More household rubbish looks set to be recycled in Colchester, after cabinet members agreed last night (6 June 2018) to extend the collection of plastic recycling to residents living in flats.
To date, residents of flats have been able to recycle paper, cans and glass using large communal bins or designated kerbside collection points. This decision will now provide those living in flats with the same plastic recycling service as other residents.
The decision to fund an additional refuse and recycling collection vehicle, following a review of the rubbish and recycling collection service provided to flats earlier this year, will ensure residents will be able to recycle as much plastic as possible, regardless of where they live. This will make a key contribution to further reduce the amount of waste the Borough sends to landfill.
Colchester Borough Homes already has an ongoing investment programme to begin to install additional communal recycling facilities in Colchester Borough Council owned flats. The Council will be working with private management companies to implement plastic recycling facilities in their properties, going forward.
Cllr Martin Goss, Portfolio Holder for Waste, Environment and Transportation, said: “Our new refuse and recycling service has resulted in a massive change in the way residents dispose of their household rubbish, with recycling rates increasing significantly since it was introduced in June last year.
“We appreciate how important recycling services are to local residents and are very grateful for the efforts people make to recycle – so I’m delighted to be able to invest in the service to allow many more residents to recycle plastics.
“The investment in a new collection vehicle will also provide extra capacity to collect recycling from new homes in the Borough.”