COUNCILLOR CALLS FOR RETHINK AFTER RECYCLING SLUMP

Shropshire Councillor Vivienne Parry (Ludlow South) has called on waste Collectors Veolia and Shropshire Council to get its act together after the latest figures showed waste collection falling across the county.

Vivienne said “Here in Ludlow we have a proud tradition of recycling. The old South Shropshire District Council had the second highest recycling rate in England (54%) ten years ago and it pioneered new technology like the anaerobic digester to deal with food waste.

“Now we have a position where our recycling site for large items at Corder Road has gone and we still have not got cardboard recycling. It is hardly surprising that our recycling figures are going down.”

Shropshire Council figures published this week show a decline to 51%

PEANUTS

Vivienne continued “And what is the response from Veolia and Shropshire Council to encourage more recycling? A £6,000 publicity campaigns – absolute peanuts when you consider that this is a multi million pound contract. This is a rather futile whilst at the same time the council is cutting back on the facilities that allow residents to recycle.

“Every drop in recycling means an increase in landfill tax and that costs the taxpayer money.

“The money spent on glossy leaflets would be much better spent giving residents a better service i.e. providing a full range of doorstep recycling including food waste and cardboard and keeping waste sites like Coder Road open. Collections and centres of this kind are now the norm across the vast bulk of councils across the UK

“I’m also coming across numbers of new residents to the area who are just not being informed of our recycling system or collection dates, which is appalling.”

Vivienne has written to Stephen Charmley , the Shropshire Council Cabinet member respomsible for recycling asking: 1. For a breakdown of the costs of the publicity campaign, 2. Its objectives in terms of increased recycling and 3. What is the Council’s policy on informing new residents about Shropshire’s recycling policy.

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