While recycling rates have been increasing steadily over recent years, they are now levelling off. We need to make sure that people are able to recycle even more of their waste and also engage with those who do not recycle regularly
Cllr Chris Metcalfe
Councillors will meet to discuss proposals for the future of recycling services on December 11, with a view to seeking a new waste, recycling and street cleansing contract from 2008.
The current contract with Veolia Environmental Services is due to expire at the end of September 2009.
Selby's recycling rate is around 30% and council waste chiefs estimate four out of 10 households in the district are not using local recycling services and at next month's meeting, councillors will look at possibilities for “modernising” the way collections are carried out as well as considering the range of materials collected for recycling.
Contract
The design of the new waste and recycling contract is expected to begin in February 2008.
Options which have been suggested so far include continuing with the present scheme, which sees refuse collected weekly alongside a fortnightly twin box recycling scheme.
Other proposals include running an alternate weekly service with the current recycling scheme, or running an alternate weekly scheme with a commingled collection of recyclates rather than a twin box.
But, while an officers' report suggested an alternative weekly collection would provide the “greatest benefit of all the issues”, a meeting of councillors earlier this month rejected a proposal to opt for such a scheme.
At the moment, paper, card, glass, cans, foil and garden waste is collected from Selby doorsteps, but the district council is aiming to get its 30% recycling rate up to 40% by 2010, 45% by 2013 and 50% by 2020 to meet the county's waste goals.
“Levelling off”
Chair of Selby district council's environment board, Cllr Chris Metcalfe, said: “While recycling rates have been increasing steadily over recent years, they are now levelling off. We need to make sure that people are able to recycle even more of their waste and also engage with those who do not recycle regularly. Our figures show about four out of ten households do not use the range of recycling services available.
“This work is a key element of two of the council priorities for the year: the further development of recycling services and championing a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,” he added.
Selby district council said the rising Landfill Tax was also pushing it to do more to recycle household waste. The Tax is set to rise from the current £24 per tonne to £32 per tonne next year. In 2006, the district sent 27,000 tonnes of material to landfill – costing it £648,000 in tax alone.
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