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Recycling: Bin bosses answer YOUR questions

Bethan Dorsett
18/ 7/2008

IN September Trafford Council will revolutionise the way householders get rid of rubbish and recycle their waste.

The massive overhaul of the current system will see homes receive four different-coloured bins in which to separate their waste.

Households will be given new blue bins for paper and card and small, grey bins for rubbish. The existing black bins will be used for glass, cans and plastic bottles while the fortnightly garden waste collection in the green bins will continue.

We asked you to send in questions about the scheme you wanted answering and have now put these to recycling bosses. Trafford Metro News reporter Bethan Dorsett went to the town hall to meet environment councillor Jonathan Coupe and waste manager Gary Taylor.

She put your questions to the pair, who answered them frankly and fully.

Cllr Coupe said he was delighted by the number of Metro News readers who had taken the time to write in with their questions.

"I’m really pleased that people have taken the time to write in and come to the neighbourhood forums to ask their questions," he said.

"These questions have been super and, overall, it is good to see that the residents of Trafford are very keen on recycling."

Mr Taylor wanted to point out there will be other opportunities for people to have their say. He said: "There will be more information available to residents in the future. I would suggest that they keep an eye on the council website, while we will also be holding three exhibitions in August and three in October about the scheme.

"We will also be sending out leaflets in advance of anyone getting a bin."

Under the scheme, households will be given a new blue bin for paper and card and a new small grey bin for rubbish.

The existing black bin will be used for glass, cans and plastic bottles while the fortnightly garden waste collection will continue. Rubbish will be collected weekly while blue and black bins will be picked up once a month and the green bin every fortnight.

Q Sue Sutcliffe asked: "When are recycling facilities going to be provided for plastic food trays and plastic packaging?"

A Gary Taylor said: "The new black bin will only be used for recycling plastic bottles. We won’t at this stage have facilities for recycling plastic food trays, packages etc due to a current lack of suitable markets for those materials."

Q Colin Barlow, of Heyes Lane, Timperley, asked: "Will you be able to dispose of telephone directories, catalogues and envelopes in the blue bin? What about old cloth rags?"

AGT: "Yes you will be able to recycle those materials in the blue bin but there will not be a collection for clothes." Councillor Coupe: "Old clothes are often collected by the voluntary sector and we would not want to take materials away from these groups."

Q Margaret Hickling, of Elmsway, Hale Barns, asked: "Will there be kerbside collections for batteries and aluminium foil?

A GT: "Aluminium foil can go in to the black bin but there will be no kerbside collections of batteries. In terms of batteries, there are 13 kerbside recycling trials currently being undertaken in the UK – in fact there is one being undertaken in Old Trafford by an organisation called Emerge. We are waiting to see if these schemes work out nationally."

Q Caroline Hickey, of Brentwood Avenue, Timperley, asked: "Will Tetra Pak and lightbulb recycling be included in this new scheme?"

A GT: "Tetra Pak, or cardboard drinks containers, can go in the blue bin. You won’t be able to recycle lightbulbs. Larger items like furniture can be taken to the council’s waste recycling centres."

Q Andrew Mycock asked: "Can Cllr Coupe justify these moderate improvements in opportunities to recycle with Trafford Council’s decision to encourage greater car use through £24m of road improvements, opposition to congestion charging to reduce road usage and lack of investment in public transport? Put simply, can Cllr Coupe please outline how Trafford’s recycling policies will make Trafford cleaner and greener?"

A JC: "We want to encourage people to recycle. We’re not saying it’s going to be an easy ride but it has to be done. At the moment we recycle 28 per cent of our waste in Trafford and we need to recycle at least 34 per cent. As councillors we also pay our taxes – we’re all in this together to make Trafford a greener, cleaner place. We are against the congestion charge because we feel it is a tax on people going to work but we support investment in public transport."

Q Janice Howard asked: "What will happen if my blue and black bins overflow due to monthly collections?"

AGT: "The blue and black bins should have adequate capacity but if someone comes to us, for example, and says they need more containers because they have a large family, we will take individual circumstances in to account."

Q Ann Hinch, of Marsland Road, Sale, asked: "Where, for goodness sake, will all these bins be kept?

A GT: "There will be smaller, terraced properties which may struggle with bin sizes but residents have to remember that they won’t be getting the green bins. We do appreciate some people will struggle and where we identify problems, we will work with them to find a solution."

Q Pauline Clarke, of St James Grove, Timperley, asked: "Is there any scope for a fortnightly plastics collection?"

AGT: "We will provide residents with the capacity to recycle plastics which we don’t have at the moment. If people are recycling more plastic bottles than we anticipate we will look to make sure people have the right size bin."

Q Lesley McGrath, of Skipton Drive, Davyhulme, asked: "I really don’t want a blue bin – how do I officially refuse it?"

