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Clean up your act

Catherine Smyth
30/ 8/2007

WHEN the bin arrived at the council depot it came with three black bags of side waste.

The householder obviously had a baby in nappies and a cat, judging by the waste contained in the bin.

So how much of the waste in the bin could have been recycled?

As the officers began to sift through the rubbish the usual debris fell out on to the plastic sheets - left over takeaways, crusts of bread, plastic bags, kitchen waste and even an electric razor.

There was hardly any glass, cans, shampoo or washing liquid bottles and newspapers, so the householder was using their blue recycling bin and paper recycling receptacle, but as the workers began to sift through the rubbish it was staggering to see just how much else could have been recycled.

The first additional black bag yielded a cardboard box, which once the polystyrene insert had been removed, went straight in the recycling bag, along with all the paper in the bag.

In fact there was so much paper, cardboard, envelopes, receipts, card labels and tissues in the bin they filled more than one large plastic sack. All could have gone in a grey bin, white hessian bag or green box.

Plastic bottles, plastic containers that held cakes and ready meals, along with used tin foil from the grill pan and foil takeaway containers, aerosols and glass jars. All could be recycled in the blue bin.

One plastic bottle was even left full of water, making it heavier - and it is the weight that non-recyclable waste is measured on.
When the Asda bags were inspected closely, the recycling sign of three arrows in a triangle and the number 2 was clearly evident - another item for the blue recycling bin, along with a huge clear plastic bag, again with the recycling symbol. The carrier bags must be put in separately to the waste.

The council also collects textiles from the door, so the canvas shoes, lampshade and clothes could have been recycled by leaving them in a marked plastic bag.

Even the child's toy broomstick could have found a home in a brown garden waste recycling bin.

When the waste was sorted, there was ample room in the green bin for more rubbish, without having to leave any side waste. About 70 per cent of rubbish that had been dumped in the green bin could have, and now will be, recycled.

Head of streetscene and liveability Carole Todd said: 'I live in Rochdale and we can't recycle cardboard or plastics. They only collect paper, cans and glass. The majority of the space in my bin is filled with plastic bottles and cardboard boxes; if I lived in Rossendale I could recycle.

'Since people have become aware of the changes which will take place from October we have had 1,000 people ring up and request more recycling bags, boxes and bins.

'That will save us almost 11 tonnes per annum. That is 11 tonnes not going into landfill. We already have 30,000 blue bins, 15-16,000 brown bins, a few thousand grey bins and 20,000 bags and boxes. When we get more money we will provide more grey bins and we are looking to introduce mini-bring sites so we can recycle tetrapacks, milk and fruit cartons.

'We are doing nothing unusual in Rossendale and what happens here is not any different to other parts of the country. When wheelie bins were first introduced we did not collect side waste. This has just crept in; in some cases up to 10 bags have been left in addition to the bin.

'We will be contacting other supermarkets to see if they can clearly label their plastic bags so people will know if they can be recycled.'
Cabinet member for a clean and green Rossendale Councillor Judith Driver admitted the stickers on the bins, which prompted a lot of complaints to the Free Press, may have seemed a bit harsh but the changes had previously been publicised in the Free Press in June and people had to be made aware.

It costs £38.50 per household for rubbish collection per year, equating to 80p a week. Rossendale's recycling figures have doubled in recent years and are now up to 28 per cent.

Mrs Todd warned that if the amount of waste going to landfill increased, the council would be liable for a financial penalty of £150 per tonne and that would have to be passed on to the taxpayer.

What goes where?

Blue bin - glass, tins, certain plastics, shampoo, fizzy drink bottles, washing up liquid and those with the symbol of three arrows and 1 and 2.

Brown bin - garden waste, grass cuttings, leaves, bark, small twigs, flowers and plants, weeds.

Grey bin, white sack or green or grey box - newspapers, brochures, catalogues, junk mail including envelopes, cardboard packaging, computer paper.

Textiles, in a carrier bag marked textiles - including clothing, bedding and curtains.