Birmingham city councillors considering recycling overhaul

A full meeting of Birmingham city council was held today for the chairman of the transportation and street services committee to present his recommendations.

” Today’s world is often referred to as a &#39d;isposable society,' but the reality is that disposing of these goods takes time, skill and money. “
– Cllr Alistair Dow, Birmingham CC
Cllr Alistair Dow is calling for the council to undertake a major consultation to seek the views of residents on how recycling services should progress.

He also wants the full council to consider the future, both of recycling services and the role of the city's Tyseley energy-from-waste plant.

Cllr Dow said: “Today’s world is often referred to as a &#39d;isposable society,' but the reality is that disposing of these goods takes time, skill and money, and the council must tackle the problem of increasing volumes of waste across the city.”

In 2004/05, the City Council collected 467,967 tonnes of municipal Waste from Birmingham's 984,600 residents. The latest figures for quarter two of 2005/06 show recycling rates at 16.62% in the city, but a target of 18% is supposed to be reached this financial year.

Kerbside
Cllr Dow's detailed report suggests a city-wide multi-material kerbside recycling service would result in “significant increases in recycling rates”, having looked at systems in place in other councils including Leeds and Greenwich.

The city's existing collections pick up paper from 328,500 households for recycling at the local Kappa Paper Mill. Cllr Dow's review noted: “These do not yet extend across the whole city. It seems quite obvious to the Committee that they should do so. There may be logistical difficulties but the key is consistency and inclusion.”

The review advises considering the use of wheeled bin schemes for new recycling services, and after looking at the London borough of Barnet's “compulsory” recycling scheme, Birmingham councillors were recommended not to introduce sanctions against non-recyclers.

Concerning the Tyseley energy-from-waste plant, the review recommended investigating whether Birmingham could raise funds by taking in waste from other council areas for treatment.