The move follows a successful pilot which has made it easier for residents in rural areas to recycle. After discussions between residents and the Cornwall Paper Company, Caradon District Council set up the scheme which sees recycling sacks taken to a central collection point.
The scheme was started at the beginning of the year in the village of Trevelmond, near Liskeard and has been so successful that the council now wants to roll out it out to other villages and hamlets in South East Cornwall.
As the village is too small to make a kerbside scheme viable, residents place recyclable materials including newspapers, magazines, junk mail, plastic milk bottles, clothes, aerosol cans, food and drinks cans and aluminium foil in the same sacks as are used for the kerbside recycling service. But instead of being collected from the door, when the sacks are full, householders take them to a central collection point. A local garage has been rented for this purpose and a “recycling warden” monitors the number of sacks that have been received so that when there is enough to warrant a collection, the warden contacts the Cornwall Paper Company.
Councillor Ivor Nichols, Caradon's cabinet member with the portfolio for sustainability, said: “The pilot has been very popular with villagers and the format works well for everyone. Villagers are able to recycle a wider range of materials than with recycling banks, which helps reduce the amount of refuse going to landfill. Caradon saves on costs because collections are only made when they are really needed, it's a win-win situation and shows just how much can be achieved by working together.”
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