An estimated 17,000 purpose-built flats in the North London borough will have access to the points-based scheme – which rewards householders based on their recycling habits.
In 2014/15, Waltham Forest achieved an overall recycling rate of 35.5% – up from 32.67% the previous year.
The scheme coincides with the council’s decision to launch separate food waste collections to flats and estate properties following a pilot in parts of the borough.
To make it easier for residents in flats to recycle, the authority will advise that recycling containers are moved closer to building entrances.
Flat residents in Waltham Forest who engage with the Local Green Points scheme will be rewarded points as a community, based on the weight of their communal recycling and residual waste bins. The points can then be traded for discounts in local shops and cafes, or donated to local projects.
The reward scheme has proved particularly popular among local authorities in the capital attempting to boost recycling rates, with the majority operated by Local Green Points and Greenredeem, formerly Recyclebank UK.
Grant
Some of the schemes have been funded through the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Recycling Reward Scheme – an £11 million grant launched in 2014 open to councils which have weekly refuse or separate food waste collections.
Waltham Forest successfully applied for £243,470 of the grant money, which has been used to secure the scheme.
Councillor Clyde Loakes, deputy leader of Waltham Forest and also a member of the North London Waste Authority, said he was looking forward to the scheme launching to residents in flats in Spring 2016.
He said: “As the London Borough that recently achieved the second-highest increase in recycling rate across London, at Waltham Forest we are always looking for new and innovative ways to encourage our residents to recycle more and throw out less.
“We know that recycling in flats lags some way behind street level properties and we hope this new reward scheme will be a key part of our armoury in the years ahead to convince residents living in purpose built flats to increase the amount of materials they recycle.”
Graham Simmonds, Local Green Points managing director, added: “Flats recycling is a challenge for local authorities across the country, particularly in London, and this new scheme in Waltham Forest is a great opportunity to demonstrate how innovative communications, smart technology and carefully-selected rewards can be brought together around a cohesive programme to boost recycling.”
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