Households thanked as recycling rates rise

Roger Barrow, cabinet member for residents’ services at Chichester District Council, said: “We measure the rates on a quarterly basis and over the last two quarters, we have been recycling over 45 per cent of household waste.

“This is great news, but because the rate can fluctuate throughout the year, we want to work with residents’ in order to maintain and increase it even further.”

During the campaign, the council’s waste and recycling team has focused on a wide range of education work with residents over the last two years.

This year, the council will be introducing a bin sticker scheme to help remind people what can be recycled, while fines of £75 are being brought in, only for persistent, repeat offenders, to reduce contaminated burgundy bins.

Cllr Barrow said: “Most residents have reacted extremely positively to the campaign, which is reflected in the rates – but we can always do more.

“One of the things we want to do is to ensure that the recycling we collect is of a high quality so it can be reused and made into new things in the future.

“Although most residents are doing all the right things, we do still have some issues with a minority of residents who persist in placing the wrong items in their individual recycling bin.

“Because of some problems we have experienced, we have now revised our recycling bin contamination policy to help deal with these situations.

“This means we now have the power to give fines for persistent contamination.

“I must stress though, that this is a staged process, and it is a tool that we would only use as an absolute last resort, where all other methods have not been able to resolve the situation.”

Residents who want to find out more about what they can and can’t recycle can go to www.chichester.gov.uk/recyclingadvice

People can also follow the council’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/ChichesterDistrictCouncil for regular updates and the council’s Twitter page @ChichesterDC