December 21, 2022 by Steve Eminton

Fall in newspaper volumes sees council commingle paper

Dwindling amounts of used newspapers and magazines in the domestic waste stream have prompted a council in Derbyshire to stop collecting them separately.

Cllr Charlotte Cupit (left) pictured with a North East Derbyshire crew, has explained how it makes sense to mix paper in with other recyclables

The local authority, North East Derbyshire district council, has launched what it describes as a “three month trial” which will see residents putting newspapers and other paper into their burgundy recycling bin, instead of putting the newspapers and other paper into separate hessian bags or caddies.

Explaining the switch to full commingling of paper with other recyclables, North East Derbyshire reasons that volumes of newspapers – which are a more valuable paper grade – have reduced so much that its overall paper content is more akin to mixed paper so attracting mixed paper price levels.

Accordingly, in what the authority explains is a bid to “increase recycling rates, make things easier for residents and continue operating as environmentally friendly as possible”, over Christmas it is asking residents “to put their paper recycling straight into the burgundy bins with other recyclables”.

Cost-effective

In a statement, the council explained that it had been “identifying ways it can make its service meet the needs of residents, maximise lorry capacity and update its processes to simplify how residents recycle in their homes.”

Accordingly, a more “cost-effective solution” is to be trialled which will see paper mixed with the other materials such as plastics, cardboard, tins and jars so the full capacity of the bin lorry is utilised.

These changes, explained NE Derbyshire, mean that the bin lorries’ capacity “can be fully utilised, reducing the frequency of visits for emptying at the recycling centre, meaning the service is more efficient and reduces carbon emissions.”

The paper recycling move will make the councils fleet more efficient, says the authority

The trial is expected to last for two to three months before a review will be undertaken and residents will be notified if any changes are deemed necessary.

Decreases

North East Derbyshire district council cabinet member for environmental services, Cllr Charlotte Cupit said, “We always want to make sure we are meeting the needs of our residents. Due to decreases in the amount of paper presented in the caddies over time, as well as the declining price for clean paper, we have reviewed our processes to make recycling simpler and quicker for households and are trialling mixing all materials together in burgundy bins instead of having to separate it.”

Cllr Cupit continued: “Thank you to everyone who has spent time separating their paper to date, and for all your recycling efforts – as well as to our Streetscene crews. Given the changes we’re now seeing, it makes sense to mix any paper in with the rest of the recycling to be separated and recycled at the centre rather than put in the two compartments of the bin lorry. As we see a huge increase in service demand over the festive period, and have increased collections to match, this seems the best time to trial the change. We’d also value any feedback residents have on these changes.”

North East Derbyshire has a population of 102,000 and consists of market towns and rural areas

Welcome

So far, on Facebook and other social media, most residents appear to welcome the switch to putting newspapers and paper into the burgundy bins. NE Derbyshire, which has a population of 102,000, also confirmed that residents can still present surplus cardboard – and paper – alongside their burgundy bins.

The recyclables collected in North East Derbyshire are sorted at HW Martin’s materials recycling facility in Alfreton, Derbyshire.