GREEN FOR GO: AMBITIOUS RECYCLING TARGETS AT HEART OF NEW ENVIRONMENTAL PLEDGES

Adur & Worthing Councils today announce a major push on protecting the environment as they seek to make a big increase in recycling rates among a host of important eco issues.

The leaders of both Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council today publish an Environment Framework which would commit the authorities to a range of measures including.

·         Increasing recycling to 50 per cent of total waste collected by 2020.

·         Back moves to see Councils become plastics free

·         Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent by 2021.

·         Back measures to help residents save on energy bills and reduce water consumption.

One key measure is to back a big increase in recycling figures. Currently only 36 per cent of waste collected in the district and borough is recycled, below the average across West Sussex, with too much still being sent to landfill sites.

Along with all other local authorities in England the Councils are facing a government target of reaching 50 per cent by 2020.

Adur & Worthing Councils are two of only four authorities in the county who collect general waste weekly and now a scheme to alternate perishable and non-recyclable waste with recycled waste is under consideration.

In other words households would have their grey lid bins collected one week and their blue lidded the next. The garden waste collection service would remain unchanged.

Seventy-six per cent of councils in England run this service and it has shown that recycling rates do increase and levels of general waste go down.

Horsham District Council changed to an alternate service this year and has already seen and increase in the collection of recyclable waste of approximately 200 tonnes.

Financial prudence is also a secondary factor behind the proposal. With budgets tight and the system of recycling credits about to change the Councils could face the prospect of losing £250,000 a year, savings which would have to found elsewhere.

In a joint statement the leaders of Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council, Cllr Neil Parkin and Cllr Dan Humphreys, said: “As yet this is only a proposal we are both looking at. We have rightly prided ourselves on our refuse collection service which is second to none. However times change and we have to continually review our policies.

“We all agree that recycling rates across the world need to increase to help the planet and despite all of our education programmes we need to move our own rates up at a more rapid pace.

“Residents can be assured that if we do change the service we will support them to ensure that the change is as smooth and as convenient as possible.”

In recent times Adur & Worthing Councils has introduced or supported a number of environmental protection schemes including placing solar panels on some of its own roofs, supporting car share schemes for staff, introduced electric vehicle charging points, backing a campaign to reduce single-use plastic and promoting community involving beach clean ups.

In their direction-of-travel plan Platforms for our Places the Councils have a full section called Stewarding Our Natural Resources which commits to working with our communities and local businesses to reduce waste and protecting the environment.

Both the Environment Framework and the changes to waste collection proposals will go before the Councils’ Joint Strategic Committee on November 6 for possible adoption.