To receive a presentation from Tracy Carter, Interim Waste Management and Carbon Reduction Lead Officer, Wiltshire Council, on upcoming changes to the way waste and recycling is collected in Wiltshire, including collection day changes.
Minutes:
It was explained by the Chairman that agenda items 10 and 11 would be heard prior to items 8 and 9.
Tracy Carter, Interim Waste Management and Carbon reduction Lead Officer, Wiltshire Council, gave a presentation on upcoming changes to the way waste and recycling was collected in Wiltshire.
Wiltshire Council was changing the way they collected waste, moving to co-mingled collection for recycling, this system had been proven to be successful in many areas of the country. Collections would still be fortnightly, although as a consequence of the changes, some collection days would change. Residents would be notified by post several weeks in advance of any changes to collection days. Once residents had received this letter they would also be able to view changes online and print a calendar if they wished.
Under the new system, glass and textiles would still go in the black box. Anything else recyclable could go in the blue lidded bin. Examples of items that could go in the blue lidded bin were plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays, cardboard boxes, food and drink cartons, paper, food and drink cans, aerosols and foil.
It was requested that people wash and squash items if possible. Washing the items helped to maintain the quality of the materials and squashing them simply meant you could fit more in the bin.
The black box would still be used for glass. The reason glass would still be kept separate was that the re-processors liked to have it separate to prevent glass shards getting into other recycling. The collection vehicles had a separate pod for glass. Textiles could also be put in the black box however these must be bagged up and the bag tied. Unfortunately, duvet’s and sleeping bags could not be recycled.
The Council did not make a profit from recycling, however money raised from recycling helped to offset the cost of collecting waste.
Hopefully the proposed changes would make it easier for residents to recycle and should therefore increase recycling rates. The changes would also mean that one type of vehicle could collect all types of waste and recycling. This meant that Wiltshire Council could get rid of about 38 vehicles from the road, which in itself would help to reduce carbon emissions and costs. The changes meant that collection times may also change. It was requested that residents put their bins out by 7.00am on the day of collection.
A new materials recovery facility was being built in Calne, which would sort the mixed recycling.
Residents could sign up for email alerts from the waste service at http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/rubbish-and-recycling-collection-changes in order to be kept up to date with developments. You could also register to get a larger bin or an extra bin at this address.
If parishes and community groups required advice or help regarding spreading the news about the changes they were welcome to email: wasteandrecycling@wiltshire.gov.uk.
Details were given regarding the End Destination Charter, which was a voluntary scheme developed by the Resource Association to promote openness and transparency over end destinations of waste. Wiltshire Council had signed up to this scheme and published annual reports on line at: http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/what-happens-to-recycling.
People were asked to reduce what they use, reuse what they could and to recycle.
In response questions it was stated that when the letters went out informing residents of the changes there would be a sticker enclosed advising what items can be recycled in each bin. Residents could then choose whether to put these in their home or on the bin.
If residents did require a second blue lidded bin it would be free of charge.
Residents that lived in rural locations with narrow lanes would receive the same service. The standard lorries that were coming into use were larger than those previously used. However, as Wiltshire was a rural county, four different sized lorries had been ordered so that all areas could be accessed. They would use the largest lorry possible for the route for efficiency. All residents would still receive fortnightly collections.
The Chairman thanked the officer for her presentation.