The decision, made by the Council’s cabinet last night (19 May), follows a consultation in October 2019, where the council outlined the proposals as part of plans to boost its 27.9% recycling rate.
Despite only 39% of respondents supporting the proposals, the borough plans to implement these changes in Spring 2021, but this will not affect flats above shops or properties with communal bins.
Hackney council said that these households will keep weekly recycling and food waste collections.
Strategy
The London-based borough serves around 245,000 residents and says fortnightly collections have already proved successful in increasing recycling rates in 15 other London boroughs.
The council says this has been done “to meet targets set in the Mayor of London environment strategy”. The strategy aims to achieve 65% recycling rates by 2030.
The Labour-run authority has operated an in-house collection service since 2013, and says if it were to see the increases that other boroughs have, 4500 more tonnes of waste would be recycled instead of incinerated every year.
It follows a recent analysis by the council showed that over 55% of the waste thrown away was recyclable.
Consultation
Following feedback from the consultation, the council says it will give households a 180 litre wheeled bin which will give residents a maximum of 5-6 black bin bags of space every fortnight.
The council has also said that waste crews will check recycling sacks to ensure they only contain accepted materials.
“This will help us reduce the boroughs impact on the planet”
Councillor for energy, waste, transport and public realm, Jon Burke, said: “While Hackney residents have made great progress in increasing the amount they recycle – from 1% in 1998 to around 28% today – introducing fortnightly waste collections will help people to further reduce the amount of waste that is thrown away and sent for incineration, as well as increase the proportion of waste that is recycled.
“This will help us reduce the boroughs impact on the planet and met the ambitious targets we set in our climate emergency declaration to reduced emissions to net zero by 2040.”
Contractors
Kerbside recyclables are sent to a sorting facility in Bow operated by Bywaters. The council says this is sorted and sent to be made into a variety of new products, with the majority of it is sent for recycling in the UK.
Its residual waste is processed at the Edmonton energy from waste plant, which is operated by LondonEnergy for the North London Waste Authority.
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