Jobs on scrapheap as recycling moves aim to cut landfill waste

MORE than 20 jobs could go at a recycling site in the East Riding under plans to reduce the amount of household waste going to landfill.

East Riding Council wants all its 150,000 households to be able to put waste food and cardboard in brown bins, which are currently only used for garden waste.

The extension, which follows a successful pilot scheme involving 5,500 properties in Brough, Elloughton and Kirkella, will reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by about 9,300 tonnes in the first year, saving almost 217,000 it would have to pay in permits and fines by taking the waste to landfill.

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The council is investing 1.3m on the roll-out, which is expected to save 1m in landfill costs over the next 10 years. It will also reduce the authority's carbon footprint.

But the proposals, expected to be endorsed by the council's Cabinet when it meets on Monday, would lead to the closure of a recycling facility at Carnaby, near Bridlington, run by waste contractor WRG, with more than 20 jobs at risk.

The materials recycling plant, where waste is sorted by hand, would go, although the main household waste recycling centre and waste transfer station at Carnaby would not be affected.

The company said in a statement: "WRG has begun the process of formal consultation with a number of employees at Carnaby in case there is a need for redundancies.

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"However the final decision on this matter will not be reached until the early part of July."

The council said the changes would help it reach its target of recycling 45 per cent of household waste this year, which it shares in a joint waste strategy with Hull Council.

East Riding Council leader Stephen Parnaby said: "I know from what residents tell us this service is exactly what they want; a convenient and easy way to recycle cardboard and food waste.

"We are making real progress towards achieving Target 45+, the recycling and composting target set for us by our residents.

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"These new services mean we should meet it this year, which would be a considerable achievement for residents and the council working together."

The first phase of the roll-out would begin in September in Hedon, Withernsea and surrounding villages, with the whole of the county being included by January 2011.

Residents will receive an information pack explaining what can be put in the brown bins and a calendar of collection dates. They will also get a kitchen caddy for storing food waste before it goes in the bin, and biodegradable corn starch bags to go inside the caddy.

Food waste will include meat, fish and bones.

The brown bins will be collected every two weeks.

Residents also have blue bins for paper, plastic and cans, and green bins for non-recyclable household waste.

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Coun Symon Fraser, the council's portfolio holder for the environment, said: "Up to a third of the waste in an average green household bin is food which goes to landfill."

He added: "From every angle, including environmental and economic, it makes sense to compost it."

A total of 665 tonnes of food, card and garden waste were collected in the first six months of the trial.

Hull Council said it was also on track to reach the recycling target.

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Trish Dalby, head of streetscene services, said: "So far in the current financial year we are recycling 52 per cent of household waste.

"Since we rolled out the new recycling scheme in September our figures have increased every month, so we are confident that we will meet our 45 per cent target, which is ten per cent above the target set nationally."

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