York to miss council's waste recycling target (From York Press)
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York to miss council's waste recycling target
9:22am Wednesday 8th September 2010 in
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- By Mark Stead » mark.stead@thepress.co.uk
YORK is to miss its recycling targets this year – and city leaders say it’s because the credit crunch has led to people buying fewer treats.
Figures on the city’s waste situation have shown that although the amount of rubbish residents recycle is rising, City of York Council’s benchmark for 2010/11 looks likely to be missed.
But the authority said the anticipated shortfall will not mean Government penalties because it is still expected to comfortably exceed national recycling levels.
The council set itself a target of 48 per cent of waste being recycled this year, with the rest going to landfill. But analysis of its performance for the first quarter of 2009/10, which went before its executive yesterday, forecasts this will be missed by four per cent.
Coun Ann Reid, executive member for neighbourhood services, said York had suffered similar recycling-rate snags as other cities, with much of it caused by belt-tightening amid the recession.
“The main reason for the dip was people’s buying habits changed when money was tight and they spent less on luxury items like bottles of wine and glossy magazines, meaning less glass and paper was recycled,” she said.
“Industry is also reducing the amount of packing it is using, with a good example of this being Easter eggs, meaning residents are seeing a reduction in their overall waste.
“Our recycling rates are calculated using the total weight of recyclable material collected, so fewer heavy items like glass means the rate goes down.
“However, the total amount of waste collected also fell, so while recycling rates dipped slightly, the amount of waste sent to landfill still dropped.
“Recycling rates are now on the rise again and the roll-out of kerbside recycling to properties which do not currently benefit from the service will help improve this further.”
But Coun Ken King, neighbourhood services spokesman for the council’s Labour group, said York should set its recycling sights higher.
“After reaching about 43 per cent of waste recycled in 2007, the figure stands at almost exactly the same today,” he said.
“As landfill tax has increased, recycling rates standing still means the council is having to pay more. This is not sustainable, both environmentally and financially, and the targets and the amounts recycled need to be higher.”
Comments(33)
Fred the Shred
says...
9:42am Wed 8 Sep 10
pedalling paul wrote:Or the recycling of pithy comments.
I'll drink a little less to that! But I've not cancelled my subscription to the Sunday Times Wine club.
Do the statistics include the many bikes that are "recycled" by Bike rescue....?
King Edward
says...
10:15am Wed 8 Sep 10
micky moodys hat
says...
10:25am Wed 8 Sep 10
TooRelaxed
says...
10:26am Wed 8 Sep 10
Surely the object is to reduce waste in all its forms. Why on earth should we be buying more junk in order to up the recycling figures? Doesn't that defeat the object?
Who put Milo Minderbinder in charge? let's take his lead and bomb ourselves so we can profit from the rebuilding contracts.
I hope it's misleading reporting from the Press rather than idiotic leadership.
frank west
says...
10:43am Wed 8 Sep 10
charles dance
says...
10:45am Wed 8 Sep 10
Ben Guela
says...
11:04am Wed 8 Sep 10
EndofTether
says...
11:06am Wed 8 Sep 10
Beagleboy
says...
11:21am Wed 8 Sep 10
AdmiralNN
says...
11:25am Wed 8 Sep 10
EndofTether wrote:I always leave out extra cardboard that i cant fit in the box and they have always taken it away. I usually fold it up stamp on it a few times and leave it under the box or wedged between the box and the wall. Lots of people on my street do this and dont think there has been any problems.
Maybe it would help if they actually collected the recycling instead of deciding its too much for them to take in that trip. The number of weeks that they've left mine has made me start to throw it all in the black bin!
m dee
says...
11:53am Wed 8 Sep 10
Firstly there will be a limit when residents have nothing else to recycle regardless of spending habit ,recessions ect,we have probably reached this now.
I have said this over and over, walk around town and look at all the tourist/business related waste going straight to landfill.
Standard litter bins with plastic bottles/cans often spilling out if they were changed to bins with separate sections for recycling they would pay for themselves over time with the money saved off landfill.
Tons of card board from the Market is collected daily straight into landfill collection vehicles again to divert this would be self financing through what is saved in landfill charges.
Same with many businesses they pay for the commercial waste bin so just fill it with everything they need to be offered more alternatives/better recycling facilities that will be cost affective for both themselves and the Council.
Intime
says...
11:57am Wed 8 Sep 10
fate
says...
12:19pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Surely the aim is to reduce all waste, including recycling. The less packaging etc will create less recycling.
Just out of curiosity, how much CO2 is created making recycling boxes, distributing them and collecting recycling waste? and are they made from recycled plastic?
EndofTether
says...
12:25pm Wed 8 Sep 10
AdmiralNN wrote:You clearly live on a lucky street! I think the problem is, I can recycle 95% of my household waste but I don't have any boxes (they keep getting nicked) so I seperate into see through bin liners (as requested) all washed, crushed and neatly piled! The cardboard is torn into little strips and kept together neatly and they still leave everything as its clearly too much hassle for them to take all of it!
