RECYCLING half of all our waste within ten years is a realistic target, according to Cornwall Council’s rubbish expert.
Across Britain, local authorities have to encourage residents to boost their recycling rate to 50 per cent by 2020.
Waste management manager Dave Owens said Cornwall may even be able to beat that proposed level if we all work hard and do our bit.
“It is not unrealistic,” he said of the plan. “The main message is for more people to use their recycling service. Before you put something in the bin, think, ‘can this go in my recycling bin instead?’ Many people just don’t use the recycling boxes because they find it too complicated.”
Last year, each household in the county produced on average almost three-quarters of a tonne of rubbish, much of which could be composted or separated into paper, cans, plastics or glass. To cut the amount of rubbish we produce, we also need to think about what we buy. “Every household in Cornwall wastes on average £440 worth of food it doesn’t consume, and throws away every year,” he adds. “If we can reduce that, that helps reduce the amount we waste but more importantly residents will have more to spend.”
The council has already successfully carried out campaigns in areas with especially low rates of recycling. Throughout November and early December, the Waste Awareness Team was in Camborne, Pool and Redruth promoting recycling. During the summer it spent six weeks doing the same thing at Launceston. By advising residents on the importance of waste minimisation, staff worked to promote the three Rs – reducing, reusing and recycling – as the main ways of stopping waste from going to landfill.
So how does Cornwall compare with other counties? Mr Owens said though neighbouring Devon, and also Somerset, beat us on recycling rates, we are significantly higher than some other counties. But Cornwall still falls jus t below the national average, meaning there is much work to be done in 2011 and beyond. “Clearly we want to get much better at recycling and we think there are real opportunities to do that if residents partake more in what we are doing,” he said.
For more information on recycling, call the helpline on 0300 1234141 or visit your nearest One Stop Shop.
Source: This is Cornwall
