Enfield’s residents are helping the Council save money by recycling more carefully than ever before.
The percentage of non recyclable items placed in a blue-lidded recycling bin in Enfield dropped by four percentage points between November 2015 and November 2016 (from 14% to 10%). It is great news for residents and the Council because just one item wrongly placed in a recycling bin can result in the entire recycling load being sent to landfill at significant cost.
Enfield Council needs to make major savings as a result of large reductions in government funding. Since 2010 Enfield Council has made savings of £118m and now needs to find additional savings of £56m by 2019/20, so every penny counts.
Every year nearly a thousand tonnes of contaminated recycling material is thrown away because people place items such as nappies and food waste into their blue-lidded recycling bins. Better recycling is not only good news for the environment, but also helps Enfield Council save money by diverting waste from landfill and raising revenue by selling the recyclable material it collects.
The drop in contamination follows a high profile campaign by Enfield Council to educate residents in what can and cannot be recycled. People who fail to recycle correctly will not have their bin collected and will have a sticker placed on their bin explaining why it has been rejected.
Persistent offenders who repeatedly place incorrect items in their recycling bins face a Fixed Penalty Notice of £80.
Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Daniel Anderson, said: “I am glad to hear that thanks to the hard work of residents the quality of the Borough’s recycling has markedly improved.
“Putting the wrong items into your recycling bin is not only bad for the environment, but it also ends up costing us money because it means an entire recycling load ends up going to landfill – which is the most expensive way of disposing of rubbish.
“I would therefore like everyone to keep up the good work.”
What can go into your blue recycling bins: empty aerosols, food tins and cans, glass bottles and jars, paper and card, drinks cartons and plastic bottles, tubs, pots and trays. All bottles, jars, tins etc. should be rinsed out before being disposed of in the blue bins.
What cannot go into your recycling bins: nappies, tissues, food and garden waste, plastic bags or wrapping, recycling in tied plastic bags, shredded paper, clothes or shoes, electrical items, foil, broken glass or polystyrene.
Further information about your recycling service and the items you can or can’t recycle can be found by visiting our rubbish and recycling pages: Link
