A report has been put before the council's environment scrutiny committee outlining plans for a new alternate weekly system alongside a major promotional campaign.
Green waste collections are set to be extended to the whole city alongside a fortnightly service for residual waste and dry recyclables.
” This is an exciting new service for Oxford and is something a lot of people in the city have been looking for us to provide. “
– Cllr Jean Fooks, Oxford CC
Some fine details will be decided next Monday, but members hope that the system will significantly boost Oxford's 19% recycling rate.
Councillor Jean Fooks, executive member for a cleaner city, said: “This is an exciting new service for Oxford and is something a lot of people in the city have been looking for us to provide.
“It should at least double our recycling rate and with enthusiastic support from residents take us beyond 40% and to a place among the top recycling cities in the country.”
System
One week, crews will collect higher grade waste paper and glass (green boxes) plus residual household waste. New wheeled green bins will be provided to help cope with two weeks of rubbish. The next week, plastics, cans, other paper and textiles (blue boxes or bins) will be collected alongside garden waste.
The green waste service, which has been piloted in North Oxford, will roll out to other areas from September. Other recycling services, which currently operate on a weekly basis, will change in November.
Cllr Fooks said that the new system should not only encourage recycling but discourage residual waste generation, by cutting collections of residual rubbish.
She said: “The scheme should also be seen as a reduction in the amount of non-recyclable waste that we collect.”
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The scheme comes after months of consideration by the council, and was originally expected to cost 2 million to bring in (see letsrecycle.com story).
A “major” communication campaign alongside the service will alert residents to changes with the help of trained advice officers and advice packs.
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