More household rubbish is set to be recycled from Calderdale homes.
New initiatives being drawn up by Calderdale Council aim to keep the authority at the top of the country’s recycling charts.
And they are taking advantage of a new waste collection contract with giant SUEZ to look at bringing in even more projects.
Calderdale already has a 60% recycling rate, one of only seven councils to reach that figure. Kirklees is down at about 31% according to the last survey.
Now they are looking at ways of recycling more products - including all plastics, batteries and small electrical items.
The new contracts for waste collections and waste disposals will remain with SUEZ (formerly known as SITA UK) and AWM (Associated Waste Management), after a competitive tender process.
Clr Barry Collins said: “Waste collection and disposal is one of the services provided by the council that residents value the most. It’s vital that we can provide a service that is both efficient and cost effective.
“The council has to make massive savings over the next few years; these contracts will not only offer an improved service and greater efficiency, but also bring down cost and exceed the saving expectations for the waste service.”
SUEZ has been providing waste collection services for Calderdale since 2008, and the service has evolved from a black bag, back door collection system, to encompass wide ranging recycling opportunities. The current scheme, which was introduced in 2008 involves alternate weekly collections of refuse, with a weekly recycling service for glass, cans, paper, plastic bottles, textiles and food waste collections.
A council spokesman said: “The changes to recycling collections will not be fully implemented until Autumn next year, but from August 2016 residents will see the introduction of a wider range of recyclable material such as new collections of all plastics (except plastic film), Tetra pak, cardboard, batteries and small household electrical items.#
“There will also be a new chargeable garden waste collection service available, which will be then turned into compost.
“More information about the full range of recycling options and how they will work will be available closer to the time, but residents can expect to see a more bespoke service, delivering a number of improvements for Calderdale residents.”
SUEZ general manager Nick Browning, said: “We are delighted to have retained responsibility for the delivery of waste and recycling collection services to the residents of Calderdale. This is an enduring partnership that has delivered long-term environmental benefits and we now look forward to working with the council in the coming years to introduce further improvements to the high level of service that people have come to expect.”
The new contracts will deliver a number of improvements from next year, with new technology being used to offer a more reliable service and the introduction of new, state of the art vehicles, with a greater capacity, more recycling options and improved health and safety functions.
