Your Views are Needed on Future Waste & Recycling Contract

Posted on: 8th December 2017

 

Your views are needed on our future waste & recycling contract for Cornwall that has to be in place by 2020.

Recycling at Home

Recycling at home, with my earnest face on!

As you might be aware Cabinet met in November to discuss recommendations on the new waste collection contract, which will commence in April 2020.

In order to make a recommendation an Inquiry Panel considered evidence on the costs, performance, risks and benefits of a range of options. They recommended to the Cabinet that we adopt a model which is used extensively in Welsh and English authorities. This should help us increase recycling rates in Cornwall from the current 36% to over 50%.

The recommendation proposed a weekly collection of recycling and food waste and a fortnightly collection of waste that cannot be recycled. Evidence shows that by making recycling collections more frequent, increasing the range of materials that are recycled and introducing food waste collections on a weekly basis, can help us deliver our recycling targets.

Analysis of black bin bags shows that, on average, each holds 22% of materials that could be recycled e.g. paper/cans/glass etc., 35% of food waste and 43% is other residual waste. If in future we collect food waste each week and recycling collections are increased to weekly, this would make collections of recyclable material easier and allow us to change the frequency of the collection of waste that cannot be recycled to a fortnightly. The proposal would send weekly food waste collections to an anaerobic digestion, rather than burning.

Before Cabinet meets in February to make a final decision on the new contract, we want to check out which residents, for what reasons would find this proposal difficult. We very much want to hear what you do with your waste now.

We also want to give all residents the opportunity to help inform and shape Cornwall’s future kerbside recycling and waste collection. What people tell us will help staff to understand the impact on residents of proposed changes and help us to help people to adapt. It will also help us understand if there are streets or individuals that need special arrangements.

I would strongly encourage you to complete this on-line survey and then tell family and friends about it. I particularly want to reach people that do not recycle at the moment to understand why you do not take part. The survey can be found here: On-line survey

Alternatively, there are copies in our One Stop Shops and Libraries. People can request it in another format or language, for example, large print or easy read, via these methods: