[C]OPELAND Council has collected the 1,000th tonne of recycling under its new kerbside scheme – that’s the equivalent of 100 double-decker buses.
It’s taken just over three months to reach the milestone – previously it would have taken around eight months to collect that amount of material.
Mike Starkie, Mayor of Copeland, said: “It’s great that we’ve reached this stage so quickly. People are embracing the scheme and making sure their materials are clean and sorted, so we really want to thank and congratulate them on reaching this milestone.”
In April, the council started collecting card and plastic from around 96 per cent of Copeland households, in addition to metal, glass and paper.
In July, the council collected 307 tonnes of card, plastic, metal, paper and glass. This compares to a monthly average of 124 tonnes a month before the new scheme was introduced. In May and June, the tonnage collected was 293 and 294 respectively.
Copeland collects clean, sorted materials which are then bought by a Cumbrian firm who sells them on to recycling companies. Currently, the collected materials can be broken down as follows (by weight):
- Glass – 37%
- Paper – 23%
- Card – 21%
- Plastic and metal – 19%
Mr Starkie added: “Because our residents have really made an effort to separate all their materials into boxes and bags, and to wash items where necessary, we’ve been able to get the best prices for the material.
“I would like to add that all our recycling is kept separate and is recycled separately. There was a rumour that it ‘all went in together’ which is untrue. It’s really important that residents continue to sort their recycling before they put it out, so that it can be quickly and easily collected, providing the most cost-efficient service.
“We think the scheme will go from strength to strength if people continue to support it as they have. I’d also like to publicly thank our waste crews who have worked so hard to achieve this milestone.”
More information on Copeland’s kerbside recycling scheme, and a list of what can and can’t go in each box, can be found at www.copeland.gov.uk.
