The information provided by the council says that we should not include
perfectly easily recyclable plastic (bags, trays, etc.) in the box we leave out
every fortnight. Why not? If the LibDems were serious about recycling they
would encourage us to leave ALL plastic. The irony is that we USED to!! So now,
we are actually putting MORE plastic in or dustbin to be added to the rubbish
going off to landfill!
Saturday, October 30, 2004
He's back to 400 emails and an early recycling problem
Fantastic week, very relaxing. Refreshed for the Autumn of campaigning and the closing stages of the Grove by election. Cannot believe the amount of work that has gone on since being away and I am very pleased that my last posting on smoking prompted such a debate. Have 400 emails to wade through (very few junk) but came across this early comment on the new recycling leafet that the Council has published in Kingston. Looks like another mess. Will check it out and let you know what happens!
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6 comments:
Am very pleased that people are getting the recycling leaflets as information about the recycling service has been very poor in the past. Very, very pleased too that the kerbside collection now includes the recycling of glass which is a heavy thing that previously had to be lugged to bottle banks - now the recyclers take it from my doorstep to be recycled into new bottles and jars - # Excellent! # This should've been happeneing since the green boxes were first issued, but it seems that the councillors responsible then took bad advice instead of listeneing to what the residents were asking for.
You're wrong and so is your correspondent Kevin. Kingston residents have never been encouraged to set out any plastic other than plastic BOTTLES for recycling. What you both need to understand is that there are many types of plastic and by asking for bottles only, the council and the people who it sends the material to can recycle them back into useful products. If the council were to ask simply for 'plastic' then people would be putting out composite items made of a variety of polymers such as cassette tapes, washing up bowls, folders, crisp packets, expanded polystyrene etc etc etc - which don't have any market to speak of. Surely as a Conservative you understand market forces! What's the point of collecting material that no recycling company would take off your hands eh?
Have you checked it out? What did the recycling department tell you Kevin? I've not found one other local authority that collects plastic of any type other than bottles - so it seems that Kingston is in good company. The London Borough of Tony Arbour doesn't even collect plastic bottles for recycling. The Tories would have us throw the plastic bottles in the general waste too? That's what Richmond council expects.
Kevin, weren't you a member of the 'cabinet' when the council decided that cardboard should no longer be collected in the door-to-door recycling service? "So now, we are actually putting MORE cardboard in our dustbins to be added to the rubbish going off to landfill!"
Shocking. Absolutely shocking.
Yes, checked it out and this is the response!! Bit dissapointing really as for an average member of the public it is impossible to really work out what is and what is not plastic. I for one would have thought yoghurt pots was OK but they are not! I think what the complainant was worried about was that he had the perception that he was being stopped from what he had always done.
The comment on cardboard is just silly. Yes, I was in the minority admninistration. However as we did not have control the Lib Dems voted for it as well. Had they not it would not have happened. Personally I think it is mad that we do collect cardboard but I suppose if the economics of recycling had imporved the current Lib Dem Council would have started it again; they have not.
Anyway here is what the Council says about plastic:
why can I only recycle my plastic bottles? what about other plastic items?
Plastic bottles are specified as they are made from one of only three polymer types and are very easily identified, both by members of the public and those sorting the collected bottles. The three polymer types used are PET (e.g. fizzy drink bottles and squash bottles), HDPE (e.g. milk bottles and detergent bottles) and PVC (e.g. large squash bottles), although the use of PVC in such applications is in decline.
Items such as margarine tubs and rigid food containers are made from a very wide range of polymer, many of which are blends. These are much more difficult to identify and separate efficiently. It is also more difficult to secure an outlet for the material as mixed plastics are not in high demand.
Yogurt pots are not generally accepted in plastic recycling schemes as they are in fact made from polystyrene. This has an entirely different make-up to the polymers used in bottles and there are currently limited outlets for the material. Again, there are fewer clearly identified end markets for the material at this time. The quality of the material is often compromised as a result of food contamination, making it necessary for householders to thoroughly wash the cartons before depositing for recycling.
In areas where yogurt pots and rigid food containers have been collected, the value of the material has been diminished by a lack of thorough cleaning.
Many people often enquire why they are advised to remove the lids from their plastic bottles when depositing them for recycling. The reason is, again, the lids are made from a different type of plastic to the bottle and, if mixed with the bottles, causes contamination of the polymer type, reducing both the quality and value of the material. This can have implications on the intended end-use of the recycled material due to the contamination's impact on end-product consistency.
Flower pots are another item about which questions are often asked. The majority of flower pots are made from polypropylene, (PP), although some are made from polystyrene. As in the case of rigid food containers and yogurt pots, there are few outlets for collected material and a higher level of contamination.
Carrier bag recycling facilities are now available in some supermarkets. The facilities are not yet widespread due to the very lightweight nature of carrier bags and sale outlets are limited. The material is generally only used for low grade applications such as bin liners because of the contamination effect of the printing ink, making it only suitable for dark colours, such as grey or black.
Sorry......a correction...."I think it is mad we do NOT recycle cardboard" Ought to chekc before posting!
Oh come on; you don't give your electorate much credit do you?. Davis: "for an average member of the public it is impossible to really work out what is and what is not plastic". I would think it is not at all challenging for people to identify what is plastic and what is not. The council have made things very simple by asking for plastic in bottle form. How difficult is that to follow? Not very. Is it plastic? yes or no. Is it a bottle? Yes or no. See?
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