 Green bin changes - more information Frequently asked questions West Wiltshire was the first district in the county to introduce a green bin collection. A lot has changed in the world of recycling since then. There are tougher regulations and standards, and this in turn has affected the types of material we can recycle. For instance, it has become clear that residents want better recycling facilities for plastics and cardboard. It has also become clear that mixing cardboard with our green waste is jeopardising the quality of the end product. We therefore need to rethink how we recycle and make some changes to the service so that quality is maintained. So, from 1 April 2007, it has not been possible to put any cardboard, shredded paper or kitchen waste into your green bin. But don’t worry - you are still able to recycle your cardboard by using one of the 30 new neighbourhood recycling sites we are converting just for cardboard and plastic bottles - the two products we know are the most bulky. So what are the issues? While cardboard does compost, the quantity being collected from West Wiltshire is having an adverse effect on the quality of the end product. Compost has to meet the quality standard BSI PAS100 2005 to be economically viable. The green waste from West Wiltshire often affects the overall achievement of this target because of the cardboard content. Ultimately, failing to meet this standard undermines the marketability of the end product. There has also been an increasing problem with green bin contamination - i.e. bins containing non-compostable items such as plastics, cooked food, paper, bottles, textiles and rubble. The best way of tackling this is to simplify what can be recycled through the green bin system. Food waste causes particular problems because of the Animal By-Products Regulations, which are now being more stringently enforced by the Environment Agency. These rules are designed to prevent the spread of infections such as e-coli and salmonella. Compost that contains kitchen waste often fails to comply and can be banned from sale and sent to landfill. What has been changing? From 1 April 2007, you are no longer able to put any cardboard, shredded paper or kitchen waste into the green bin. You can still put cardboard, shredded paper and kitchen waste into your home composter, if you already have one. If you don’t have one, low cost home composters are available from Recycle Now - visit www.recyclenow.com for details. In addition, we have converted 30 mini recycling sites across the district specifically for cardboard and plastic bottles. Do the other Wiltshire districts have the same problem? The green waste collected in Kennet and North Wiltshire, and also through the county’s ten household recycling centres, does not contain cardboard and therefore has a much lower contamination level. However, this high quality material is in danger of being landfilled because it is mixed with the West Wiltshire collection. Salisbury District Council has a small green waste collection, which included cardboard. However, it also converted to green waste only from October 2007 for the same reasons as in West Wiltshire. West Wiltshire is the only district that provides a green waste collection free of charge - customers have to pay extra in the other areas. You told us to put cardboard in the green bins - how could you get it wrong? When we started alternate weekly collections, we wanted to maximise the amount of rubbish being recycled or composted, rather than landfilled. That is still the case. At that time, available evidence suggested that composting was a suitable disposal method for cardboard. However, the quantities being collected in West Wiltshire now mean that we would be better recycling cardboard separately rather than trying to compost it with green waste. This is mainly due to the quality issue - for composting to be economically viable, the end product has to be sold, which means that it has to meet high standards. The inclusion of cardboard makes this impossible and increases the risk of the compost being landfilled. So cardboard can’t be composted? Compost containing cardboard cannot be sold commercially as it does not meet the national quality standard - however, reasonable amounts of cardboard can be composted in home composters. Commercial composting involves a 12 week process, and cardboard does not break down in that time. However, in a home composter, it can be left for as long as is needed for it to decompose. What about shredded paper? Shredded paper causes the same problems in commercial composting as excessive cardboard. You can put shredded paper in a home composter, if you have one; alternatively, you can recycle white paper through the black box once you have torn off any personal information. Why can’t I put kitchen waste into the green bin anymore? Since the scheme started, the national regulations designed to prevent the spread of diseases such as e-coli and salmonella have been tightened up. This means that we can no longer safely collect any kitchen waste. However, this only relates to commercial composting - you can still put things such as tea bags, vegetable peelings and fruit scraps into your home composter or