EndofTether wrote:I always leave out extra cardboard that i cant fit in the box and they have always taken it away. I usually fold it up stamp on it a few times and leave it under the box or wedged between the box and the wall. Lots of people on my street do this and dont think there has been any problems.
Maybe it would help if they actually collected the recycling instead of deciding its too much for them to take in that trip. The number of weeks that they've left mine has made me start to throw it all in the black bin!
Beagleboy
says...
12:44pm Wed 8 Sep 10
moneyforwhat
says...
1:06pm Wed 8 Sep 10
TooRelaxed wrote:well said..I couldn't get my head around the targets not being reached as people were buying less treats. I'm sure that many will agree that visits to the Hazel Court site are very upsetting for those of us who see uses in things. The amount of stuff which people throw away is a sin. So many perfectly saleable goods which could make their way to a charity shop and do someone a bit of good.
I've never read such codswallop in all my life! Surely the object is to reduce waste in all its forms. Why on earth should we be buying more junk in order to up the recycling figures? Doesn't that defeat the object? Who put Milo Minderbinder in charge? let's take his lead and bomb ourselves so we can profit from the rebuilding contracts. I hope it's misleading reporting from the Press rather than idiotic leadership.
charles dance
says...
1:25pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Beagleboy wrote:Yeah it was. And it was her who tried to sweep it under the carpet when all the unecessary sat navs got nicked out of the bin wagons. What was the outcome of that anyway? Was it just more money for the taxpayer to foot the bill for??
Ann Reid - was that the woman who had all the traffic lights altered when it was her daughters wedding day?
frank west
says...
1:27pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Beagleboy wrote:Yes, the old regime had "Red Light Rod" we now have "Green Light Annie"
Ann Reid - was that the woman who had all the traffic lights altered when it was her daughters wedding day?
jumpersforgoalposts
says...
1:46pm Wed 8 Sep 10
frank west
says...
1:52pm Wed 8 Sep 10
charles dance wrote:One of her daughters used to be on the streets and sell "lucky heather" to gullible tourists.
Beagleboy wrote: Ann Reid - was that the woman who had all the traffic lights altered when it was her daughters wedding day?Yeah it was. And it was her who tried to sweep it under the carpet when all the unecessary sat navs got nicked out of the bin wagons. What was the outcome of that anyway? Was it just more money for the taxpayer to foot the bill for??
Beagleboy
says...
1:57pm Wed 8 Sep 10
frank west
says...
2:19pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Beagleboy wrote:If you need planning permission for anything give her a call. She is good at giving things the green light I am told.
she is absolute scum for that and nobody should listen to a word she says. stopping traffic lights for her daughters wedding? She should have faced criminal charges.
Ignatius Lumpopo
says...
3:34pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Beagleboy wrote:Yes. She was thinking "green" even back then...
Ann Reid - was that the woman who had all the traffic lights altered when it was her daughters wedding day?
groble
says...
3:48pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Henry Swanson
says...
5:33pm Wed 8 Sep 10
pedalling paul
says...
5:45pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Beagleboy wrote:Actually she saved Council tax payers a bob or two, as the tests would otherwise have had to be conducted with a separate vehicle journey.
she is absolute scum for that and nobody should listen to a word she says. stopping traffic lights for her daughters wedding? She should have faced criminal charges.
Silver
says...
8:39pm Wed 8 Sep 10
pedalling paul wrote:Still others would call that Morally Corrupt. After all abuse of power and all that.
Beagleboy wrote:Actually she saved Council tax payers a bob or two, as the tests would otherwise have had to be conducted with a separate vehicle journey.
she is absolute scum for that and nobody should listen to a word she says. stopping traffic lights for her daughters wedding? She should have faced criminal charges.
Biggles Breaks his Silence
says...
9:45pm Wed 8 Sep 10
mickrick
says...
8:19am Thu 9 Sep 10
euroinforitnow
says...
8:36am Thu 9 Sep 10
Aimson
says...
10:13am Thu 9 Sep 10
Ann Reid the woman who stops the traffic for her daughter's wedding and now thinks recycling is suffering because people are drinking less! What a clown - Let us hope she is not recycled next time there are council elections and that this idiotic woman is taken as far away from governing this city as possible!
mystic_genius
says...
12:57pm Mon 13 Sep 10
pedalling paul wrote:Just out of interest, what tests? Can we see the outcome of these tests? What were they designed to show? Is it merely a coincidence that the test route was the exact route (date and time) of her daughters wedding? Are there further tests being carried out? I hope you say the things you do tongue-in-cheek as most of the time you speak utter BS.
Beagleboy wrote: she is absolute scum for that and nobody should listen to a word she says. stopping traffic lights for her daughters wedding? She should have faced criminal charges.Actually she saved Council tax payers a bob or two, as the tests would otherwise have had to be conducted with a separate vehicle journey.
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pedalling paul says...
9:34am Wed 8 Sep 10
Do the statistics include the many bikes that are "recycled" by Bike rescue....?