Liberal Democrats set ambitious recycling target of 50 per cent (York Liberal Democrats)

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

Liberal Democrats set ambitious recycling target of 50 per cent

September 12, 2008 12:00 AM

As part of a series of ambitions in the refreshed Waste Strategy for York, the Lib Dem led Council has set a target of recycling 50 per cent of the city's waste and outlined plans to build on the excellent progress already achieved in increasing recycling and reducing the amount of waste that is sent to landfill.

The Waste Management Strategy details plans for increasing recycling rates in the city between 2008 and 2014. York has already achieved an impressive recycling rate of 43.37 percent but is now aiming for 50 percent by 2011/12. The strategy also intends to increase the participation rate in kerbside recycling from 60 to 70 per cent, in order to divert a further 1, 850 tonnes of waste to landfill, making a saving of £87, 000 per year.

The Council has made a commitment to roll out kerbside collections to all York properties by the end of 2010. Roughly 1 in 10 properties in York are short of a kerbside recycling collection. The first stage of the rollout is a pilot in the Groves which should 'go live' by the middle of next month, when recycling collections in the flats and terraced properties will be trialled. Yorwaste is currently developing a waste and recycling service for local businesses, and the full service will be available by the end of 2008.

A Waste Minimisation Strategy is also planned to limit waste growth to 1 per cent per year and includes several targeted campaigns (on home composting, reusable nappies, packaging and food waste, amongst others), and supports the business and community sectors in reducing waste.

Targets have been set to reduce the percentage of municipal waste sent to landfill to 50% by 2014, and to continually reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill. The Council also wants to increase overall satisfaction with household waste collection services (including doorstep recycling) to be no less than 90% by 2011/12.

In February, improvements were made to recycling collection services at schools and some council offices, with the range of materials collected expanding from paper only to paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and cans. The amount of recyclables collected at these properties has increased from 1 to 6 tonnes per week, and further improvements to collections in council buildings is ongoing.

Cllr Ann Reid, Liberal Democrat Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services, said:

"Building on the success of our waste management programme is important for the city. It will help us financially by avoiding landfill tax, and allow York residents to help the environment by recycling at work and school, in their homes and in public places. We are also considering new ways of increasing recycling such as providing recycling bins in parks and open spaces and will be reviewing the types of containers currently provided for kerbside recycling.

"The Liberal Democrats remain commitment to improving recycling in York, and if we could reach this ambitious target of recycling half the household waste we produce, this would be a fantastic achievement.

"By expanding our kerbside recycling service, every householder will be able to contribute to recycling in York by the end of 2010. This will divert an additional 1, 760 tonnes away from landfill, which will save £83, 000 each year in Landfill Tax."