And, in Cherwell, in Oxfordshire, the district council is making glass collection bags available for free at special points across the district to enable residents to carry bottles to nearby recycling banks.The moves are designed to tackle the traditional peak in cullet volumes which occurs during major sporting events, driven by a rise in consumption.
Councillor George Reynolds, Cherwell's portfolio holder for environment, recreation and health, said: “While we hope people will drink responsibly during the World Cup we recognise it as a time when people wish to let their hair down.
“So while we have no intention of preaching abstinence, we would very much appreciate everyone taking a second to consider the environment.”
In Cherwell, the glass collection bags will be available all this week (June 7 to June 12) at sites in Banbury, Bicester, Bodicote and Kidlington. The bags are intended to enable residents to carry around six one-litre bottles to their local bring sites.
Wiltshire-based Thamesdown Recycling, which handles the glass generated by Cherwell, praised the Oxfordshire local authority for the “imaginative project” to tackle additional glass waste generated by the tournament.
The council said that cans, plastics and paper – although expected to increase in volume over the course of the tournament – would be covered by its existing blue bin, kerbside recycling service.
Eastleigh
Meanwhile, in Eastleigh, the boxes available will be in addition to the recycling boxes for glass already provided by the council. Residents also have a separate green wheeled bin for other dry recyclables such as plastic bottles, card, paper and cans.
The borough council claims that average family uses 330 glass containers every year and recycling them would help raise it over the 50% recycling mark.
Louise Bloom, cabinet lead for environment at Eastleigh borough council, said: “We know that around 70% of waste can be recycled so we are aiming to further improve the amount we recycle.
“I would encourage all our residents to join us in our World Cup recycling challenge, recycle their bottles and jars and get behind the England team this summer. Let's hope that we can recycle celebratory champagne bottles too.”
Ms Bloom praised local residents as “fantastic recyclers” and said its existing 46% recycling rate put the council in the “premier league of recycling”.
Warwickshire
Elsewhere, the Warwickshire Waste Partnership is urging residents to ensure that they recycle tins, cans and glass bottles during the one-month long World Cup tournament.
Cllr Alan Cockburn, Warwickshire county council's cabinet member for the environment, said: “With many World Cup parties and barbeques being planned, make the most of your kerbside recycling collection or the household waste recycling centres to recycle your wine and beer bottles along with your drink cans.”
Cllr Cockburn added that waste glass could be put to many uses in recycling, such as returning to container glass or as roadfill, and called on residents to not “score an own goal” by putting the reusable material into landfill.
Shirts
Furthermore, Dacorum borough council in Hertfordshire has today launched the Kick Start Recycling Roadshow giving residents a chance to win prizes such as mini footballs, a football shirt, England flags and recycled bottle opener key rings.
The prizes are sponsored by Newcastle-based plastics recycling firm AWS Eco Plastics, which reprocesses mixed plastic bottles put out for recycling in Dacorum.
Commenting on the day, councillor Bert Chapman, portfolio holder for environment and sustainability, said “We want to score on both levels this summer: football and recycling. So be a good sport and recycle your waste during the World Cup this year.”
- If your council or business is doing anything specific for the World Cup on waste and recycling please contact chris.s@letsrecycle.com with the relevant informtion.
Register for free to comment