CHANGES to rubbish and recycling collections in the district have been hailed a success.
Stratford District Council made the changes a year ago and figures show a reduction in the amount of rubbish being disposed of and residents recycled more than two-thirds of all household waste collected.
The new 123+ waste collection service was introduced on August 1 last year to boost recycling rates and reduce the amount of general waste.
The new waste contract introduced a separate weekly food waste collection service, using food caddies and a three-weekly refuse collection, while maintaining a fortnightly dry recycling collection service and a fortnightly chargeable garden waste collection service.
In the first year of operation, figures show 68 per cent of the district’s rubbish was recycled and 26 per cent less residual waste was collected.
In total 16,226 tonnes of residual waste was collected, which was 5,635 tonnes less than the same period the previous year.
The introduction of the separate weekly food waste collection service also saw 4,888 tonnes collected.
SDC environmental and neighbourhood services spokeswoman Coun Lorraine Grocott said: “Since the introduction of the new 123+ waste collection service last August, it has been encouraging to see how much of a positive difference residents’ efforts and the hard work of council staff have made during the course of the last year.
“The results speak for themselves – showing a substantial decrease in the amount of material now going to landfill.
“The service goes hand in hand with the council’s commitments to tackling the issues around climate change and the environment. The new waste contract has helped to bring with it more efficient vehicles and smarter routing as well as changes to food waste collection processes, which reduces the volume of harmful greenhouse gases entering our waste streams.
“There is still more we can do to reduce our ecological impact and live more sustainably, but this has been an excellent start. We’ve also been approached by other Councils, as we’re seen as a market leader in this field.”
