And, the new service will also see Shropshire’s waste contractor Veolia resume collections of cardboard from households – after the service was axed in 2011.
From October, residents will be able to mix the majority of recyclables together in their current recycling boxes, with a new blue bag to be provided by Shropshire council for separate collections of paper and cardboard. The roll out is due to be completed in February 2017.
The changes follow a collections review by Veolia and the unitary authority which began in December 2013 – and involved a 12-week commingled trial for residents in Bayston Hill.
The £250,000 projected saving identified by the trial was the same figure submitted in the council’s budget monitoring report for recycling in 2016/17 – suggesting that the switch was imminent (see letsrecycle.com story).
In addition to these changes, residents in the Shrewsbury & Atcham area will receive mixed food and garden waste collections from May, with food caddies to be rolled out presently.
Householders in Bridgnorth and Oswestry meanwhile will also receive the new food waste collection service once a new in-vessel composting (IVC) facility for the area is built. It is expected that a planning application for the plant will be submitted with operations forecast to begin in 2018.
Cardboard
The return of cardboard collections to the county follows the removal of the service five years ago due to a change to national composting standards which concluded it was no longer acceptable to mix the material with garden waste.
To accommodate the separate collections, Veolia is to purchase a new fleet of trucks. The vehicles will feature split bodies – with one side designed for paper and card and the other for cans, plastics and glass.
Householders will be expected to break cardboard into ‘manageable pieces’ to fit in the new blue bags – but the material will also be accepted if left by the side of the bag secured.
Letter
Steve Mitchell, director for Veolia, said: “The new system is an easier way to recycle. People will soon receive a letter and more information about the service, and we ask them not to put any cardboard out until the new service starts in their area.
“Residents in Shropshire already recycle 52% of their household waste, and together with the new system, we hope we can recycle even more.”
Mal Price, Shropshire council’s cabinet member with responsibility for waste management, said: “This is great news for all of us. For a long time people have told us that they want to recycle cardboard at the kerbside, and for a long time we’ve been working hard to make this happen.”
Veolia currently operates recycling and waste services in Shropshire under a 27-year PFI deal signed in 2007.
Subscribe for free