Southampton to roll out separate glass collection

Separate recycling collections for glass will be rolled out in Southampton from next month in a move that it is hoped will ensure that the council meets its TEEP requirements under the Waste Framework Directive.

The new fortnightly service, which follows the launch of communal glass recycling for flats in October last year, has been introduced thanks to 8.3 million grant funding from the Department of Communities and Local Government in November 2012.

The funding has been used to retain the councils weekly refuse collections until 2017, while included in the bid was a subsidy to introduce kerbside collections of glass which the council claims will boost its recycling rate by 5%. In 2012/13, the council achieved an overall recycling rate of 26%.

Changes to weekly refuse and recycling collection days are expected from March 3, with 67,000 grey collection boxes to be delivered to households across Southampton. The kerbside service due to be rolled out from March 17.

Glass will initially be collected in separate vehicles for the first three months of the programme, before changing to split RVC pick-ups which will collect commingled recyclables in one compartment and mixed glass in another.

In a public letter distributed to residents this month, the council explained that it has sought to run its new glass collection service in a more cost effective and efficient way, with 50,000 in savings expected for every additional 1% of mixed glass recyclables collected.

Disposal

The material will be sent to glass recycler Berryman for reprocessing under a disposal contract held between Hampshire authorities and Veolia. Previously glass had been collected via a network of bring-banks at household waste recycling centres across the city.

Collections will take place on the same days as the councils fortnightly blue-lidded bin commingled recycling collections, and on the same day of the week as its green bin weekly refuse pick-ups.

The move comes as English councils are required to ensure that they are compliant with the terms of the Waste Framework, which states that January 2015, local authorities will be required to carry out separate collections of paper, glass, metal, plastic and glass, unless it is not technically, economically or environmentally practicable (TEEP) for them to do so.

Councils are wary that if they do not meet the requirements of the Directive they may face legal challenge over their collection arrangements, with much debate over whether commingled glass collections meet the requirement to provide high quality recycling.

Requirement

A spokesman for the council said: By collecting glass separately the council could be assured that the glass would be used in the re-melt market thereby providing an income and that the tonnage diverted would count towards the councils recycling rate.

The council is working with other local authorities in Hampshire, under the umbrella of Project Integra, on the requirements of TEEP and will factor in the decision to collect glass separately as part of its response to TEEP.

The council has also used the opportunity to change its weekly collections, implementing a new system that will see Southampton divided into five areas serviced separately between Monday and Friday. The council hopes the move will cut costs and emissions.

Residents will receive a calendar in the post detailing their new bin collection dates for the next six months, and will include a reminder sticker to place on green-lidded refuse bins from next week.