A report which went before the Labour-controlled authority’s climate change scrutiny panel on Wednesday (30 August) showed that while contamination rates have shown “modest improvement”, there are still “areas of very high contamination”.
This has led to concerns raised by Suez, as well as the impact on budgets and recycling rates.
The West Yorkshire-based authority, which recorded a 26.9% recycling rate in 2021/22, has been undertaking some educational work in recent months, including a trial where council staff visit areas with high contamination rates before collection day.
However, the council warned that unless an “acceleration of the improvement” is seen, it will “review more stringent measures of management”. The council did not disclose its contamination rate.
‘Abuse’
When asked what the authority is doing on the issue, Graham West, the council’s service director for highways and streetscene, warned that the current cost, which he put at between “400-£450,000” is unsustainable and said removal of such bins will be considered.
“We know the vast majority of contamination in our recycling is nappies and food. We do a lot of education work around this, yet despite multiple visits with a friendly educational approach, there has been repeat issues in a number of places. It should be fairly clear now that a used nappy is not recyclable. So if it comes at an impact on our recycling rates, with a massive financial cost, we need to be taking more stricter action in these circumstances.”
Cllr West went on to say that while the work the team is doing to provide additional facilities is “significant”, the council is hindered by the “culture and behaviour of people within the borough”.
He said the messaging going forward will be a “call to arms” that the council want people to be able to recycle in “an educated and managed way, but if facilities are being provided which are being abused, then “I think at a point they should be revisited, informed, educated, then we have no other option than to look at removing opportunities to recycle.”
He concluded by saying the authority can not continue to divert loads which should be going for recycling into areas that is “costing us significantly more”.
Suez
The council will soon be preparing to procure its long standing agreement with Suez, after signing a short-term renewal with the company in 2022 (see letsrecycle.com story).
Suez’s original contract with Kirklees was signed in 1998 and due to expire in 2023. The interim contract will see Suez continue to provide waste disposal and recycling services until March 2025.
I can’t hold my opinion back on this one: it is only the ignorance of the residents and as many education can be provided as the council wants but until the consequences of not recycling properly goes unpunished I can’t see any hope for significant improvements.