Tel: 01623 707017
We've Got Mansfield, Ashfield & Sherwood Covered

Menu

Council plans for kerbside glass recycling scheme

Posted onPosted on 8th Nov

Mansfield District Council is set to introduce a kerbside glass collection scheme to help improve its recycling rates and make sure the right waste goes into recycling bins.

The Full Council is due to consider the scheme on 19th November, which would see most households getting an extra wheelie bin with glass kerbside collections once every eight weeks.

People living in flats and complexes would have communal bins provided.

If approved by the council, the scheme would be phased in over two months from spring next year.

The service would cost the council £83,000 a year to run and £775,500 to implement. The cost of implementation includes the purchase of an extra bin lorry and wheelie bins.

The cost of setting up the scheme is expected to be off-set by a potential £295,100 contribution from Nottinghamshire County Council, which is responsible for waste disposal in the county, subject to approval by its Finance and Major Contracts Management Committee on 18 November. This would leave the district council £480,400 to find.

Sarah Troman, Head of Neighbourhood Services at the council, said: “This scheme would be part of the council’s agenda to be a cleaner and greener and more welcoming district.

“There has been a lot of public support to introduce kerbside collections of glass and we believe this will increase the recycling rate in Mansfield by up to three per cent.

“We also expect it to reduce the contamination rate from 12 per cent to nine per cent in the recycling bins, as customers often assume glass can be included.

“If it is approved, we will be in touch with residents after Christmas about the scheme. They will be able to opt out of having a fourth bin if they wish. The frequency of collections would compare with other authorities.”

The council decided to investigate how to take the scheme forward following a customer survey last year which showed residents overwhelmingly in favour of kerbside glass collections with 89 per cent saying it would encourage them to recycle more.

At the moment, people wanting to recycle glass in Mansfield have to take their jars and bottles to bottle banks, dotted around the district in public car parks, or recycling centres. This has caused difficulties in recycling glass for people without their own transport.

The kerbside scheme would see 40,000 individual households getting a fourth wheelie bin with larger communal bins provided for homes where individual bins are not a logistical possibility.

If communal bins are not feasible either, the council would seek to have more localised bring-sites introduced to minimise travel distances and to give all residents the opportunity to recycle glass.

The council recommended the more expensive option of wheelie bins over other methods, such as collection bags and caddies, which require more frequent collections, due to customer feedback, logistical considerations and to reduce the potential of injuries to staff.

If the scheme is agreed by the council on 19 November, it would see the authority enter into a five-year contact with the county council in which the district council would need to meet a minimum collection of 2,000 tonnes of glass a year (an increase of 1,200 tonnes from existing bring-site volumes), or face a £49 a tonne penalty for every tonne below that target.

The council believes the target is realistic, based on nearby authorities’ experience, although may take some time to build up to meet the target volume.

If the district council collects more than the target, there will be additional income from each tonne of glass sold and it would also be paid recycling credits from the county council of £62.32 per tonne which could help to cover the cost of the service.