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Babergh District Council is one of the best district and borough councils in England & Wales for recycling, according to figures released today (15th January).
Data from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister shows that Babergh achieved a recycling rate of 30.50% in 2004/05. This places the council as the third best in the country, only a fraction behind the second placed authority.
“What an achievement by Babergh residents! Through their enthusiasm and dedication, Babergh’s TwinBin Scheme has been able to deliver on its objectives – to reduce the amount of rubbish going into landfill and to increase the amount of material being reused” said Cllr. Clive Arthey, Babergh’s Representative on the Suffolk Recycling Consortium. “In addition, this success has been the result of over 7 years of Suffolk authorities working together through the Suffolk Waste Management Group, of which the Consortium is a part”.
“Babergh has been one of the pioneers in ensuring that recyclable materials is collected separately from other waste and this has helped us achieve these excellent figures. However, we are not complacent and are working with our partners in the Suffolk Recycling Consortium to further improve our recycling rates”.
The Suffolk Recycling Consortium is a partnership of six Suffolk district and borough councils and Viridor Waste Management. By working together, the Consortium has allowed significant investment to be made at the recycling plant at Great Blakenham. This improved technology has ensured a significant increase in the total amount of material that is recycled to 36,000 tonnes per year.
Babergh has a comparatively low figure for the collection of garden waste, since the vast majority of residents compost such waste in their gardens. Nonetheless, Babergh’s Brown Bin scheme has nearly 4000 subscribers and these contribute an extra 4% to the Council’s overall figures.
Babergh’s success has prompted other authorities to visit the district to see how they can learn from the Council. On Tuesday (17th January) a fact-finding delegation of councillors and officers form Elmbridge District Council in Surrey are due to meet Babergh representatives
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