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Record waste and recycling performance for Wiltshire
People in Wiltshire are sending more of their waste to be recycled than ever before, according to new figures from Wiltshire County Council.
There has also been a drop in the total amount of waste going to landfill and in the amount of waste generated by households.
And only a change in government rules has stopped the county from breaking, for the first time, the 40% barrier for the percentage of household waste recycled.
Wiltshire County Council says the figures are a testament to the enthusiasm and hard work of residents in making the most of their waste and recycling services.
The performance figures will be formally reported to a forthcoming meeting of the Wiltshire Waste Partnership which is made up of the four district councils as well as the county council and they cover the last financial year.
They show that:
The total amount of household and trade waste handled by Wiltshire's local authorities last year was 258,000 tonnes; down 1.8% on the previous year.
The total amount of household waste generated was also down.
The one blip in the figures is the household recycling rate which stands at 36.67% compared to 38.08% last year. The reason is that the Government decided in the middle of last year that 8,756 tonnes of treated wood taken to household recycling centres by residents could not be counted. The wood is taken by waste contractor Hills, chipped and re-used as a landfill cover. If it was not used then some other material would have to perform that job. However the Government has changed a previous decision and ruled that the wood has gone to landfill and therefore cannot be included in recycling figures.
If the wood had, as in previous years, been included then the county would have achieved a household recycling rate of 40.56% and the total amount of household waste sent to landfill would have dropped below 150,000 tonnes. In the meantime, the county council's waste contractor, Hills Waste Solutions, has been actively seeking alternative markets to make sure this material can be included in future performance figures.
It still means Wiltshire County Council is in the top fifth of local authorities for its recycling performance which compares very favourably with an average household recycling rate in England of less than 30%. Only a few years ago the county was recycling just a quarter of its household waste.
Toby Sturgis, Wiltshire County Council cabinet member for planning and waste, said: "It is a shame the Government moved the goalposts and deny residents the official recognition they deserve - but we know that people in Wiltshire are doing a magnificent job when it comes to recycling.
"Just as pleasing is that these figures show clearly that we are producing less waste in the first place. At a time when the population of Wiltshire is increasing we're actually reducing the overall amount of rubbish going into the ground. It means we're definitely on the right path.
"I think this is a vindication of the policies this authority has pursued to encourage people to reduce, reuse and recycle.
"The extension of kerbside collections in the south of the county, the promotion of composting and the campaigns to get people to reduce food waste are all playing their part.
"I'd like to thank people in Wiltshire for their efforts. It gives us a tremendous platform to go forward when the new unitary authority takes control next year."
In the last year the Wiltshire Waste Partnership has worked with its partners at Wiltshire Wildlife Trust on a range of schemes to minimise waste. For instance, thousands of discounted composters and food waste digesters have been sold. Meanwhile the black box kerbside recycling collection now covers 98% of the county having been extended in the Salisbury district.
For the first time last year, untreated wood taken to household recycling centres was transported to an energy from waste plant in South Wales.
And there have been continued improvements to the ten household recycling centres. The amount of waste handled by them was up last year to 75,000 tonnes from 73,000 tonnes the year before. Around 75% of the materials taken there are recycled.
For more information see www.recycleforwiltshire.com
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