Householders win council recycling changes

Chesterfield Council said that 80 per cent of residents had backed its plans to change the way recycling materials were put in blue bins.

Householders said that the caddies within the blue wheelie bins are not big enough to put card and paper in.

As a result, in the coming weeks, residents will instead be asked to put card and paper in the main part of the bin – along with plastic and cans – and place their glass bottles and jars in the caddy.

Chesterfield Council’s waste management contractor Veolia will distribute leaflets telling residents the day when the changes will take effect, although all areas are expected to have switched to the new process within the next month.

Coun Chris Ludlow, the authority’s spokesman for the environment, said: “Residents asked us to make changes to the way recycling materials are collected in the blue bins and that is exactly what we are doing.

“When an analysis of the amount of recycling materials collected was done it showed that three times more paper and card is picked up in Chesterfield than glass.

“This confirmed the views of residents who were telling us that they needed more space to recycle all the paper and card that they wanted to.

“So while there will be some minor disruption during the changeover period, we believe this is a commonsense move that will make life better for residents.

“Ultimately the easier we make it for people to recycle materials the less waste will go to landfill, which brings environmental benefits and saves taxpayers’ money.”

Chesterfield residents wanting to recycle batteries and textiles should continue to place them in tied bags beside the blue bin.

Those who don’t have space for all their recyclables can leave them bagged at the side of the blue bin.