| Topic: | Re: It's easy to see what is in a green box | |
| Posted by: | Philippa Bond | |
| Date/Time: | 31/05/13 14:14:00 |
| Topic: Brent Votes 'Yes' to Compulsory Recycling Posted by: Philippa Bond Date/Time: 12/02/08 13:26:00 Our neighbours the London Borough of Brent voted on Monday to bring in compulsory recycling. H&F are running some in part of their borough too. Here is their Press Release: "NEWS RELEASE No: PR 3191 Date: 11 February 2008 Contact: Jason Grimsley Immediate Release Direct Line: 020 8937 5430 Email jason.grimsley@brent.gov.uk Brent to make recycling compulsory Brent Council is to make recycling compulsory from June this year in homes with access to its green box scheme. The council’s Executive committee, meeting on February 11, voted to adopt the policy after extensive consultation found that local people supported the move. Brent’s scheme would emphasise educating and encouraging local people, with prosecution only as a last resort for persistent non-recyclers. The main reason for introducing it would be to help Brent protect the environment. Recycling produces less greenhouse gases than sending waste to landfill, saves energy and cuts down on the use of resources. Cutting ten per cent from the amount sent to landfill would also save Brent an estimated £615,000 in landfill taxes and fees for disposal in a full year – and more in future, says the report. Other London councils have introduced compulsory schemes with marked success. For example Barnet, where recycling levels increased by over ten per cent in the months after the introduction of compulsory recycling. Of 770 Brent people who responded to a consultation on the introduction of compulsory recycling in the borough, 97 per cent said recycling was important and 78 per cent backed the proposal. Councillor Irwin Van Colle, Brent Council's Lead Member for Environment, Planning and Culture, said: “I’m really pleased we’ve made this decision to go-ahead and adopt compulsory recycling. “This is about protecting the environment and cutting waste. Local people told us that this is really important to them. “It’s easy to recycle with your green box, which is why local people are recycling more and more. Compulsory recycling is aimed at the minority who don’t make any effort to use their green box at all.” Recycling is on the up in Brent – reaching a 21.7 per cent rate in 2006/7 - but the council has pledged to reach a 30 per cent by 2010. To achieve that, officers believe they need to get more people to use the green box service. Compulsory recycling will require anyone with access to the green box service to recycle plastic bottles, glass bottles and jars, paper, cans, the Yellow Pages, textiles and shoes, batteries and foil. Nothing that could go in the green box could be thrown away in the grey rubbish bin. Participation would be monitored, and recycling officers would visit anyone failing to take part to explain how to do it. Only people who ‘persistently and deliberately’ failed to take part would be prosecuted. Offenders could be fined up to £1,000." |