The county council, in partnership with the district councils, is undertaking a study to find out what makes up a “typical” Lancashire bin. The study will enable Lancashire's local authorities to see if they are targeting the right materials in their recycling and waste minimisation campaigns.
During the last two weeks in February, 600 bins from across the county were collected and the rubbish in them was separated, sorted and weighed. The contents of the bins were analysed and the types of waste recorded. The results, which will be released in two weeks, will be compared to the results from a survey which was carried out last September. This will enable the council to assess seasonal variations in waste compostion.
The council plans to repeat the study at regular intervals over the next three years so that it can monitor the effectiveness of its campaigns and find out how the contents of a “typical” Lancashire bin changes over the next few years.
The Lancashire study is the largest waste analysis study ever carried out in the UK and includes a representative sample from all social groups in the county. Analysing bins from different areas will show the council if different recycling messages need to be targeted at different socio-economic groups.
County Councillor Brian Johnson, cabinet member for community and regeneration, said: “It is vital that we reduce the amount of rubbish thrown away in the county each year and the best way of doing this is targeting the key issues and types of rubbish that make up the typical bin.
“Lancashire is again taking a lead in this type of project and grasping the nettle in facing up to some of the issues that we all have to deal with, by investing now for the future. This work is dirty, but by getting a picture of what is in the 'typical bin' in Lancashire we will be able to make sure that people's money is invested in the areas where the need is greatest.”
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