[N]EXT week residents will get a first look at Copeland Council’s new recycling service.
There will be two ‘recycling roadshows’ at Whitehaven and Egremont, featuring one of the new recycling vehicles, examples of the new containers, games and giveaways.
The events will take place on Thursday, December 7 at Whitehaven Market, and Friday, December 8 at Egremont Market. There will also be an event in the south of the borough before the scheme is launched.
Youngsters from Hensingham and Bookwell schools will visit the vehicle, receiving goody bags and learning about recycling. Copeland waste staff will be joined by a County Council waste prevention officer and members of the Council.
The new recycling lorry can collect five different materials and store them separately, ensuring the best value when the materials are sold.
Also on show will be examples of the containers that will be used when the collections begin in April. There will be three differently-coloured stackable boxes for glass, paper, and plastic/cans, plus a large weighted bag for card. Staff will be able to answer questions about the service and demonstrate how the materials will be put into the vehicle.
When the scheme starts there will be four new vehicles (expanded from the previous fleet of three) and an extra crew of three people.
Coun Mark Holliday, Copeland’s portfolio holder for waste, said: “These events will allow people to get up close to the new lorry and containers and get a sense of how the scheme will work.
“We know people have a lot of questions – it’s an important topic that affects our everyday lives – so this is the perfect opportunity to have those questions answered, and find out more about why it’s important for us, as a borough, to recycle more.
“We are excited about this scheme as we think people will embrace the chance to recycle more at the kerbside. We hope to see recycling rates improve dramatically.”
Next year the council will tell residents exactly when their new containers will be delivered. Collection day calendars will also be distributed.
Residents are also being asked (through the council’s budget consultation at www.copeland.gov.uk) whether they would consider buying a stackable trolley system of boxes. The council will consider the responses to this before deciding whether to offer this option.
