The fact that used newspapers and magazines are a heavy recyclable was a factor in the council's decision to launch the collection two weeks ago. Refuse and cleansing manager Sally Cumberland said that already, Cheshire has reported good volumes of material from the 27,000 homes covered and the borough hopes to expand the scheme across its total 51,000 homes in the future.
Collection is by Ryder although the borough opted to use its own workers to deliver blue bags for the paper and recycling calendars rather than use subcontractors. Cheshire will not pay for the paper but the borough will receive recycling credits from Derbyshire County Council.
Amber Valley, which includes the towns of Belper, Heanor, Alfreton and Ripley, is also promoting composting to its residents and waste reduction. The council made changes to its refuse collection service in June this year following a review. These included a reduction in the number of refuse vehicles, and the implementation of the rule that wheeled bin lids must be closed before collection. Together, the council says that these measures have helped contribute to a reduction of over 40 tonnes of waste collected compared to the same quarter last year.
Following the implementation of these changes, sales of the Council’s subsidised compost bins have also increased, with residents taking action and composting their garden and kitchen waste. It is estimated that from the 6,000 compost bins sold, over 1200 tonnes of organic waste is diverted from going to landfill.
Amber Valley's cabinet member for the environment, Cllr Jack Brown: “The figures show we are making important progress on this vital issue of recycling. We are very grateful to local residents for playing their part and hope that many more will be involved with the latest kerbside paper recycling scheme, which started for some areas on 17 September.”
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