East Riding of Yorkshire Council is launching its latest kerbside collection which will allow residents to put glass, a wider range of plastics and Tetra Pak in their blue bins.
In a phased roll out over the next six months, the council will deliver the new service to up to 150,000 households across the area.
Councillor Symon Fraser, portfolio holder for environment, housing and planning, said: “The recycling of glass, more types of plastic and Tetra Pak cartons in the blue bins is the latest of our recent initiatives to keep recyclable waste out of landfill.”
The roll out of the new service will be:
* 27 June to 22 July – Holderness, including Hedon, Withernsea and surrounding villages
* 25 July to 19 August – Bridlington, Hornsea, Flamborough and surrounding villages.
* 5 September to 16 September – Driffield, Cranswick, Middleton, Beeford, Brandesburton, Long Riston, Kilham, Nafferton andvillages
* 22 August to 14 October 2011 – Willerby, Anlaby, Cottingham, Hessle, Swanland, Kirk Ella, Brough, South Cave and all surrounding villages
* 17 October to 11 November – Beverley and surrounding villages
* 14 November to 9 December – Market Weighton, Pocklington, Stamford Bridge and all surrounding villages
* 12 December to 13 January – Goole, Howden, Snaith, Gilberdyke and all surrounding villages.
He said: “We are projecting it will keep an additional 3,800 tonnes of glass out of landfill.
“New technologies have become available which can handle mixed papers, cans, plastics and glass. The materials are separated out and reprocessed into other products. Glass, for example, is easily recyclable and does not degrade however often it is recycled”
“The new service aims to provide residents with an easy way to recycle even more materials while, at the same time, saving council taxpayers’ money.”
As part of the new service, the council is offering residents the choice of a larger, 240 litre blue bin in exchange for the smaller one that most households currently have.
Residents are urged not to put glass, further ranges of plastics and Tetra Paks into their blue bins until they receive a letter from the council informing them of the start of the scheme in their area.
Goole resident Julio Chitunda said: “Too much waste goes to landfill and so anything which reduces it has to be welcomed.
“I already recycle my glass through the local banks but I am looking forward to the time when I will be able to put it in my blue bin and just wheel the bin to the kerbside for emptying.”
Pocklington resident Joan Brayshaw said: “It is a really good idea and about time, too, particularly for those who couldn’t get to the glass banks.
“It will be such a useful service and will help more people be able to do their recycling.”
Beverley resident Judy Naylor said: “I am an avid believer in recycling. It will be useful to be able to put glass into the blue bin instead of taking it to the banks at the supermarket.
“We will also be able to put the yoghurt cartons straight into the blue bins instead of having to take them to the household waste recycling site, as we do now.”
Driffield resident Helen Thompson said: “I recycle lots and the collection of glass from our blue bins is good news, one of the best things the council could have done.
“It beats having to go to the household waste recycling site and the bottle banks.”
Hornsea resident Tracey Topliss said: “I think the new service will be brilliant. Before, I haven’t been able to recycle as much glass as I would have wished because it meant having to drive to the site.
“Being able to put glass and more plastics in the blue bin let’s us recycle much more, and I’ll be definitely be doing that.”
Elloughton resident, Stuart Astbury, said: “We have loads of glass to recycle: everything and anything from jars to wine bottles.
“We have to keep taking it to the household waste recycling site, so being able to put glass in the blue bin will be helpful and convenient. It will be so handy.”
A few facts about the recycling of glass and plastic:
Glass facts
Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to power a computer for 25 minutes; On average, every family in the UK consumes around 330 glass bottles and jars a year. If these were all recycled, the energy saved would be enough to power a TV to watch 210 episodes of Coronation Street; Glass can be recycled indefinitely but will never decompose in landfill.
Plastic facts
A 60 watt light bulb could be powered for six hours by the energy saved from recycling one plastic bottle; It takes around 450 years for a plastic bottle to break down in landfill;
An estimated 56 per cent of all plastics waste is used packaging, three-quarters of which is from households;
We produce and use around 20 times the amount of plastic that we did 50 years ago.
