Posted on 17th April 2014 by Hintons
Recycling plays a rather large part in our lives already, with our black bin for general waste, blue bin for recyclables and brown bin for garden waste, we really have come a long way since the days when we used to dump everything straight into one bin and not think twice!
However, there are plans to take these recycling processes even further, expanding current processes, which seem to have created a bit of unease for some residents throughout the UK…
As of 1st January 2014, councils will be required to adhere to new EU guidance that requires all UK residents to separate their waste more efficiently. Rather than placing all recyclable material into one bin, we will have to separate this into further categories of, paper, metal, glass and plastic all collected in their own separate bins.
This new regulation has been set in the hope of achieving European targets to recycle 50% of all household waste by 2020. However, this is not fully supported by all residents, as campaigners have brought to light that this new rule will force homeowners to have more bins sat outside their property than they already have, with recent studies revealing that 21 councils throughout the UK have seven or more bins, 58 councils have six or more bins, and 136 have five or more bins! So it soon becomes clear why people are raising their concerns now.
This fear of increased bins per household is known as ‘bin blight’, something the government are addressing, as many homes already do not have sufficient storage for these facilities and the new rule runs the risk of turning our homes into unsightly looking places.
However, a spokesperson for DEFRA (Department of environment, food and rural affairs) offered reassurance that local authorities will not be forced to introduce new recycling bins for each material if the rubbish is sorted through and separated at kerbside before each collection.
So, despite the worries this new law may bring, it appears that the exact process of how we will manage this new recycling system is still to be fully decided, and it is dependent on each local authority to come up with a solution that suits them and their residents
If you’d like any further information about recycling services throughout Croydon, Kingston, Sutton and South East London, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Hinton’s Waste by calling 020 3124 1971 today or get in touch online.