Praise for hard-working waste collection crews as recycling rates increase

Recycling levels in Adur and Worthing continue to rise as the Councils’ waste collection crews keep working tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite COVID restrictions causing disruption to many sectors, refuse and recycling workers have been out every work day to ensure that not a round is missed. 

Overall they collected more than 43,000 tonnes of waste and recycling between April and October 2020 - the equivalent of 8,600 lorry loads.

Even with COVID-19 restrictions forcing residents to stay at home for long periods of time, refuse decreased by more than 600 tonnes compared to the same period in 2019 while recycling and garden waste both rose by 2,300 and 1,200 tonnes respectively.

That means that official recycling levels for that time stand at 43% (Adur - 41.4%, Worthing - 44.5%), a record for the area over a six month period and eight percentage points higher than before the change to alternate weekly collections.

Cllr Emma Evans, Adur District Council’s Executive Member for the Environment, said: “These figures are fantastic and they could only be achieved thanks to the dedication of our workforce and the commitment of residents. 

“Householders have really met the challenge of reducing waste and recycling what they can in these unprecedented times. We now must keep going to try and push this figure towards the 50% mark.”

Cllr Edward Crouch, Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for Digital & Environmental Services, said: “I want to wholeheartedly thank our hard-working waste crews for continuing to carry out reliable refuse and recycling collections under such extraordinary circumstances.

“With so many residents having to stay at home for much of this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, I know people across Adur and Worthing are more grateful than ever before for the vital services our refuse workers provide.”

Adur & Worthing Councils moved to alternate weekly waste and recycling collections in September 2019 following the lead of 75% of other UK councils who have shown it can reduce waste and increase recycling.

The most common items which some residents are not recycling, but could, include: plastic bottles, tubs and trays (including black plastic), cardboard, paper and glass bottles and jars.

Householders are also asked to crush down the waste in their bins so that larger objects, such as cardboard boxes, can fit into the blue lid bins.

The Councils said large cardboard boxes would be taken if left by the side of the bins but only if they are flattened and not damp after being left out in the rain.