The London borough of Southwark has rolled out a revamped recycling service involving commingled dry recycling collections and a weekly collection of food waste at the kerbside.
The councils waste contractor Veolia began providing the new service last week for all 45,000 properties in the South London borough who receive street-based waste and recycling collections. This represents around two-fifths of the boroughs residents, with the remainder, who live on estates, not receiving the new service.
The expansion of the food waste collection service follows a pilot scheme offered to 10,000 properties last year (see letsrecycle.com story), with residents given a small kitchen caddy which they can then empty into the brown wheeled bin they use to collect their garden waste.
The council hopes the service changes will enable it to increase its recycling rate from around 25% to over 40% by 2014 and in June 2011 claimed that this expanded roll out of the food waste service could add up to 5% to its recycling rate (see letsrecycle.com story).
The move to commingling replaces Southwarks previous twin-stream dry recycling collection system, which used a bag and a box, with residents instead using a single blue wheeled bin. Recycling is now being collected fortnightly, rather than weekly, a move the council has said will save it 375,000 over three years due to reduced vehicle movements, with residual waste being collected on the alternate week.
The overhaul also involves drinks cartons such as Tetra Paks being added to the list of materials residents can recycle at the kerbside.
Expansion
Councillor Barrie Hargrove, cabinet member for transport, environment and recycling at Southwark council, welcomed the success of the pilot food waste scheme to date and hailed its expansion.
Expanding it to a further 35,000 properties is just one of the changes that Southwark residents will see this autumn, and I hope they find their new look recycling service easier and more effective.
Simon Bussell, managing director for Veolia ES in Southwark, added: We have worked closely with Southwark Council to develop a new package of services for our customers living in street based properties.
We have taken on board feedback from the pilot area and we believe that the new service package will bring great benefits to the way that waste is handled in the borough. We are also working hard to communicate with residents and ensure that the transition to the new services goes smoothly.
Veolia provides Southwarks waste and recycling services under a 665 million, 25-year contract signed in February 2008 with PFI funding support (see letsrecycle.com story). Under the long-term deal, the company is also developing an 85,000 tonne-a-year capacity mechanical biological treatment facility, which is expected to be operational next year (see letsrecycle.com story).
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