Recycling reassurance
Following the recent BBC1 programme, War on Plastic with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, South Derbyshire District Council is making its residents aware that everything collected as part of its recycling scheme is dealt with responsibly.
The programme showed Hugh in Malaysia with mountains of plastics dumped there and not being recycled, which was shocking given that a lot of it was collected in the UK by local authorities whose residents would be expecting it to be recycled.
“Many of our residents would have seen this programme and will no doubt question where the plastics they present as part of our recycling collections actually end up,” Head of Operational Services Adie Lowery said.
“Due to the quality of materials collected through our scheme, it is reassuring that all of our materials, apart from textiles, are processed into new products here in the UK. None are exported.
“Plastics are turned into flakes and made into new bottles by a British company based in Redcar; paper and card are processed at mills in Kings Lynn, Norfolk and Sittingbourne, Kent; and metals are processed in Derby, Darlington and Warrington.
“Textiles go to the Salvation Army. All of the good quality products are offered for sale in their charity shops. Any items that they are not able to sell in their shops are sold for reuse overseas. The need for pre-owned clothing in less affluent countries than the UK is significant. Items sold here in the UK make the best profit for the charity, which is the primary objective.”
Cllr Andrew MacPherson, Chair of SDDC’s Environmental and Development Services Committee, said: “The Council has established a Corporate Environmental Sustainability Group which is looking at all aspects of our operations in terms of their impact on the environment. It is a very important issue to us.
“We are very pleased to be able to reassure those who live in South Derbyshire that everything they put into the recycling collections organised by the Council is handled responsibly.
“We ask that residents help us recycle as much as possible by making sure they put materials into the correct bins; recycling tips are available on our website for anyone who is not sure.”
South Derbyshire District Council collects glass, plastics, paper, clothes, household textiles, shoes, handbags, food and garden waste for recycling and in 2018/19 recycled almost half of the total waste collected in the District.
10 July 2019