Discussion about Recyclebank came at an event last Thursday (March 14) entitled London Conference shared learning and waste services delivery. During the conference, Lambeths waste development officer Francisco Giordano-Silva said the Recyclebank incentive scheme, which sees residents living in flats rewarded for recycling, had not been very successful in the borough.
However, the comments have been refuted by Recyclebank which said they were in discussions with the council to extend the scheme borough-wide.
The rewards programme was launched in Lambeth in May 2011, in partnership with its waste collection contractor Veolia Environmental Services (see letsrecycle.com story). Residents who sign up to the scheme can earn points for their recycling efforts which can be converted into vouchers for use at local and national retailers. It is available to 51,000 households in the borough with shared recycling containers mostly flats.
Results
Mr Giordano-Silvas comments came in response to a question from Michael Singham, waste policy manager at Wandsworth borough council, who asked whether incentive schemes such as Recyclebank are the way forward for councils.
Answering the question, Mr Giordano-Silva said: As far as I am aware it hasnt been very successful. We had to reassess all of the collections in terms of high rise and increasing the number of bins and improve the service before we could roll out the Recyclebank scheme so it is hard to tell if the improvements are a result of that or Recyclebank.
As far as I am aware, we havent noticed any major increase in tonnage as a result of the scheme.
Mr Giordano-Silva added: I am not sure over the future of the scheme but it is not looking bright.
Participation
Earlier this month (March 9) the council said over the last year it has seen an increase in recycling participation rates with an additional 26 tonnes of recyclables collected every week. In addition, it said the amount of residual waste collected on the same rounds has fallen by an average of 89 tonnes a week. The improvements are a result of changes to the waste and recycling service, which includes making recycling compulsory and have helped to save over 1 million.
“I am not sure over the future of the scheme but it is not looking bright.”
– Francisco Giordano-Silva
Other changes introduced over the last year also include the introduction of subscription garden waste collections and an increase in the number of on-street recycling banks. The council has also increased the range of items collected for recycling to include plastic pots, tubs and trays.
Partnership
However, when contacted by letsrecycle.com, Recyclebank said it has helped to increase recycling rates in the borough and is in talks to expand the scheme further.
Speaking to letsrecycle.com, Rob Crumbie, marketing director at Recyclebank, said: Recyclebank launched its partnership with the London Borough of Lambeth in 2010, as part of a Borough-led strategy to improve the recycling rates in estates. Since 2010, the strategy, of which Recyclebank is a part, has seen the tonnage of recycling collected in the estates increase by 14%.
The council received 1,473,610 from the Department for Communities and Local Governments (DCLG) 250 million weekly support scheme to roll out a recycling reward scheme to all households in the borough. However, the council has not confirmed that the borough-wide scheme will be with Recyclebank.
Mr Crumbie added: Recyclebank is in conversations with the Borough to extend the programme to all residents in the Borough as a result of the recent funding received through the DCLG.
The London Conference was hosted by letsrecycle.com in association with the London Waste and Recycling Board (LWaRB). It was sponsored by BigBelly Solar Compactor Street Bins and MetalMatters.
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