Lambeth opts for co-mingled bring banks

The unusual move follows the introduction of a co-mingled kerbside collection using orange bags to 80,000 households last month (April 2004).

The new bring banks were supplied by Carbery of Wiltshire and will be placed at 60 sites across the borough. The new 2.5 cubic metre banks will replace those taking paper, glass, cans and textiles but will add plastic bottles and cardboard to the materials collected.

Estelle Hook, communications manager for Lambeth council, told letsrecycle.com that the council decided to switch to co-mingled bring banks in order to keep a consistent recycling message.

“It is to fit in with our kerbside service which is co-mingled,” she explained. “It's just to keep the message simple otherwise there would be confusion if we asked people not to sort their recyclables at home but expected them to do it on the street.”

The recyclables from both the kerbside collections and bring banks will be taken to Grosvenor Waste Management's materials recycling facility in Crayford, Kent.

Orange sack

The orange sack kerbside scheme brings Lambeth in line with other London boroughs served by the disposal authority, the Western Riverside Waste Authority.

Ms Hook said that the council has run a major recycling awareness campaign to promote the changes in the service. “We have really done a huge push on recycling in general, particularly for the launch of the new kerbside scheme.”