The Essex borough received about 750,000 from DEFRA's 140m recycling fund to improve its green waste collection. Most of the money was spent on 13 split collection vehicles, but council officers see the heavy duty reusable bags as making the green collections easier and more environmental than the disposal plastic sacks they are replacing.
The trial scheme will provide the heavy duty bags free of charge to 3,000 homes, and this will be extended to a further 50,000 properties by early June 2003.
Colchester has been collecting green waste for two years for composting, with residents paying 6 a year for plastic sacks and collections.
Dave McManus, waste and transport manager at the council, explained that because of a DEFRA ruling on a local site, waste from the collections is taken to the Compost Development Venture in Ipswich – a 40 mile round trip.
Mr McManus said the council is exploring ways around this problem: “We are looking to extend the waste management licence to include bulk transport. We are also looking into shredding the green waste as we collect it. Shredding means more green waste can be collected by using cages and would also help at the processing plant. It would help a lot, especially in rural areas.”
Colchester council has also been supporting home composting through the sale of discounted composting bins.
Colchester currently has a combined recycling and composting rate of around 25%. Its targets are 33% by 2004 and 50% by 2007. The Audit Commission’s report on Colchester borough council’s waste services in February 2003, gave the council two stars out of three and said there are 'e;xcellent' prospects for improvement (see letsrecycle.com story).
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