilities for those using the waterway. We encourage everyone to recycle and take advantage of the new facilities. British Waterways also hopes to work with other local authorities to provide more recycling facilities for canal users across the South East."
This is the latest pioneering initiative by Cherwell following its anti-litter and recycling bin campaigns on the A34 and A41, the commuter bins at Kidlington bus stops and the carry bags given to every home in the district that have made a positive impact in the amount of glass being taken recycling banks.
In the year to 31 March 2008, Cherwell achieved a recycling rate of 48 per cent - up around 3 per cent on the year before. Cherwell is the leading recycling council in the South East and one of the top 30 recycling councils in the country.
This year the council has set itself a target to collect an extra 6,500 tonnes of recyclable waste. That’s the annual amount of waste that could be recycled that's still going into green bins.
