landfill

[Le Chat]

Has the introduction of the 'once a fortnight ' rubbish collection had a positive impact in reducing landfill sites as yet - and also on recycling growth?

[Panic Button]

My council says yes, a big improvement.

[Ice.Maiden]

I think so, yes, because recycling's an important issue now.

[tiggerblue10]

I still get a refuse collection every week, however my rubbish is a lot less than it used to be. I have reduced it by over a half. I recycle so much and I put veg and fruit bits in the garden.

[Buenchico]

It's certainly working around here in Mid Suffolk.

When the scheme was first introduced, almost every house had a large pile of orange sacks (60p each, to pay for the collection of refuse which won't fit into the black bin) alongside their black bin each fortnight. Now you hardly ever see them because people have learnt that a few minutes spent sorting their refuse for recycling helps both the environment and their pockets. In fact, it helps everyone's pockets because the council have to pay �350 for every lorry load of land fill. Less land fill means lower council tax.

Chris

[Mortartube]

It may help you guys, but where I live we are going to have an incinerator built (which no one wants), and we will have to import rubbish to keep it going as it has to go 24 hours a day and we don't produce enough locally to do this.I strongly suspect that recyclabes will be burnt in it to feed its voracious appetite.

I am seriously considering NOT recycling as the council has effectively smacked us all in the teeth.

Nobody wants it. The council have rejected thousands of objections, ignored most of the waste inspectors report and signed a deal with one waste contractor whose only option was incineration before any public inquiry.

This is not a decision I have taken lightly. Why should I recycle to make the councils figures look good? I know that may sound selfish, and I don't like doing it.

It's a bit of a con anyway. Most councils take glass and metals, heavy items to show that they have recycled a great many tonnes but plastics (not bottles but packaging) many won't take.

I am also aware of the planet and global warmimng but we are conned there too. Taxed on fuels to "Help the environment" and then made to breathe dioxins from chimneys of incinerators. I don't deny global warming but it's a great revenue earner.

Sorry for the rant. But I don't think it will do much here is my conclusin.

[pug100]

The main driving force behind all these changes is the European Union not the British Govt. The EEC has introduced laws governing the amount of landfill produced and issued quotas on the amount of disposable and recycled material for each country. There are punitive fines if these limits (for disposing) are exceeded and these will be passed onto the local authorities. This is the reason why councils have introduced fortnightly collections.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4184097.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/72362 85.stm

Interesting one as to where it all goes

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6238105.stm

Some places are doing the right thing by recycling locally, building new processing plants which sort rubbish into different types and only throwing a small amount away.
Plants like this sort are almost self sufficient in that they produce electricity to process the waste from the waste itself and take almost nothing from the environment.

Viridor are planning to build quite a new plants in the coming years across Britain

http://www.viridor-waste.co.uk/index.php?id=15 5&menu=recycling

[Le Chat]

Thank you for your most informative answers!