Surrey Heath Recycling: "A Great Start But More To Be Done"

9.04.00pm GMT Fri 13th Nov 2009

New bins delivered to residents in Surrey Heath

A recent survey carried out amongst Lib Dem supporters in Surrey Heath has shown that the new waste collection and recycling scheme is welcomed by the vast majority of residents, but that there remains an appetite to do more. The survey was carried out approximately a month after the introduction of the scheme, and looked at the process of introduction of the scheme, its operation and any problems reported.

The introduction of the scheme was successful. No less than 91% of those responding reported that they were completely happy or pretty happy with the advance information provided. Some 73% knew of the special helpline telephone number, but only 24% felt the need to make use of it. However, around a third of those people who did call were not particularly happy with the response.

One clear effect of the advance publicity was that many people held back recycling that they would normally have taken to recycling centres in anticipation of the new scheme, with no less than 47% of responders indicating this. This will make the recycling rates reported for the first couple of months of operation artificially high.

An indicator of the initial success of the scheme was that 64% thought they were recycling a lot more, with a further 20% were recycling a little more. Interestingly, some 59% of residents are still taking materials to the Recycling sites, the majority to recycle materials that they could not (or did not believe they could) recycle in the green bin. As some 86% profess to be confident or very confident of what can go in the green bin, this is an indication of an admirable desire to maximise recycling amongst residents in the Borough. Other indications were that more than 45% of people who claimed that all their food waste went into the food caddy for recycling, with the majority of the remainder either partly using it or composting in the garden instead. There were a number of individual comments to the effect that, having separated out the various items for recycling for many years, it seemed strange to throw everything into one bin, albeit a green one. Perhaps as a result, some wondered just how much of what was put in the green bin would actually be recycled.

One disappointment was the lack of arrangements for recycling the old dustbins that residents have. There may be 50,000 of these around the Borough now. 63% of residents thought that some arrangements for recycling these bins should have been made.

Concerning problems, some 13% remained unsure of what was allowed in the recycling bin. Perhaps worryingly, 31% said that if they were not sure, they would put it in the Green Bin anyway. As contamination of the recyclables can lead to the rejection of the load at the reprocessing facility, this is clearly an area to be monitored.

Most residents appeared to be happy with the alternate weekly collection of recycling and residual waste (76%). However, some 11% of residents complained of issues of smell now, and 22% expected it to be a problem in the warmer weather. Other issues, such as storage of the bins (18%), remembering which to put out (16%) and moving them to the kerbside (11%), were a concern of significant minorities.

Cllr Duncan Clark, leader of the Lib Dem group at Surrey Heath Council said: "Lib Dem councillors have worked hard in cooperation with other groups to ensure a scheme with as wide a scope as possible, and I am pleased at the reception that the new recycling scheme has had amongst residents. Enthusiasm for recycling is clearly high, and we must look on how we can build on this."

Alan Hilliar, Surrey Heath Liberal Democrats Parliamentary Spokesman said "We're delighted that so many people participated in our survey of the Surrey Heath Recycling facilities. It's very clear that the great majority of local residents are firmly committed to the principle of recycling. We are committed to developing recycling services within Surrey Heath".

"At last, Surrey Heath has a recycling scheme that is fit for purpose. In the run up to the Copenhagen summit, we must all focus on what we as individuals can do to contribute to saving the planet."

Surrey Heath residents visiting this page are invited to take the survey themselves. Please use the link below.