Cllr Alan Connett

Liberal Democrat councillor serving Kenton with Starcross on Teignbridge District Council and Exminster and Kenton division on Devon County Council Learn more

Call to halt fall in recycling in Teignbridge

by alanconnett on 7 February, 2014

Falling recycling rates in Teignbridge – once in the national top 10 of recycling authorities – must be reversed if the council is not to avoid a further slide into failure.
Figures collected by Devon County Council show the once top recycling district in Devon is slipping down the league table as recycling rates tumble.
There’s been a fall of 4.7% in the recycling processed by Teignbridge Council the most recent figures show, says Lib Dem opposition spokesman Cllr Gordon Hook, who led the council’s original success to be a nationally recognised authority.
“What’s needed is investment in the vehicles the council uses, so they are modern and up to date and we can extend the range of products, especially plastics, we can collect from the kerbside for recycling, said Cllr Hook.
“It is likely that new regulations will also mean cardboard will have to be collected separately and this will allow the council to push up its collection rates as well.
“Along side that, the depot in Newton Abbot which the council uses to sort and store recycled materials is, we understand, at capacity, so there are a number of factors coming together which make now the time to act, added Cllr Hook.
He says Teignbridge should have acted earlier to invest in recycling, before the collection rates started to fall.
With a new investment in refuse and recycling and the possibility of an additional Government grant it might now also be possible to collect ‘green bin’ waste on a weekly basis, he added.
“There are some immediate steps to be taken to stop the fall in recycling, and we now have a window of opportunity to completely modernise the council’s recycling service to collect more products, keep cardboard separate and collect it too as well as look again at the option of weekly collections, while retaining the commitment to being a responsible, environmentally aware authority, added Cllr Hook.
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