New waste collection measures are being put in place to help residents in St Albans City and District increase their recycling rate to 60% of all household waste by 2015.

The measures form part of an action plan agreed by St Albans City and District Council’s Cabinet that is designed to help the District achieve the Council’s new recycling target for household waste.

They build on the success of the Council’s “twin bin” service under which householders have been provided with a black wheeled bin for refuse, a green wheeled bin for green waste, including food, garden waste and cardboard, and boxes for the recycling of dry waste such as tins, glass, newspapers and plastic bottles. Special arrangements are in place for some roads, for example within conservation areas.

This system resulted in an increase in the recycling rate for household waste from 36.35% in 2007/8 to 50.32% in 2009/10, beating the Council’s then target of 50% by 2010/11 ahead of schedule. The Council has since introduced a new target for the recycling of household waste of 60% by 2015.

The new measures include:

• the completion of the roll out of recycling facilities for glass, newspapers, magazines, plastic bottles, cans and aerosols to all flats and maisonettes in the District by the end of 2011/12;
• the introduction of recycling facilities at schools, where practicable, by the end of 2011/12;
• participation in European Week of Waste Reduction in November with the aim of promoting ways that residents can reduce their waste and consumption levels;
• looking at a campaign to reduce the use of plastic bags;
• door-to-door visits in 2012/13 to encourage residents to make better use of the current recycling facilities available to them,
• and a waste audit in 2012/13 to identify what is going to landfill which could recycled, composted or reused.

The Council is also looking at whether it can make changes to its current system of waste collection, either under its existing refuse and recycling contract with Enterprise which comes to an end in 2015 or under any new contract after this date. It is considering the possibility of:

• collecting clothes, mixed plastics and tetra pak cartons from the kerbside,
• collecting green waste, including food, cardboard and garden waste weekly during the summer months,
• providing a second green wheeled bin for garden waste with option of charging for the service.

Liberal Democrat councillor Melvyn Teare, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability St Albans City and District Council, said: “Residents have done a brilliant job so far in reducing the amount of household waste that is being sent to landfill and have beaten the Council’s target of 50% by 2010/11 ahead of schedule. This was in part due to the introduction of the twin bin scheme and dry waste boxes which have enabled residents to separate their waste for recycling.

“It is important that this good work continues so we have set a new recycling target of 60% by 2015. The Council recognises that this goal is ambitious and we are therefore introducing new measures to help encourage residents to work with us to achieve this target.