Following an extensive advertising and education campaign, the London borough has now warned residents on the scheme that they face a fine of up to 1,000 for failing to use their green boxes for glass, can and paper recycling.
 Hackney households in the compulsory recycling area have been sent informational postcards and leaflets |
The system mirrors the compulsory scheme that has brought major results in Barnet, another borough in the North London Waste Authority group of councils (see letsrecycle.com story).
Hackney council has maintained that, like Barnet, the emphasis will be on getting householders to recycle, treating legal action as a last resort.
The council has also only rolled the scheme out to street-level housing at this point, but it may be extended to include high rise flats if a suitable scheme can be found.
Hackney has already undergone several rounds of advertising and leaflet dropping, with monitoring already being done. But from today the council will begin closer monitoring of the scheme with the intention of pinpointing those that are not involved.
” Barnet has not fined anyone, and we hopefully will not have to either “
– Councillor Jessica Crowe, Hackney
Councillor Jessica Crowe, portfolio holder for environment, explained to letsrecycle.com: “Barnet has not fined anyone, and we hopefully will not have to either. This scheme is simply an intensification of the awareness raising work that we have been running in the borough.”
Hackney has been advertising in local newspapers for householders to use their green boxes for recycling as well as dropping leaflets and visiting residents. This has been going on for the last 18 months, but was concluded with a letter sent to residents informing them that use of the green box was now compulsory.
As part of its step up the council will now be leaving postcards for those residents that have not put out their green box. After four to six weeks, if the householder is regularly failing to put out its recycling box they will be sent a letter reminding them of their obligation to use the green box.
Councillor Crowe added: “Residents will then be visited by an officer to find out why the recycling scheme is not being used, and if they still refuse to join the scheme a fine could be handed out.”
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A review of the trial is expected after 6 months, if successful it is possible that all street level households in Hackney could be brought under compulsory recycling.
The council is also now looking into possible compulsory schemes for its high rise buildings, around 45% of the 92,000 households come under this banner.
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