Via Scarborough Evening News
THIS month saw a major change in what we can recycle in our fortnightly bin collections with the inclusion of certain types of plastic.
The move is important because it will keep a larger proportion of waste out of landfill and Scarborough Council faces stiff penalties if it does not beat Government-set targets.
Harry Briggs, the council’s recycling and waste enforcement manager, said: “If everyone plays their part we could see another 500 tonnes diverted from landfill. This would see us achieve a recycling rate of more than 42 per cent.”
When the collection scheme was first introduced residents were urged to remove plastic windows from envelopes but he said this was not always necessary.
“In an ideal world we would want windows removed, however it isn’t as big a problem as it used to be. So it is better to recycle an envelope with a window in than it go to landfill,” he said.
“We recycle all plastic bottles; from bleach bottles to shampoo bottles to milk bottles and we also recycle the tops.
But we cannot recycle plastic film and plastic bags and don’t want them in the blue bin. In the future we may be able to recycle them, however at the moment we haven’t been able to secure a long term market.
“So for example cereal boxes can go in the blue bin because they are card, but we can’t recycle the bag inside.”
Mr Briggs said that shredded paper was a problem if it was left loose. He said: “It is so light it can blow out when we empty the bins and when we unload the wagon.
“It is best if residents put it in a cereal box this helps keep our streets clean and ensures it reaches Seamer Carr ready to be sent back to the paper mills.”
Despite the recent expansion of the scheme to include plastic the council still is unable to collect glass in the blue bin.
Mr Briggs said: “I’m still working on this with Yorwaste our main recycling partner and I’ve visited a number of sites to see the technology as it progresses.
“As soon as we’ve found a process we’re happy with in terms of cost and capability we will implement it, this could be next year as the industry is advancing.
“I’m very happy with the new glass bins, prior to their installation we were seeing a big drop in the amount of glass we were collecting. Once we put them in we were able to not only stop this trend but reverse it, meaning we are now collecting more glass than ever before – more than 2,000 tonnes every year.”
The council also works in partnership with RB Markets to collect electrical items for recycling. Mr Briggs said: “It allows any resident with any electrical item to be collected from their home for free.
“I am hoping to roll out some new bins for smaller electrical items around Christmas at our busiest recycling sites.
“I’m hoping to be able to implement a trial of battery recycling from the home in the next few months for a particular area, for example Filey or Whitby.
“If this trial proves as popular as one we did in Scalby earlier this year then I think it is likely we would roll it out across the borough.
“In the meantime most schools, all Customer First offices and other community premises have battery bins.”
And, with Christmas just around the corner, the council will once again be collecting real trees once the festivities are over.
Mr Briggs said: “We will be recycling them to make compost to give out next year as part of our popular compost giveaways.”
Items which currently cannot be recycled, such as food waste, are put into the landfill site at Seamer Carr – but the working life of the area is almost over.
He said: “Currently all the rubbish from our green bins goes into the landfill site at Seamer Carr, however this will shut soon – possibly early next year.
“We are working with North Yorkshire County Council on a long term disposal route for the borough’s rubbish and this is likely to be another landfill site in the region.
“A lot of our councillors are very keen to see us collect food waste from the doorstep. We’re looking in detail at how we could do this at the moment, possibly by mixing food waste in with garden waste.
“This means we wouldn’t need another collection service, however we would need to make changes at the composting zone of Seamer Carr.”
Mr Briggs said that the council, like local authorities across the rest of the country, was bracing itself for the fallout from the Government’s recent spending review. He said: “We are still working how the Government’s plans will effect the entire council. What is clear though is that we as a nation still need to meet our European targets.”
