Chichester District Council is launching two free kerbside collection schemes this month to help residents in the trial area to recycle even more
One scheme will collect unwanted textiles and broken or unneeded small electrical items, and another will collect used coffee pods. The twelve month trials will cover approximately 75% of households in the Chichester District.
“We are always keen to make recycling easier for our residents and to help improve recycling rates in our area, so we are delighted to begin these trial schemes,” says Councillor Penny Plant, Cabinet Member for Environment at Chichester District Council. “With climate change at the forefront of residents’ minds, these new services are just a couple of ways in which we are working hard to enable residents to make a positive difference to their local environment.
“Our dedicated collection crews are due to start monthly collections for both services at the end of the month. If you’re in the trial area for our textile and small electrical recycling service, you will receive a pack from us through your door. This will include two dedicated recycling bags that need to be used to keep the textiles and small electricals separate and to help our crews identify the collection — a blue bag for textiles and a pink bag for small electrical items — as well as a leaflet with everything you need to know about the service and how it works.
“You can find out whether you are included in the trial by using our quick postcode checker: www.chichester.gov.uk/textileandelectricalrecycling. If we collect from your area, you can also use this link to check your collection day, which may be different to your normal bin collection day.
“While we are only able to trial this service in 75% of the district, once the trial is complete we will be looking to see if these schemes can be rolled out and made permanent across the whole of the district. This would increase the area’s recycling levels by up to 2.5%.”
It is expected that the Government will look to introduce new legislation requiring all waste collection authorities to introduce separate collections for textiles and small waste electrical items by 2025. By running this trial, which is being funded by West Sussex County Council, Chichester District Council aims to get ahead in time for these changes.
Cllr Plant adds: “We’re also excited to introduce a free coffee pod recycling service in partnership with Podback. Households in the trial area will receive a leaflet explaining how they can participate in the scheme, which will enable them to recycle both plastic and aluminium pods once a month using separate collection bags provided by Podback.
“Residents can find out more and check whether they are eligible for the scheme at www.podback.org. If they are, they can register with the service and Podback will send them everything they need to start recycling their used coffee pods. Residents within the trial area should check their collection day online — www.chichester.gov.uk/podback — as this may be different to their normal bin collection.”
Chichester District Council already collects a wide range of materials for recycling, such as: foil; pots, tubs and trays; glass; cartons; aerosol cans; plastic bottles; cans; and, paper and card. These two new trials will further expand on this and enable residents to prevent even more going to waste.
More information and a range of Frequently Ask Questions about the textiles and small electrical collection trial can be found at: www.chichester.gov.uk/textileandelectricalrecycling. Further details about the coffee pod collection trial can be found by visiting: www.chichester.gov.uk/podback.
People can also email the council’s Waste and Recycling team at [email protected] or call 01243 534619, and find further recycling tips at: www.chichester.gov.uk/recyclingadvice
