Wandsworth clamps down on commercial waste collections
Wandsworth council in south London has changed rules on business waste collection – forcing businesses to store waste directly adjacent to the entrance to their premises while awaiting collection.
Commercial premises in Wandsworth are already required to observe a “time band” system which sets out the times of the day when their contractors must remove their waste. Businesses were permitted to leave their waste on the highway for a maximum period of two hours while it awaited collection.
However, since last Thursday (1 September), business owners will still be required to keep to the same time band, whilst enforcement action will take place if waste is placed next to street litter bins or lampposts.
Wandsworth has also stated that businesses must continue storing commercial waste inside easily-identifiable coloured sacks or ones marked with a waste company’s name or logo to ensure they are not picked up by council operatives – with the council not providing a collection service for businesses.
The council’s environment spokesman Cllr Jonathan Cook said: “This change will not only help keep our streets clean but should also remove unsightly clutter that obstructs pavements.
“It should mean that residents, visitors and shoppers who come to Wandsworth no longer have to step over piles of binbags and cardboard boxes that have been left out on the footpath by shopkeepers until they are picked up.
“Businesses are already required to comply with a number of rules that cover the disposal of their waste. These are just a sensible and reasonable extension of those existing rules.”
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Paint recycling cost ‘a barrier’ to HWRCs
The potential cost of disposal or recycling of leftover paint from householders is preventing collection of paint at more household waste recycling centres (HWRCs), a paint industry survey has claimed.
The survey carried out by the British Coatings Federation (BCF), which runs the ‘Paintcare’ recycling initiative – aimed at encouraging the recycling of leftover paints – polled local authorities on barriers to accepting paint at HWRCs.
According to the BCF, nearly 30% of those surveyed stated their reluctance to take on a paint recycling service was due to cost, whilst 25% said they do not have enough space on-site.
Much of the paint collected is either landfilled or incinerated, the survey claimed, whilst the remainder is sent to a paint recycler or manufacturer, BCF added.
Commenting on the survey findings, Tom Bowtell chief executive of the BCF said: “In order to stop the landfilling of leftover paint, we need a national collection system which householders can use to dispose of their paint, and believe the existing HWRC network is the best driver for this. It is clear from the findings of this survey, that any paint recycling or remanufacturing solution for leftover paint will need to take into consideration budget and space implications.”
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West Berkshire issues HWRC permits
West Berkshire council is sending permits for the use of household waste recycling centres to all of its householders by the end of September, in a bid to prevent residents from other districts using the sites.
From 26 September, residents will be required to display the permit in their car whenever they wish to use the HWRC sites at either Newtown Road, Newbury or Padworth. Both sites are run by Veolia.
Preventing cross-border use of HWRCs has been a particular focus for some local authorities in recent years and West Berkshire recently highlighted the issue to Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom (see letsrecycle.com story).
In a bulletin on the new system, the council said: “We’re making these changes as our recycling centres are used by a large number of people from outside the district. We feel it is unfair to ask West Berkshire Council tax payers to fund a service for residents living in other Local Authority areas.”
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Redditch to end bring bank service
Redditch borough council is removing its last four bring bank sites across the borough, after claiming that the sites had contributed a minimal amount to recycling rates, and attracted fly-tipping.
The decision to remove the Bring Banks has been made due to the decline in site usage, ongoing costs of cleaning and the removal of frequent fly tipping at particular sites, the council claimed. It also added that the sites are often misused by businesses depositing waste at the locations.
In 2015/16, the Borough had a recycling rate of 31% of which bring banks contributed less than 1% towards the total figure, Redditch claimed.
The sites had accepted cardboard and glass. Residents are now being advised to take material to one of two HWRCs located in the borough at Crossgates Road or Quantry Lane.
Cllr Bill Hartnett, leader of the council, said: “Once upon a time this was the only way residents could recycle, but now our kerbside collection service means the Bring Banks are becoming obsolete and misused. It is the end of an era now that the remaining banks are being removed but in a world that is constantly changing we must move with the times, weigh up the statistics and deliver services people will use.”
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