The council has asked its 100,000 residents whether they would be prepared to recycle their plastic bottles, glass bottles, textiles, cans and newspapers.
Those that say they would then receive specially marked boxes and bags to put their recyclable waste in, which is collected weekly. So far over 16,000 households have signed up, with “hundreds more pledging every week”, according to the council.
Commenting on the new scheme, Councillor David Lancaster, Lead Member on Environmental Services said: “Nobody is forcing households to take part in this scheme. This is all about people taking time out to pledge their support because they want to create a better, healthier environment.”
The scheme has been funded through part of the 5 million awarded to the Greater Manchester Waste Partnership from DEFRA's 140m recycling fund.
Shotton Paper is supporting the scheme by offering 100 every week to one participating household.
Martin Gale, managing director of UPM-Kymmene UK, parent company of Shotton Paper, said, “In common with Salford City Council, we are determined to create a recycling culture in the north-west, with people making the most of initiatives like this rather than having their rubbish taken to landfill sites. In the long run, if we want to create a better environment, there really is no alternative.”
High-rise
Meanwhile, Salford residents living in hi-rise flats are being given communal recycling facilities for waste newspapers, magazines and junk mail. The council has delivered banks to 14 blocks across the city so far, with 10 more due to receive theirs in the next few weeks.
Councillor Lancaster explained: “Every week, residents living in the flats covered by the scheme are being asked to put all their old newspapers, magazines and junk mail into specially provided bags, which they can then take downstairs and place inside large recycling banks. The banks are emptied every seven days by collection teams, who take the paper away to Shotton's newsprint mill where it is recycled to make yet more newsprint.”
Block superintendents and tenants' associations will help to administer the scheme, deciding where to position the banks and delivering the recycling bags to individual flats each week.
Suzanne Hall, manager of Albion Towers, one of the first tower blocks to participate in the scheme, said: “Many of our residents have always wanted to recycle but it has been hard, particularly for the elderly and disabled tenants, to get to the nearest recycling banks with bags of paper, bottles and cans. The new high-rise scheme means that it's now easier then ever for everyone to do their bit for the environment, and our tenants certainly are.”
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