Black bin bags to be inspected at tips
PEOPLE taking bags of rubbish to council-run tips could have them checked by staff to see if they include items which could have been recycled.
As part of a drive to continue to increase recycling rates, staff at May Gurney, which runs three household waste and recycling centres on behalf of North Somerset Council, have been told to check through rubbish bags.
-
PEOPLE taking bags of rubbish to council-run tips could have them checked by staff to see if they include items which could have been recycled.
The authority says its research revealed up to 50 per cent of rubbish in black bags taken to the tips could actually be recycled.
Checks on bags will only be done at the recycling centres and not as part of the roadside collections.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Sunday, June 30 2013
North Somerset Council spokeswoman, Zoe Briffitt, said the authority was trying to cut the amount which went to landfill.
She said: "It may be in some cases that when people take their black sacks to the recycling centre that our staff will open and check what is inside.
"Residents in North Somerset are doing brilliantly when it comes to recycling, but we could do even better."
In 2011/12, the council recycled 61,261 tonnes of waste, compared to just 22,164 tonnes in 2005/6 – an increase of 176 per cent.
The amount of waste sent to landfill has also reduced by two thirds over the same period, from nearly 80,000 tonnes to 30,000 tonnes.
The amount of biodegradable waste sent to landfill each year has reduced by 70 per cent from 62,000 tonnes to 19,000 tonnes and the council has seen the amount it pays in landfill reduce by £7.8 million in six years.
North Somerset Council says it is the second best unitary authority for recycling in the country and the best in the south west.
But research has showed although recycling rates have soared, North Somerset residents still produce among the highest amount of household waste and recycling per head of population in the country.
The amount of overall waste produced in North Somerset rose for the first time in 2011/2012 since 2008.
As well as checking rubbish taken to recycling centres the authority is also planning to work with supermarkets to reduce the amount of packaging and also look at increasing the types of items – including plastics – which can be recycled.
There are also plans to increase recycling collections from flats and change the green waste collection service from sacks to wheelie bins to reduce the amount of green waste put out for collection.
Currently the authority collects food and recycling each week, with fortnightly collections of household waste and green waste.
Bristol City Council said it had no plans to introduce similar checks on bags of rubbish being taken to its recycling centres.
The Post contacted South Gloucestershire Council but no-one responded to our request for a comment.
The authority's tips include separate sections for recycling.
6 Comments
by dbrick
Friday, February 08 2013, 10:19AM
“i use to recycle then noticed huge waste trucks swallowing bag loads of commercial waste from pubs an restraunts.these go straight to landfill.so,with our little boxes of seprate waste are pointless.”
by collegefields
Thursday, February 07 2013, 10:28PM
“May Gurney and SITA
Do us a favour will you, instead of having little spot checks at council tips, trying to catch people out who have mistakenly mixed up their recycling, why don't you encourage your street collectors to pick up the RUBBISH they leave all over Bristols roads. Yeah things get blown around, and fall out the back of the cart, but pick it up! Don't just leave it.
80% of the rubbish on the Avon Ring Road, between Mangotsfield and Emersons Green is caused by the inadequately sheeted lorries leaving Carsons Road Sort it Centre for the incinerator or landfill.
Practice what you preach.”
by Pogo_T_Clown
Thursday, February 07 2013, 12:51PM
“My mum used to say "If you don't study, you'll end up working at the tip". I'm so glad I listened to her.”
by Mikey_Blake
Thursday, February 07 2013, 12:05PM
“I wholeheartedly agree with the Council, as I see one of my close neighbours throwing ALL of their waste into their bin, Newpapers, Card, Plastic Bottles, Tins and and so on, because they are so lazy they can't be ars*ed to sort any of it for recycling.
My polite words to them are met with "Eff Off, none of your business", so indirectly myself (and yourselves) are paying for their stuff to go to Landfill, rather than be recycled and reused.
A hefty fine is the only way to make people like this change their ways to becoming "Environmentally Friendly".
Good Karma for North Somerset Council - I wish Bristol would do the same!!!”
by katachua
Thursday, February 07 2013, 11:39AM
“DO get a life, Toytown Council. If you're that bothered, get some Community Punishment yobs to sort through the rubbish on-site.
If you want to do something REALLY useful for the environment, cooperate with BCC on an Integrated Transport Authority.”
by lolly60
Thursday, February 07 2013, 9:52AM
“They already do that at the site in Littlestoke”