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5 December 2008 - RECYCLING IN RUNNYMEDE KEEPS ITS SUCCESS

Kerbside collections of recycling material are as important as ever and Runnymede’s residents are urged to keep up their weekly tasks of sorting household items so that nothing goes to landfill.

“Runnymede is less affected than councils that collect mixed recyclables in wheeled bins, as these materials have generally been exported to the Far East after being sorted at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). Because our material is sorted at the kerbside, high quality material is produced which is valuable and primarily reprocessed in the UK.

“While we have been slightly affected by a drop in the price paid for some materials, including plastic bottles, steel cans and mixed paper, this shouldn’t have a significant impact on our recycling budgets as it normally only produces a small income.” Runnymede Borough Council Head of Environmental Health Protection, Dennis Speight says: “

Runnymede’s Leisure and Environment Committee chairman Cllr Chris Norman said: (DRAFT) “Recycling targets have risen again this year in the Borough. We are achieving 25.3% of recycled waste which means we are creeping up in our percentage figures of household items, over the past year and we owe a big thanks to residents for their continuing efforts to recycle more. “

The two collection schemes and what can and cannot be collected at the kerbside are set out below.

Destination of Recyclable Materials

Runnymede Borough Council has two recycling schemes in operation – a kerbside ‘sort’ collection from residents’ homes and a ‘bring’ scheme from supermarket and council car parks. In both schemes high quality, high value materials are produced which simply need bulking up at waste transfer stations. None of the materials go to Material Reclamation Facilities (MRF’s) for sorting and sending abroad to countries such as China or India. Approximately 7,500 tonnes of Runnymede’s waste is recycled each year. The current recycling rate is 25.3%.

Food and Drink Cans

Food and Drink cans collected at the kerbside are taken to Runnymede’s recycling contractor’s bulking and sorting facility in Hersham, where it is separated into steel and aluminium. Steel cans go to Corus, South Wales and is re-melted into steel coil ready for many uses including cans and cars, in both the UK and mainland Europe. Aluminium goes to Novelis (formerly Alcan), Warrington, where it is re-melted into 9m x 1m x 1m ingots ready for many uses including drinks cans, in both the UK and mainland Europe.

Food and Drinks cans that are collected at bring sites are taken to a bulking facility at Charlton Lane, Shepperton where it is separated into aluminium and steel. From there it is sent to AMG Resources in South Wales where it is re-melted into 9m x 1m x 1m ingots and used for various products including drinks and food cans.

Glass bottles and jars

Glass bottles and jars go to Berrymans in Doncaster where they are prepared for re-melting into new glass before it is sold to Rockware Limited in Knottingley (green and brown glass is mainly made into bottles) and Wheatley (clear glass is primarily made into jars).

Textiles

Textiles go to the Black Country Recycling in the West Midlands, where they are separated into wearable and non-wearable. 70% of wearable clothes and shoes is exported, remainder are reused in the UK. Non wearable clothes are sold on to specialist companies to be recycled.

Newspapers and Magazines

Kerbside paper goes to AbitibiBowater in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire and paper from bring banks goes to Aylesford Newsprint in Kent. In Kent and in Ellesmere Port it is re- reprocessed into high quality newsprint for use in the UK newspaper industry for newspapers.

Cardboard and Mixed Paper

Cardboard and Mixed paper collected at bring sites, is initially taken to a waste transfer station in Guildford where it is bulked up and sent to either a Severnside Recycling, Kent, paper mill where it is manufactured into paper/cardboard products, such cardboard boxes, or an SCA Recycling papermill, also in Kent, where it is also manufactured into paper/cardboard products.

Plastic Bottles

Plastic bottles, collected at ‘bring sites’ are taken to Charlton Lane, Shepperton where they are bulked up and sent to any one of three companies: a) &A Young Ltd, Loughborough, where it is turned into refuse sacks; or b) AWS, Hemswell, Lincolnshire, where it is sorted and chipped or flaked to produce a high value material, ready to be made into new plastic products; or c) Valpak, Preston, where it is sorted and chipped or flaked to produce a high value material, ready to be made into new plastic products.

Drinks Cartons (Tetrapak)

The carton recycling banks in Runnymede are part of a national scheme recently introduced by carton manufacturers. Cartons are bulked-up at regional 'hubs' and then transported to paper mills in Northern Europe, primarily the Orebro Mill in Sweden. There are no mills in the UK at present that can recycle the cartons. The recovered fibres are used for making new paper products, including paper bags, envelopes and plasterboard liners.

Green Waste

Green waste is collected at kerbside and then taken to Charlton Lane which is run by SITA. The material then gets taken to Country Style Recycling, Overton, near Basingstoke where the garden waste gets composed and produced into soil conditioner.

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