Saturday 14 March 2015
Nearly 470 tonnes of additional materials have been recycled in the first full year of kerbside collections.
Highlights:-
- First 12 months of kerbside collections gives a 470 tonnes boost in recycling.
- Increase is equivalent to weight of around 40 London double decker buses*, or three million copies of the Guernsey Press**.
- Kerbside collections accounted for 70% of all tins and cans, food and drink cartons, and around 60% of paper recycled.
- Including bring banks, an additional 210 tonnes of paper and card was recycled. Plastics, tins and cans, and cartons saw a rise of around 200 tonnes.
- Extra 60 tonnes of glass recycled - a 3% increase following introduction of kerbside collection of other materials.
- "Black bag" waste going to landfill reduced by 950 tonnes.
Since weekly collections were introduced last March, around 210 tonnes of additional paper and cardboard was collected from households and through the bring banks, compared to the preceding 12 months. The combination of drinks cartons, tins and cans, and plastic packaging saw a similar increase.
In addition, nearly 60 extra tonnes of glass collected through bring banks is being linked to the launch of kerbside scheme for other materials, with more islanders now recycling, and those who had previously recycled able to do more.
Parish 'black bag' waste sent to landfill was 8% down - a reduction of 950 tonnes.
Public Services Minister Scott Ogier said the increase in recycling and reduction in landfill were very positive.
Deputy Ogier said:
"In just over 10 years, the proportion of household material being recycled has gone from less than 20% to more than 45%. That is something that we can all be very proud of.
"More recently that growth had slowed, at precisely the time we have to look for something other than landfill to dispose of waste we cannot or do not recycle. Whatever we do, although more sustainable, will inevitably cost us more than simply burying untreated rubbish in a hole.
"The island's waste strategy therefore aims to reduce the amount we produce, reuse items where we can, and recycle materials instead of just throwing them away. Only then will we take what is left to export for electricity generation. It means spending more on efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle, so we save on the cost of off-island treatment.
"The introduction of kerbside collection is key to increasing the amount we recycle, and the first 12 months have been excellent. We must not forget this is still only the beginning. Recycling is now more convenient, and for many people more easily accessible than in the past. We are starting to see the benefits of that, and we can build on this success."
The amount of paper and cardboard had seen significant reductions in recent years, reflecting trends in newspaper and packaging production. However since the introduction of kerbside collections, the combined tonnages increased by nearly 6%, from 3585 tonnes to 3794 tonnes.
Cartons, plastic packaging, and tins and cans were up by nearly a third, from 661 tonnes to 858 tonnes.
The boost from kerbside has contributed to an increase in the household recycling rate, which also includes other materials, such as scrap metal and green waste.
The most recent statistic, for the 12 months ending September 2014, was 48.8%, compared to 46.8% in 2013. The next update, for the calendar year 2014, is due this month and is expected will show another slight increase.
ENDS
Additional Information
1. * The iconic Routemaster double-decker London, weighs 7.5 tonnes (source: wikipedia). This classic vehicle entered service with London Transport in February 1956 and the last were withdrawn from regular service in December 2005 (although one heritage route is still operated by Routemasters in central London). 470 tonnes would be equivalent to 62 of these classic vehicles.
The more modern
New Routemaster, the latest standard London double decker which entered service in 2012, weighs 12.65 tonnes (source: wikipedia). This heavier but less well known model has been used for the comparison, giving a conservative figure of approximately 37 buses per 470 tonnes.
2. ** Five copies of the Guernsey Press (including Bring on the Spring and Motoring supplements) from 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 March weighed 795g. Based on this average weight, 2.95 million copies would weigh approximately 470 tonnes.
Based on 310 editions annually, 2.95 million would provide around 10,000 local households with a copy of the Guernsey Press six days a week for a year.
