The Cheshire borough introduced a kerbside collection scheme to 52,750 properties back in April 2004, but this scheme could not include the borough's flats, which were left with only weekly refuse collections.
 Vale Royal council hopes the new “hybrid” recycling units will see the whole community recycling |
But now, flats are being given new hybrid recycling units, provided by Twickenham-based BLIK Recycling.
The units supposedly incorporate the best aspects of kerbside systems and near-entrance bring banks, with each unit containing three 44-litre drawers, which can be used to collect any recyclable household material.
Vale Royal's kerbside system picks up cans, glass bottles and textiles, with a separate bag for paper. Garden waste is also collected, with the council running an alternate-weekly collection scheme.
The hybrid units are being placed outside each flats complex to allow these materials to be picked up from flats. The units can be added to or removed, depending on the needs of the community that they are servicing.
Innovative
Councillor Malcolm Gaskill, lead councillor for waste management, said: “With the introduction of the borough-wide kerbside recycling last April, the council was able to offer most residents an excellent recycling service and increase the borough wide recycling rate to 40%.
“However, until now it has always been difficult to find a suitable collection method for the borough's flatted areas. This innovative new system has provided the perfect solution and is clearly the way forward, not just for Vale Royal but many other local authorities throughout the country,” he added.
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In a further attempt to increase its recycling rate, Vale Royal is to trial plastic bottle collections at the kerbside in September. Around 2,000 homes will be included on the scheme. The borough is also in discussions with Cheshire county council and the other five Cheshire boroughs about the possibility of bringing in kitchen waste collections county-wide.
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