wormery. If you do home compost, make sure that the items you include have not been in contact with meat, fish, cheese or cooked foods. You should also ensure that the resulting compost is well rotted before use, and always avoid touching it with your bare hands. I don’t have a home composter at the moment - how can I get one? Compost bins are available in a range of sizes and types, with prices starting from just £8. To find out more, call the Recycle Now order line on 0845 077 0757 or visit www.recyclenow.com/compost I only use my green bin for cardboard and kitchen waste - do I have to keep it? The green bin can still be used for grass cuttings, woody prunings, tough weeds, cut flowers, swept leaves and similar garden waste that will compost down. If you don’t have a garden, then we will take the bin away for you - call 01225 776655 Please be aware that you will still only get your grey bin emptied every other week - so make sure you use your black box to recycle all of your glass, cans, paper, foil and textiles. Surely it’s down to you to sort the rubbish, why do I have to do it for you? The Council is only required to provide a regular collection of household rubbish. The Government has set stringent targets for local authorities to ensure that recycling is maximised, and there are financial penalties for areas where too much rubbish goes to landfill. At present, landfill tax costs Wiltshire County Council £21 per tonne and this will increase every year. In addition, the Government’s new landfill allowances scheme sets a fine of £150 per tonne for biodegradable waste sent to landfill by the local authority in excess of its allowance - a fine that would have to be met from council tax. West Wiltshire was the first district in the county to achieve a recycling rate in excess of 40% - which shows that local people are embracing the kerbside schemes. The changes will ensure that the end product of all this effort is as sustainable and environmentally friendly as it can be. Why do we have to pay if we want to buy compost made from our green waste? The charge made for the Warrior compost is minimal and covers only part of the production and transport costs. A large percentage of the compost is sold in bulk, which keeps the price down, but the whole point of composting is to make an economically viable product while avoiding sending rubbish to landfill. If I can’t put cardboard in my green bin any more, what can I do with it? We want to see cardboard recycled instead of composted, so we have converted 30 mini recycling sites across West Wiltshire where cardboard can now be recycled at any time. Cardboard can also be recycled at the local household recycling centres in Melksham, Trowbridge and Warminster. Why is recycling cardboard better than composting? As said earlier, cardboard is not suited to the commercial composting process when it is collected in the quantities being disposed of in West Wiltshire. The recycling process sees cardboard soaked in water and agitated to release fibres, turning them back into pulp. Metal and ink contaminants are removed, additional finishing chemicals are added, then the pulp is pressed into sheets and dried. Although the fibres get shorter each time they are pulped, cardboard can be recycled four or five times before fibres degrade and disintegrate. Second time around cardboard makes more boxes and packaging, but has a wide range of other uses including stationery, animal bedding and even coffins! Separately collected cardboard is also a relatively valuable commodity, so excluding it from the green waste collection will also preserve its value and help the long-term sustainability of the recycling service. Are you making it easier to recycle plastics? Yes - the 30 sites redeveloped for cardboard can also take plastic bottles (plastics types 1, 2 and 3), as local residents have told us that they would like these improved recycling facilities. These sites are at the most convenient locations possible, to minimise the need to make a special journey. We will be encouraging people to make cardboard and plastic bottles recycling an automatic part of their regular trips to the supermarket, the local school or the town centre. In order to accommodate these new facilities, we have had to remove some existing can, bottle and paper banks - however, these materials can still be recycled through the black box scheme. What should I do with biodegradable or ‘compostable’ plastics? A number of retailers are now using packaging which is described as ‘biodegradable’ or ‘compostable’. Residents must not put these materials in their green bins, which are for garden waste only. However, people may decide to try these materials as part of the mixture in their home composters. The reasons for excluding these materials from the green bin collection are as follows:
I often take overspill items from my black box to my local mini recycling site - if that’s now only taking cardboard and plastics, can I have another black box? You can leave out any overspill cans, bottles or paper in plastic carrier bags alongside the black box on collection day. However, if you would prefer a second black box, there is no charge - contact Hills on 0845 603 2085. |