10,000 Garden Bins Help North Norfolk Reach Recycling Targets

Mary and Gordon Lake (foreground) celebrating
with their ward councillor Anne Green and NNDC
Cabinet Member for Waste, Mark Birch (background)

It's easy to reduce the amount of waste going into landfill, as people across North Norfolk are discovering. But Gordon and Mary Lake, from Thursford, found another benefit in recycling - when their order for a wheeled garden waste bin from North Norfolk District Council turned into a windfall.

Mr and Mrs Lake placed the 10,000th order for a brown garden waste bin in North Norfolk, and won a new set of garden furniture. And to keep encouraging people to sign up, NNDC will give out prizes for each successive thousandth order from now on.

The Lakes' milestone order means a fifth of the District's households have signed up for fortnightly garden waste collections, boosting the overall level of recycling in the District.

Since the rollout of the Twin Bins service started a year ago, and with the launch of the garden waste scheme this year, the amount of household waste being recycled in the District has more than doubled, from 17% to over 35%. About 10% of the waste NNDC collects from homes is now garden waste.

So NNDC is surpassing the tough 2005/06 target of 30% set for it by the Government, and is now aiming to meet a higher, self-imposed target of 40% of household waste being recycled by the end of the year.

Mr Lake, who also composts garden waste at home, said: "We have always tried to re-use this kind of waste - it is important to re-use or recycle what you can. But a garden waste bin is very convenient as well."

Councillor Mark Birch, NNDC's Cabinet Member for Waste, said: "We're overjoyed that so many people have taken to using these garden waste bins, and we hope many more people will see the benefit in having one."

Grass cuttings, weeds, leaves and other garden waste collected in the brown bins is taken for composting (the exception is waste from a few very rural routes, where it is less cost-effective and environmentally-friendly to send a special collection vehicle out, so the contents go into the normal landfill waste stream).

It costs £25 a year to join North Norfolk District Council's garden waste scheme, for 26 fortnightly collections.

North Norfolk residents can sign up for the garden waste collection scheme by calling 01263 516301.

NOTES FOR EDITOR

• The garden waste collection scheme was made possible by a £1.5 million grant from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) National Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund. The grant also contributed to the Twin Bins rubbish and recycling scheme for household waste.
• NNDC also promotes home composting, and has teamed up with Blackwall to offer cut-price home composters to its residents. Call 0870 849 4857 for details.
• For more information about NNDC's refuse and recycling collection schemes, the media should call Richard Garfield on 01263 516308.
• Councillor Mark Birch, Cabinet Member for Waste, can be contacted for comment on 07769 882198.
• Pictures of the presentation of the garden furniture to Mr and Mrs Lake are available by calling Rod Cartmell, NNDC's Graphic Designer, on 01263 516041.
  

ENDS