New recycling initiatives for city
Released: 8 February 2008
A new range of initiatives have been introduced in Wolverhampton at the beginning of 2008 which will give a boost to the city’s recycling rates.
The Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) at Shaw Road, Bushbury, and Anchor Lane, Coseley, now accept old plastic bags and cling-film for recycling.
Unfortunately the Household Waste and Recycling Centres are currently unable to accept any other type of plastic apart from plastic bottles and plastic bags. The possibility of collecting other types of plastic is being looked into but at the moment this is not environmentally or economically viable.
The new additions to the recycling facilities at the HWRCs come as the Wolverhampton Waste Partnership aims to increase recycling rates even higher this year - the current target being 27.56 per cent - by giving householders the ability to recycle even more of their household waste at Anchor Lane and Shaw Road.
This introduction of the new material is just the start of what is likely to be an especially busy year for the recycling service which also sees the introduction of recycling facilities for flats starting this month as well as the revamping of the Community Recycling Centres.
The partnership will be refurbishing 50 ‘Prime’ sites it has identified throughout the city. This is to both encourage even more people to use the facilities and also to reduce the overall number of community recycling sites across the city, from the current 100 to a more productive 50 ‘Prime’ locations.
Councillor Pat Byrne, Wolverhampton City Council's Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “The old sites were in need of modernisation. With the refurbishments we hope to encourage more people to use their local Community Recycling Centre and to make the whole recycling experience a more positive one.”
Residents who previously have not been able to participate in recycling due to their locations in flats, tower blocks, and narrow roads, will soon be able to start recycling and help Wolverhampton increase its recycling rate.
With Wolverhampton’s recycling rate at 23.79 per cent in 2006/07 the Waste Partnership is trying to boost that with the introduction of the new ‘hard to reach’ service.
To be rolled out in four stages, the first areas to receive the benefits of the new service are flats around the North West area of the city: Whitmore Reans, Dunstall, Tettenhall and Bantock, followed by the South West: Merry Hill, Ettingshall, Springvale, Graiseley and Merridale.
The next stage will include the South East: Bilston, East Park, followed by the North East: Heath Town, Wednesfield, Bushbury, Fallings Park, The Scotlands and Underhill. By April all flats in the city will have access to the service.
Wolverhampton Waste Partnership aims to continue its work in increasing residents’ participation and the city’s recycling rate by taking to the streets this spring to gather customer feedback on the service.
Members of the Waste Partnership policy team will be ‘hitting the road’ during March as part of the second stage of the communications strategy.
The door knocking campaign will enable the recycling team to talk to householders and understand their attitude to recycling, to help provide a first class service to residents. This should assist the partnership in increasing the city’s recycling rate, and achieving its target of 27.56 per cent.
Issued by the press office.