Richmond to roll out flats recycling borough-wide

The announcement by the West London council comes as Hackney council, in the east of the capital, revealed that its flats recycling service recorded a record tonnage of material late last year, with the 315 tonnes collection in December 2010 beating its previous record by 15 tonnes.

In Richmond, the council plans replace its current system, which involves residents of the borough's 15,000 flats having to separate their recyclables into seven different communal bins, with a twin-stream approach for more than 700 communal locations borough-wide.

This involves one bin being used for glass, cans, mixed plastics, aerosols and foil and another for paper, card and cartons – mirroring the way the council collects recyclables from residents who do not live in flats. The bins are collected on a weekly basis.

Richmond said that the new scheme would allow almost all of its blocks of flats to have recycling due to it only requiring space for types for bin, and that it expected a 60% rise in recycling from its flats as a result of the service change – up from 1,100 tonnes a year to 1,700 tonnes a year.

Councillor Virginia Morris, Richmond council's cabinet member for environment, said: “Together with increasing the types of items which can be recycled, which started late last year for those living in houses, I'm expecting an increase in the borough's recycling rate as a result of giving this opportunity to those living in flats too.

“My hope is that once the simpler two-bin system is in place people will grab the bull by the horns and make the effort to recycle as much as possible.”

The simplified approach is being rolled out after a trial the council ran in 1,500 homes in Hampton and Richmond in October and November 2010 (see letsrecycle.com story) and is expected to be introduced during the spring, with the aim of being fully up-and-running by the summer.

The council has sought funding from the London Waste and Recycling Board to support the roll-out, but letsrecycle.com understands that, while this has yet to be confirmed, the scheme will be introduced regardless, with the council paying the costs.

Hackney

In Hackney, the council hailed the “record” figures it had recorded in December 2010, particularly in light of the fact that around half of all people living in the borough live on estates.

The council noted that it had installed around 2,500 recycling bins across its estates, with recycling collected using a twin-stream approach, where aerosols, cardboard, cartons, drink cans, food tins, mixed glass and plastic packaging are collected in one communal bin and paper is collected separately in another.

And, it said its recycling team had also visited over 5,000 properties to speak to residents about their local facilities and how they can recycle more.

Councillor Feryal Demirci, Cabinet member for neighbourhoods at Hackney, said: “Our residents are recycling more than ever which is fantastic news. The improvements to facilities on estates are making it much easier for residents to recycle.

“But we now need to do even more. In Hackney we are wasting over £100,000 each month just by throwing away rubbish on estates that could be recycled. This money could be put to good use.”