The London borough has successfully converted a refuse collection chute at its high-rise Hallfield estate in Paddington to take recyclable material, rather then residual rubbish.
 L-R: Siobhan McAuliffe, village manager on the Hallfield Estate and Westminster recycling officer Edward Yendluri demonstrate the new recycling chutes |
The design – which is believed to be the first of its kind in the capital – has already seen recycling rates triple on the estate since installation in November.
Now Westminster council, which has to cater for 85% of its residents living in flats, is considering introducing the scheme across the borough.
The council's recycling team came up with the solution after it was found that those living in high-rise apartments were less inclined to recycle.
“Easier”
Councillor Alan Bradley, cabinet member for street environment at Westminster city council, said: “A typical family in Westminster produces half a tonnes of waste a year, and half of that is recyclable, so to make a difference it became apparent that we would have to find way to make it easier for people in flats to recycle.”
The new chutes take all recyclable materials collected by Westminster council including plastic, paper, glass and card. These then fall into a sound-proof bin, designed to reduce the noise of smashing glass.
Siobhan McAuliffe, village manager on the Hallfield Estate, said: “I think it's a great idea and one I fully supported from the start. It doesn't surprise me that the amount of rubbish now being recycled has gone up so much.”
“It was clear that residents across the estate were keen to recycle, but previous methods were always inconvenient. Now recycling fits into their daily routine,” she added.
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Last year, residents across Westminster generated 80,000 tonnes of household waste, 18% of which was recycled. However, recycling rates are increasing and so far this year 20% of household waste has been recycled.
Other projects the council is trying out to encourage residents in flats to recycle include a door-to-door collection service, which is being rolled out to 1,600 properties in the Churchill gardens estate on the River Thames.
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