Residents are now expected to recycle their household waste.
NEW and important changes to North East Lincolnshire Council’s waste and recycling service have been introduced aimed at reducing the amount of waste that is produced and disposed of in the area.
All households will now be expected to recycle; waste collection crews will no longer collect side waste; all rubbish must fit inside the green wheeled bin or recycling into boxes; and from June 2012, cardboard will no longer be accepted in garden waste bins, instead it must be placed in green wheeled bins.
The changes form part of a wider strategic change for the future of the service. The council has applied for funding to collect cardboard and plastics separately and to provide weekly recycling collections.
A recycling and waste guide book is being distributed to all households to explain the changes and reasons behind the council’s decision to alter the service.
Tony Neul, head of neighbourhood services, said: “We have been reviewing the way the service operates for some time now in a bid to see more of our waste recycled and less sent to landfill.
“Landfill tax goes up by £8 a tonne every year and for 2011 alone, our taxation costs were around £400,000. If everyone does their bit we can change this.”
It currently costs the council over £10 million every year to collect and dispose of the household waste. What’s more thousands of tonnes of valuable resources are being wasted. By recycling more, waste will be reduced, money will be saved and there will be less impact on the environment
Mr Neul added: “Our challenging but achievable goal, if everyone pulls together, is to recycle 50 per cent of the area’s waste by 2020. It currently stands at 35 per cent.
“The government has set stringent targets and high taxes to encourage local authorities to reduce their borough’s rubbish and send less to landfill.
“If you are already using the boxes and bins to recycle, we would like to say a big thank you, but as the whole area needs to, and can, do better. These changes will enable us to meet this target and make North East Lincolnshire a greener place for everyone.”
Around 95 per cent of North East Lincolnshire’s households could use the orange, green and blue box door-step collection system, but less than 40 per cent do.
Anyone who is experiencing problems with recycling their waste or do not have the correct bins or boxes, is asked to contact the council who will be pleased to help.
For further information visit the council's waste and recycling information pages.