Case studies generate great recycling rates

The case study was organised by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council and Cory Environmental to show how the amount of waste sent to landfill can be reduced through recycling.

The volunteer residents were visited weekly to have their pink recycling and black refuse sacks, food waste collection bins and garden waste and textiles sacks weighed.

They were given a wide range of information and advice and provided with ongoing support throughout the case study to help them reduce, re-use and recycle as much as possible.

Retail manager Ben Shephard, a 31-year-old father of two young children, was shocked to find that 70 per cent of the family's black bag waste consisted of nappies.

He said: "I learnt a lot from the case study. I was very surprised at how many waste nappies we sent to landfill and I'm keen to try and reduce these by trialling real nappies."

Despite the nappies Ben and his family managed to reduce their black bag waste and increase their recycling by over nine per cent, taking their overall recycling rate to over 66 per cent.

Retired Joseph Wilks and his wife Kathleen achieved a staggering recycling rate of over 97 per cent.

Joseph said: "I'm surprised by how much we did recycle but I didn't do anything different. Recycling is important to me.

"I was brought up during the war with the rationing culture and my motto is 'waste not, want not'.  I only put my black bag out for collection every four to six weeks." 

Household Waste and Recycling Centre Supervisor John Morfitt and his household showed the greatest increase in recycling for the duration of the case study.

They increased their pink sack and food waste recycling by a combined 40 per cent and reduced their black bag waste by the same amount.

"I was amazed to learn how much could actually be recycled. It was a great challenge," said John.

"It was definitely important to get the whole household on board but it showed that recycling is really easy and worthwhile." 

Councillor Tony Cox, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council's Executive Councillor for Public Protection, was delighted with the results of the case study.

He said: "I would like to thank all the residents who took part in this. We were hugely impressed by the recycling rates they all achieved and their commitment to reducing Southend's waste.

"With results like these I have every confidence that a recycling rate of at least 60 per cent will be achieved in Southend by 2015."

For more information about this media release please call the Media and Communications Team on 01702-215000 ext 5939 or 5505 or e-mail media@southend.gov.uk.