Residents in and around Ulverston, Coniston and Hawkshead will have their dry recyclable and green waste collected on alternating weeks with their residual waste.
They join 7,600 households in Arnside, Milnthorpe, Kirby Lonsdale and surrounding areas which started on the alternate week collection scheme in September 2003.
Approximately 40% of households in the district will now be served by the scheme and the council plans to roll out alternate week collections the rest of the district by the end of 2006.
Councillor Colin Hodgson, leader of South Lakeland district council and Ulverston resident, said: “The council is committed to minimising waste and reducing landfill. We want to make it as easy as possible for our residents to recycle which is why we are collecting direct from each home. I'm very supportive of the new scheme and pleased that it has reached Ulverston.”
The new scheme replaces a black sack collection with two wheelie bins and two boxes. Each household in the new collection area has received a blue box for paper, a blue box for glass and cans, a green wheeled bin for garden waste and a grey wheeled bin for non-recyclable waste.
Rob Kitchen, waste development manager for the council, said: “We know that this will be a big change for residents, particularly with the introduction of wheelie bins for the first time, but experience from other parts of the district shows that the new collection system does work. Bins and boxes can be swapped for smaller ones if necessary but we ask people to give it a go for a few weeks first.”
In 2003/04, South Lakeland achieved a recycling rate of 16%, exceeding its statutory target. The council's target for 2004/05 is 25% recycling and composting, which it hopes to achieve through the new alternate week collections.
Register for free to comment