The company, formerly known as AbitibiBowater Consolidated Europe, has been granted a seven year extension to its waste and recycling collection contract with Hinckley & Bosworth borough council in Leicestershire under which it is offering a simplified service.
Rather than providing a number of containers for different materials, as was previously the case, residents now have a blue bag or box for cans, plastics, drinks cartons, foil, aerosols and mixed glass and a yellow hessian bag for paper and card.
Four new split-bodied Dennis Eagle collection vehicles have also been introduced by Palm Recycling to collect the material.
A separate pink bag has been retained for textiles, alongside a brown bin for garden waste and black bin for residual waste. Batteries are also accepted in carrier bags.
The scheme, which came into operation on January 17, represents a break away from the kersbside sort services traditionally associated with AbitibiBowater Consolidated Europe, before it was taken over by Palm Paper in early 2010.
Palm claims the new scheme will save the council 250,000 a year and should help boost participation, while still ensuring material quality. This is particularly important with regards to the paper and card fraction which Palm Recycling is responsible for procuring for the newly-opened Palm Paper mill in Kings Lynn, Norfolk.
Palm Recyclings business manager, Sarah Swain, who managed the project, said: We have worked closely with the council in developing a dual stream system that is suited to the residents needs, and the boroughs demographics. We have achieved this through providing a simpler container solution, aligning refuse, green waste and recycling collections and increasing the range of recyclables that residents can present – this has resulted in savings which are estimated in the region of 250,000 per year.
Mike Brymer, chief officer for business development & street scene at the borough council, said: Were delighted to be introducing new and improved recycling services that are based around the needs of our residents.”
Service
Palm Recycling has provided waste and recycling collectionsfor Hinckley & Bosworth since 2004. Under the previous service, residents had a small blue bag for paper and an orange bag for mixed plastics in addition to their current containers. Material was collected by five stillage trucks.
The company explained that the new service enabled them to have one less vehicle on the road and that the vehicles were more efficient and could hold more recyclables, saving them money.
However, a spokeswoman for Palm insisted that the move was not an acknowledgement that source separated collections were more expensive.
She said: Palm Recycling has tailored the recycling collection to meet the clients need, whilst maintaining material quality. Palm currently offers a wide range of recycling services for many local authorities throughout the UK, designed to suit the demographics characteristic of each region. This could be dual stream or source segregated.
Register for free to comment