This review response summarises all of the questions and suggestions made by members of Sustainable Redhill, including comments made following a presentation of the blueprint by Julian Ellacott at our meeting at the Home Cottage on 19th January 2010.
We support the plans to increase recycling locally. The following are suggestions of how the council could improve its plans, including a greater focus on waste reduction and reuse. Some of these are suggestions of areas where we could work together with the council. We look forward to hearing your comments back on the following and discussing how we might help work together on this.
Comments and Issues Raised
1. New Waste and Recycling Collection Plans
Street Cleaning. Can the council please confirm that now collection routes are clustered into areas (e.g. collections on a Monday, for example, are in Horley) that this will make it easier for the council to do a cleansing sweep after the rubbish has been collected, and that therefore this will improve the cleanliness of our streets.
Question. How much of the 40% that is recycling is due to the 100+ neighbourhood recycling centres and how much is currently black box doorstep collections?
Street points. We understand that Brighton has communal refuse collection at the end of each road. Is this the same for recycling too? Is this an option that the council might consider in future?
More recycling points for small polluting/valuable items. Some of the items that are thrown away currently are highly polluting. Examples include mobile phones (just 3% currently reused or recycled across Europe 3 years ago), batteries and compact fluorescents. Can these items, which would be a real waste and have dangerous chemicals if landfilled or put into a gasification plant, be collected more locally. Suggest that all local recycling collection points have bins for these small items.
Education on Plastics Recycling. Suggest that currently not everyone recycling plastic bottles know which can be recycled, that the tops need to be removed, and that they should be stamped. There could be a big sign and education to make this point in a fun way.
Education to Inspire. In Finland there is a set of ‘piano steps’ to encourage to go up steps instead of an escalator, and a bin that makes a sound if you put something in it to encourage picking up litter. This could be considered.
Rail Transport? Would it be cheaper to send the paper for recyclng by rail to Kent? Is there an opportunity to use the railway sidings at the aggregates depot at Salfords as part of the waste solution?
Discussion Forum. A clear recycling directory, showing what you can recycle where could have more details and frequently asked questions than is currently the case. Perhaps this could be a wikipedia directory and perhaps a blog, where individuals can share how they have achieved ‘zero waste’ to landfill from their household (e.g. www.myzerowaste.com).
Competition to Encourage Participation. Can the council positively encourage participation in the new recycling plans – suggest sponsorship and incentives for opting in to the recycling scheme such as a prize draw with theatre tickets and stuff particularly to interest kids. Perhaps ‘sponsorship could publicise companies that achieve levels of greater than 70% recycling themselves.
2. Opportunities for Waste Reduction and Reuse
Freecycle and Furnistore. Does the council promote these clearly from the council website? Can this be better promoted? Can the council invest in new warehouse space in Redhill to allow them to work together.
Toy Library. Can the council establish a local toy library?
Waste Reduction. This is currently a recycling blueprint. The waste hierarchy is for reduce, reuse and then recycle. The council should have a plan for increasing waste reduction and expanding opportunities for reuse as part of the strategy, including greater budget for these items. We note that last year waste costs were reduced as the amount sent to landfill was reduced by 8%, mainly due the recession.
Contracts not Long Term. We support the current arrangements to have short term contracts. If the overall amount of waste is reduced can the PFI arrangements with SITA be revised so costs are reduced?
Opportunity to Increase Bulky Goods Reuse. We note that in Surrey Fridges and Freezers (and other bulky items like hoovers) are sent to be broken up for recycling, whereas in Croydon these items are first repaired and resold, by the Croydon Appliance Reuse Centre (ARC). This is an opportunity to support a local enterprise such as Furnistore, with warehouse space in Redhill.
Opportunity for Food Reuse. We welcome the introduction of food waste collections. You could choose to put fallen fruit into a food waste collection to generate energy but far better to keep it, share it, or even to make cider. Sustainable Redhill are considering a community Apple day in the autumn, to respond from ad-hoc measures to rescue wasted fruit in 2009. Is this, and other measures to share surplus food (before recycling it) something that the council would support?
3. Anaerobic Digestion Plants – Local Opportunities
Siting of AD Plants. We support sites across Surrey so that food waste does not need to be transported across Surrey. In the Netherlands financially viable AD plants have been set up at a scale of less than 10,000 tonnes/year. Smaller sites are viable and would minimise transport distance and maximise sustainability.
Food Waste from Business. What is the volume of food waste that currently goes from Gatwick Airport to the Biffa landfill in Redhill each year? Could this enable an AD plant to be set up more locally, perhaps jointly with Crawley Borough Council?
Joint Operation with Thames Water? Can we do a joint plant for Thames Water sewerage and for our food waste. A combined site would reduce smells from the sewerage plant and may be more efficient overall.
Confirmation of Direct Cost and Carbon Benefits. Can the council confirm that the money you get for the recycling offset the costs of the collection and fuel – or is it only worth doing because of the higher landfill charges? Also, what is the carbon benefit of recycling, including consideration of the distances that different items are sent for reprocessing? How much better would local food and compost treatment be, for example?
