‘Reluctant recyclers’ in Bradford facing council action

A YORKSHIRE council is considering tougher measures to encourage reluctant people to use their recycling bin.
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Bradford Council is looking at a new waste strategy after the Government pulled funding in 2013 for a joint PFI project with Calderdale.

Bradford needs to find a new contractor to deal with around 135,000 tonnes of household waste a year for the next 10-15 years.

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Industry experts have told the council that treating waste with heat would divert at least 80 per cent away from landfill, which costs taxpayers more than £80 a tonne in disposal taxes.

A report to the council’s executive, which meets next Tuesday, says it could take up to 18 months to conclude the procurement of a new contractor.

A key aspect of the strategy will be boosting poor recycling rates, particularly in less affluent areas.

The council report says it may copy other local authorities who refuse to collect waste placed next to wheelie bins or from households where bins have raised lids.

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Implementing such policies “will not be without difficulty”, the report notes.

“There will also need to be the consideration of appropriate enforcement where there is continued non-compliance with such policies.”

Some form of incentive may be needed to encourage recycling, says the report, although current evidence on the benefits of rewards schemes is mixed.

Research by a specialist company concluded that Bradford has a problem with properties having multiple waste bins and low levels of kerbside recycling.

The city council says it will need to prevent the use of multiple bins and “try and bring about a behavioural change in less affluent areas” regarding recycling.