Record-breaking month for recycling

Households in North East Lincolnshire filled their new blue and grey bins with more than 1,100 tonnes of recycling in December.

Hard-working bin crews collected a total of 1,156 tonnes of paper, card, plastic bottles, cans and glass in their busiest month of the year. It is the most recycling ever collected in a month by North East Lincolnshire Council.

The total is 443 tonnes more than they collected in December 2019.

November was also a busy month with 1,131 tonnes of recycling collected from the kerbside in the new wheelie bins, 337 tonnes more than November 2019.

As a result, the average amount of recycling collected in 2019 was 709 tonnes per month. In 2020 it was 843 tonnes per month. It means that people recycled 19 per cent more in 2020 than they did in 2019. This puts the recycling rate at 36.43 per cent. The target for 2020/21 is 37 per cent.

Cllr Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for Environment and Transport at North East Lincolnshire Council, said:

“We collected a record-breaking amount of recycling in December, more than we’ve ever taken in a month.

“December was the second month in a row where we’ve collected more than 1,000 tonnes of recycling.

“This is a brilliant effort by the people of North East Lincolnshire and I’m grateful to everyone who is taking the time to put the right recycling in the right bin.

“We also saw much less fly-tipping at the bring to recycling sites than we have done in previous years.

“This was the first Christmas with the new recycling bins and people are really enjoying the benefits.”

Cllr Swinburn added:

“It’s a year since we consulted on our waste strategy. We had the highest response rate the Council has ever had in a public consultation.

“I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to give their views and shape how we’re now collecting recycling from your homes.

“We listened to your opinions and we’re now delivering on the most strongly supported option.”

Contamination:

A small number of households are putting the wrong items in their bins. Council staff found fairy lights, irons, and kettles in the recycling bins. These items can’t be recycled in your bin at home.

Putting them in your recycling bin contaminates the whole load and that can mean the materials are rejected by the reprocessing plants. Please take these items to the Community Recycling Centres in Grimsby or Immingham.

Other items people often put in the wrong bins include polystyrene, plastic bags, paint tubs, and bubble wrap.

Sorting recycling helps create a better-quality product for reprocessing. Increased recycling saves energy and helps us transform existing items into something new.

What goes in the recycling bins:

Each bin is clearly labelled with symbols showing what to put in them. Visit www.nelincs.gov.uk/recycling to check what you can put in your bins.

Paper and card go in the blue wheelie bin. Washed plastic bottles, food tins and drink cans and glass bottles and jars go in the grey wheelie bin.

Real Christmas trees:

Recycle your real Christmas tree at the tip or chop it up and put it in your garden waste bin if you have one.

If your tree has a root-ball and has been watered regularly, you can re-plant it for next year.

Difference 2020 on 2019:

Article and image from NELC.