AGT: "If people do not want a bin, they need to contact us. People have to remember that they will have a similar recycling capacity to what they have at the moment because they will still be using the existing black bin and, if they have one, the green bin. We would encourage people to accept the bins and, if not, take their recyclable waste to one of the council’s recycling centres. The easiest way to recycle is for the council to collect the waste from home."

Q Jackie Wilden, of Stretton Avenue, Sale, asked: "Will Trafford consider giving grants for people to build little storage shelters in the hope of disguising these ugly creations?"

A JC: "The answer would have to be a very polite no."

Q Rachel Kochany, of Finnybank Road, Sale, asked: "Can you outline where card, paper, glass, etc. will be recycled? Will this be in the north west?"

A GT: "There will be different routes for different materials. The waste will be taken to facilities in the north-west to be bulked together but may be shipped to other areas of the UK to be processed."

Q Alan Massey is manager of Wellington House sheltered accommodation scheme in Stretford and said he had experienced difficulties when trying to obtain recycling bins from the council in the past. He asked: "Do I have to force the council to give us bins all over again?"

A GT: "Residents should not have to request information and facilities time and time again. The service will be available for all kinds of buildings, ranging from churches to sheltered accommodation schemes and flats."

Q Hilary Hoodless, of Moss Park Road, Stretford, said: "I already recycle card and paper by taking it to a church collection point in Davyhulme. Should I continue with this method? And when will the changes happen?"

A GT: "By all means, continue with this method. We are not trying to remove existing bins, though we may change the way we material is collected to bring it in line with the new service. The scheme will be rolled out between September and March on a phased basis."

Q Carolyn Phillips, of Teesdale Avenue, Davyhulme, asked: "Why will the black bin only be collected monthly?"

A GT: "The capacity of the bin for glass, cans and bottles will be double what it is at the moment and we will be adding plastic bottles to the service. This is why it will only be collected every four weeks."

Q Several residents also wrote to us with concerns about clinical waste. Among them was AJB Edgar, of Melrose Crescent, Hale, who said: "As I have a colostomy, I have much clinical waste. We used to have a weekly yellow bag collection but two years ago it was stopped. What can you do about this problem?"

A GT: "We understand that there will be different situations, such as people with medical conditions, and we will make sure people are given the additional capacity, where needed, to recycle. When people do call us to ask for extra capacity we will look at how much they recycle."

Q Dr Helen Henley, of Church Road, Urmston, asked: "Will we able to recycle plastic containers for fruit, veg and meat?"

A GT: "You will not be able to recycle these materials, only plastic bottles."

Q Marion Holman, of Anfield Road, Sale, asked: "Has anyone looked in to the possibility of residents sharing recycling bins to minimise the number of bins in use and the speed of collection? And can the councillor assure residents that what we put in recycling bins is not just ending up in landfill?"

A GT: "We would be happy for residents to share bins if they believe this situation is best for them." JC: "I can reassure residents this is not the case. And the only waste that will be going to landfill under the new scheme is what you put in the grey bin."

Q Kathleen McCabe, of Acregate, Flixton, asked: "What are the sizes of these extra bins?" She also asked what the situation would be for people living in flats.

A GT: "The new blue bin for paper and card will have a 240-litre capacity and the new grey bin for rubbish will have a 140-litre capacity. We will be including flats in the new service. The delivery of these bins across the borough will be a big logistical exercise and flats will need to be assessed depending on the size of each block. We are conducting a survey to locate individual housing blocks in the borough to make sure flats are brought in to the scheme as soon as possible."

Q C Finneran, of Skye Road, Urmston, said: "I think this is a really good move by the council but what about thick cardboard?"

AGT: "Yes, you will be able to recycle cardboard."

Q Mrs T Hill, of Sandbach Road, Sale, said: "I am over 80 and I will not be able to cope with four different bins. I don’t think you have thought about elderly people, have you?"

AJC: "We don’t want to shock or upset elderly people and when speaking at neighbourhood forums we have been keen to urge people to help their elderly neighbours. This is a new service and we will be working with people to make sure that we help them with any problems. There will also be a dimple effect on the covers of the bins to help the visually impaired differentiate between the bins. Residents will only be receiving two more bins and the council will only be collecting two at a time so it will not be so different from the service operating at the moment."

Q Geoff Hawthorn, of Lightborne Road, Sale, asked: "Will the blue bin take all cardboard and books, including hardbacks?"

AGT: "If it’s clearly paper or card, then yes. The danger is with book covers is that plastic may have also been used, in which case they can’t be recycled."

Q Jane Jones, Cambridge Road, Flixton, said: "I live in a small terrace house and am not looking forward to having to put so many bins in my front garden. Would the council be able to come up with an arrangement so all the bins would not have to be placed in my front garden?"

A JC: "I know what sort of property Jane is referring to here and we have to work together to combat these problems."

Q Jackie Arnold, of Carrsvale Avenue, Urmston, asked: "Can I dispose of items such as carrots, banana skins and tea bags?"

A GT: "The green bin is only for garden waste but Jackie could get a compost bin to recycle this kind of material."

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