Manchester City Council’s Executive committee have approved plan that will see households’ current 240-litre capacity black bins replaced by new 140-litre grey bins.
The council estimates that the change will save £2.4m per year in waste disposal costs, through increased recycling rates across the city. If every item of recyclable waste in Manchester was recycled, an estimated £16.5m per year would be saved, it says.
Manchester currently has a recycling rate of 33%, the lowest rate among the Greater Manchester local authorities – and far behind Trafford (62%) and Stockport (61%), both authorities that have already made the move to fortnightly collection of 140-litre bins for non-recyclable waste.
“It’s vitally important that we take action now to boost the city’s recycling rates. Doing nothing is not an option and the savings of £2.4m per year made will help us to protect other council services that residents care about, such as road maintenance, leisure centres and play facilities for children”
All nine of the Greater Manchester authorities covered by the GM Waste Disposal Authority have already changed, or are in the process of changing, their non-recyclable waste collection to either a 140-litre bin collected fortnightly, or a 240-litre bin collected once every three weeks.
Manchester residents will continue to receive a weekly waste collection – with their residual waste and their recycling collected on alternate weeks.
Roll-out for the new grey bins will begin in August and is set to be completed by the end of October 2016.
After being replaced, the old black bins will be recycled, at no cost to the council.
Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, Councillor Nigel Murphy, said: “When recyclable waste is not recycled in the bins provided, it harms the environment and also means that money is effectively being thrown away.
“It’s vitally important that we take action now to boost the city’s recycling rates. Doing nothing is not an option and the savings of £2.4m per year made will help us to protect other council services that residents care about, such as road maintenance, leisure centres and play facilities for children.
“We know that the alternative option of moving to three-weekly collections for the existing black bins was unpopular with residents, which is why we have decided to maintain the current collection patterns, but provide new, slimmer grey bins for non-recyclable waste.
“We are confident that this change can be implemented effectively and will continue to work with residents to increase the amount of waste that is recycled in Manchester.”
Read Similar
Oldham Proposes Move To Three-Weekly Waste Collections
Wirral Council Proposes Food Recycling Service
Bolton Council Begins Roll Out Of “Slim Bins”
Manchester Proposes “Slim Bins” To Boost Recycling Newcastle-Under-Lyme To Launch “Simplified” Waste Service
The post Manchester Approves Switch To “Slim Bins” appeared first on CIWM Journal Online.