Six month recycling rate of 47% - annual saving of £5m (York Liberal Democrats)

York Liberal Democrats <info@yorklibdems.org.uk>

Six month recycling rate of 47% - annual saving of £5m

November 28, 2007 11:14 AM

York's Lib Dem administration is celebrating the latest recycling figures which show that residents recycled over 47% of their waste between April and September. This figure combines the high collection rates over the summer, which even with the wet weather included a bumper crop of garden waste. Hazel Court Household Waste Recycling Centre hit a record 71% of waste being diverted from landfill.

Even with the usual drop off in recycling rates over winter, with the loss of most of the garden waste tonnage, this means that the Council is well on course for a rate of 42% for the entire year, adding another 2,000 tonnes of recycled waste onto the yearly total.

Cllr Andrew Waller, Liberal Democrat Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services, said,

"This is a great success story for the city. We have shown that we can get close to recycling half of our waste for half of the year. Our aim will be to help residents to recycle more during the whole year.

"I would like to pay tribute to the staff who have ensured that the collections have worked. They have put in additional time during busy periods to reach all the houses in their rounds, and residents have been ever more resourceful at separating their waste. The more that residents squash and compact the air out of cans, cardboard and other bulky, air-filled materials, the less often time is wasted sending a vehicle to be emptied at the Hessay depot.

"If we were still recycling at the 12% rate that we were under Labour then this year the Council would have had to find over £5 million to pay Government in landfill penalties (equivalent to 10% on Council Tax). During the summer we have brought new materials for recycling with banks for cartons/ tetrapacs.

"I have in the past written to the Government to ask that York's landfill tax is returned for York to use on recycling services - it was never meant to be a money spinner for the Treasury, but with York paying £13 million in and getting £3 million back it has worked out that way. If the Government were to announce that all York's landfill tax money could come back to York, we could immediately plan to roll out recycling collections to the remaining terraces and flats, and the 500 or so rural properties that we don't yet serve.

"The current recycling grant of £494,000 is coming to an end and is supposed to be replaced with an increase in the basic government grant. We will have to see if the government does provide the same resources as York has been short changed before from similar switches."

47% is also the recycling rate from the eco-depot which has seen the trial of separate bins for different types of recycling. This will be rolled out to other council offices, so that the Council continues to do its bit for the environment.