Bexley and Camden councils have chosen to extend their existing campaigns for three years, with Camden running a 12-month rolling contract.
But Hackney’s project closed on 20 June after it failed to improve recycling rates in the borough to the level wanted by the council.
All three boroughs had secured grant funding for the delivery of rewards projects in 2016 through the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG)’s £11.1m Recycling Reward Scheme, with Bexley receiving £405,743, Camden £435,968 and Hackney £637,031 (see letsrecycle.com story).
This money funded the programmes for three years.
Hackney
Cllr Jon Burke, Hackney council cabinet member for energy, waste, transport and public realm, said: “Like many councils, we were awarded funding from the government to roll-out the Recycling Rewards programme and, while it has proved popular, with over 25% of Hackney residents signed-up, it hasn’t improved our recycling rate as much as we’d have liked.
“I’d urge residents to keep recycling to reduce the impact our waste has on the planet.”
Cllr Burke said the council was working on alternative projects – such as Zero Waste Hubs and a plan to eliminate single-use plastics from council buildings – which would seek to prevent waste and boost recycling rates.
Hackney, Bexley and Camden had jointly procured their contracts to Local Green Points – now also known as Team Jump – in 2016.
‘Successful’
Graham Simmonds, chief executive of Local Green Points, said that all three campaigns had “been successful in their own way” and he did not think some had performed better than others.
He believed the Hackney project had been “quite successful” and had engaged a huge proportion of the borough. And, Mr Simmonds noted: “We had a three year grant provided by the government and it had always been intended to be a three year scheme. From our point of view it has gone well and to plan.”
Bexley and Camden councils both described the success of the recycling rewards projects in their boroughs.
“The council has managed to modify the scheme to reduce its cost”
Camden council said the programme was part of its aim for a “shared endeavour approach” where residents and the council are jointly responsible for maintaining the borough.
A spokesperson added: “It also supports key aims such as incentivising residents to recycle, to work towards Camden’s goal of recycling 40% of its waste by 2020.
“Through experience gained over the last three years, the council has managed to modify the scheme to reduce its cost whilst maintaining the quality and effectiveness of the scheme.”
Camden claim that as of April 2019 16,685 residents have been involved in the project.
Bexley council reported similar success with its programme, which had grown from an initial pilot for 2,000 flats that began in 2011.
“The majority of residents who have signed up to our rewards scheme live in hard to reach areas of the borough”
Bexley spokesperson
“The majority of residents who have signed up to our rewards scheme live in hard to reach areas of the borough,” a spokesperson said.
“The scheme enables us to regularly communicate with these residents and to provide information on how to recycle correctly, as well as news on their results and achievement.”
The council said the points scheme had allowed Bexley to move towards regional and national waste targets, as well as allowing five charity partners to receive a share of £7,500 of donations.
Defra
The mixed results of the London schemes reflect a 2016 report from Defra which found that reward schemes did not create a “sea change” in recycling rates in most areas (see letsrecycle.com story).
Defra suggested that improvements in recycling and reuse were more often down to “better services, communications and promotion” rather than being directly attributable to the reward element of the schemes.
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