The new service kicks off with this month's expanded garden waste collection service, covering the whole city. It will then see a multi-material kerbside recycling scheme getting underway in November.
” Extending the garden waste collections for composting across the city will quickly make a big difference. “
– Cllr Jean Fooks
Under the new system, collections of residual waste and recyclable material will run on alternate weeks.
The council is expanding its pilot garden waste collection service, which was running in 13,000 homes borough wide, to the remaining 30,000 homes with gardens in Oxford.
Oxford will be rolling out the service in two equally-sized phases, with households on the scheme provided with a heavy-duty reusable bag to place hedge clippings, grass cuttings and other garden waste.
Garden waste collected by the council will be sent to nearby farms for use as a soil conditioner.
The garden waste rollout will be followed by a new, “more comprehensive” kerbside recycling service in November. Residents will be provided with blue and green boxes. Many already have the green box through the council's already running recycling service.
Oxford will be collecting glass, textiles and higher-grade paper – such as office paper, newspapers and magazines – in the green box, while the blue box will take plastics and cans along with other paper and cardboard.
Fortnightly
Collections will be made on a fortnightly basis, with residual and recyclable waste collected on alternating weeks.
Oxford council is currently recycling 19% of its resident's waste, but with the new scheme to be in force city wide by April it is aiming for a 40% recycling rate for 2007/08.
| Related links: |
Councillor Jean Fooks, executive member for a cleaner city, said: “Extending the garden waste collections for composting across the city will quickly make a big difference to the amount we recycle in Oxford.”
Oxford is also currently visiting the 4,500 flats in Oxford in order to assess how best to offer them a recycling service. The council hoes to launch a service in 2007.
Register for free to comment