The seven collection containers in household waste recycling centres in five district areas – Canterbury, Shepway, Thanet, Ashford and Dover – have now been removed, following the end of a two-year pilot. Plastics are still collected in those areas through kerbside collections, except in Ashford and Dover.
 Kent has found kerbside collections more effective than recycling centres for plastic bottle recycling |
The county's recycling experts have said the tonnage of plastics collected from the recycling centres did not significantly contribute to recycling rates.
They also said the level of carbon emissions from vehicles transporting plastics to the materials recycling facility in Canterbury was outweighing the environmental benefits from the recycling.
With the end of the trials in Ashford and Dover, waste plastics will be taken to the energy-from-waste recovery plant at Allington, near Maidstone, as part of the general household waste stream.
Dover could move to a new recycling collection scheme including plastics under a new waste contract expected to be announced next year.
Collections
Last year, plastic collections from the bins contributed 0.13% to Kent county council's recycling rate and 0.03% to the county's overall figure which includes its districts and boroughs.
Waste plastics make up 9% of the total household waste in Kent and in the last two years, 140,000 tonnes have been collected across the county, but just 360 tonnes from the seven recycling centre trials.
The council estimates transporting the material created an extra 674 vehicle journeys or an additional 35,280 miles' transport, which lead to higher carbon emissions and fuel costs.
A recycling expert at the county council said: “This was a clash of green agendas but those parts of the trial which were not environmentally-friendly outweighed the benefits. In the end, we had to use commonsense and use the space in the HWRCs for something else.”
Kerbside success
The success of kerbside collections also played a part in low yields at the recycling centres. The most productive bin was in Ashford, where 70 tonnes were collected but where no kerbside collection is in place.
The least productive was in Canterbury, where seven tonnes were collected and where recyclables including paper, plastics and cans, are collected on alternate weeks in clear sacks.
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The recycling officer said: “Residents have voted with their feet and now using recycling services from home. We have had very little feedback from householders so it would appear they are happy with the service.”
He added: “What has happened here is not a policy across the county. It was a very small trial and its overall impact was very small.”
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