Weekly waste collection continues

9.00.00am GMT Wed 13th Dec 2006

The best source separated doorstep recycling service in London

On December 12, Cllr Martin Elengorn, Cabinet Member for the Environment, announced that he would be recommending to the January Cabinet a continued but more comprehensive weekly recycling and residual waste service, aiming to become the best in London.

He said "This has been a complicated exercise, involving three different forms of public consultation and extensive technical and financial modelling. We have also carefully studied the experience of other local authorities in London and elsewhere. All along I have made it clear that I have kept an open mind as between maintaining a weekly collection of residual waste (that left over after recycling) and switching to a fortnightly collection.

I have taken into account all factors including the majority of public opinion, albeit a modest one, in favour of maintaining weekly collections and the recommendations of the Waste Scrutiny Task Group. I am now proposing that, when we add a kerbside collection of cardboard and plastic bottles to the service next November, we maintain a weekly cycle for both waste and recycling collections. And we will continue to ask residents to separate their recyclables so we get the best price for them.

But if we are not to incur substantial financial penalties for landfill in a few years' time it is quite essential that we substantially increase the present recycling rate of about 32%. It is based on tonnage and because the new materials are light and bulky they may only raise this to 35%. What is essential is that we very substantially increase the proportion of residents participating in doorstep recycling from just over half to, say, 70%. This would increase the total recycling rate towards 50%.

How can we achieve this? All the public consultation exercises showed over 70% of respondents in favour of making recycling mandatory. We will consider how best to put into practice this strong majority view. To start with we plan a substantial communications and education exercise in the lead up to the new service to persuade far more residents to participate.

We have listened to the public and from November 2007 we will be offering our residents the most comprehensive doorstep service in London. I believe that they will respond enthusiastically."

As an interim measure 7 more "bring" sites for plastic bottles will be installed in the near future.

From Cllr Martin Elengorn, Councillor for Teddington, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Cabinet Member for Environment

Contact details ? 0208 977 1187 ? cllr.melengorn@richmond.gov.uk