The partnership, comprising Hertfordshire county council and ten district councils, has begun rolling out a green waste recycling scheme with the help of £5 million from the Defra waste minimisation and recycling fund.
Matthew Evans, waste minimisation officer for Hertfordshire council, said that the partnership is looking to sign a contract for a composting facility which would be able to deal with waste under the Animal Bi-products Regulation. Hertfordshire currently sends its green waste to various sites around the county.
Mr Evans said that the partnership was looking at the possibility of signing a contract with an existing composting facility or with a proposed site.
Kerbside
The waste partnership is spending its entire Defra grant on kerbside services in the ten districts. New green waste bins have been given to residents alongside their existing recycling bins for the collection of dry recyclables including paper, glass, cans and plastic.
The majority of the new bins were supplied by container manufacturer Sulo, who have been contracted for 190,000 240-litre wheeled bins. Sulo are delivering the bins direct to households, via the council’s depots, as each district’s new collection scheme gets going.
Alison Page, Hertfordshire Waste Partnership project co-ordinator, said: “With a scheme of this magnitude, the guaranteed availability and timely delivery of the wheeled bins was crucial. We were taken by the superior quality of the Sulo bin – its strength, good design and easy-handling – but it’s the delivery operation that is truly impressive. The bins are getting out to the households quicker than we ever anticipated.”
Hertfordshire’s waste partnership currently recycles around 30% of its household waste. The partnership is aiming to reach a 40% rate by 2006.
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