Since the Recycle for Pendle initiative started in June 2005, recycling rates across the borough council have started to markedly exceed statutory targets.

The judges felt that this was a major achievement, particularly as the borough was “really up against it” having a number of deprived areas and limited
resources. Since the ‘Cleaner, Greener, Safer’ campaign kicked-off, Pendle Borough Council in Lancashire has hit its target for the past two years and even exceeded it.

The judges felt that this type of initiative represented what this award was all about as they have been “consistently fulfi lling” the statutory criteria for the past two years. In 2005/06 the council beat its statutory target of 18% by a few percent.

However, the following year Pendle’s recycling dramatically improved, hitting just under 32%. Recycling fi gures for the fi rst quarter of 2007/08 indicate 36%. The Pendle project incorporated switching to alternate weekly collections of refuse in wheeled bins and kerbside recycling collections of cans, plastic bottles, paper, textiles, cardboard, glass and garden waste.

A communication campaign was launched, which included billboards, bus shelter posters and newspaper adverts featuring local people. A series of educational road shows was also held, featuring a bin rummage game where participants sorted the contents of a bin into recyclable and non-recyclable materials.

 

Fenland District Council’s ‘Getting It Sorted’ initiative improved the council’s 8% recycling rate by 700%, which the judges described as a “meteoric rise”. They were incredibly impressed by this Cambridgeshire-based project and argued strenuously for it to be highly commended.

Rolled out in 2005/06 the council introduced a three-bin scheme – dry ecyclates, composting and refuse – collected in an alternate weekly cycle. Residents were also encouraged to use bring banks for glass and textile recycling and home composting. Figures for the fi rst quarter of 2007/08 indicate 56%.

 

Recycling rates across Lancashire County Council jumped from 28% to 57% between 2000/01 and 2006/07 thanks to its Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) Service.

The council operates 23 HWRCs and if rubble and hardcore (R&H) is included the average recycling fi gure jumps to 70%. The judges praised the improvement achieved by the scheme.

Guildford Borough Council

Guildford Borough Council’s scheme recycles around 22 tonnes of material a week from businesses that would otherwise go into landfill.

 

The Commercial Recycling Services project collects paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, cans, aerosols, and mixed coloured glass from 180 local businesses.

 

Bulky Bob’s

Bulky Bob’s has a contract with Liverpool City Council to divert bulky household waste such as furniture and white goods from landfill.

 

Under its contract it has to divert 30%, by weight, of the bulky household waste it collects. It achieves this by refurbishing and redistributing these goods for re-use yet items are still left.