EDDC in top 30 best recycling councils in the country

The extraordinary achievements of East Devon households who are now recycling more than ever before following the introduction of a new recycling service this year has won local, national and international environment awards for the district.

Since February, the district council, in partnership with its contractors SUEZ, has rolled out a new recycling service to all 68,700 East Devon properties and extended the range of items residents can now have collected from the kerbside every week. Cardboard, plastics, cartons and small electrical goods have been added to the extensive number of items that can be recycled. As householders are able to recycle more and throw away less bulky rubbish, grey wheeled waste bins are now collected every three weeks.

The move has led to a significant increase in the amount of waste that is now recycled in the district and latest figures show that, on average, 57% of East Devon’s waste is being recycled - an increase of 15% compared to the beginning of this year. The changes put East Devon in the top 30 best recycling authorities out of 351 local authorities in the country.

The new service has not only been well received by households, it’s winning awards too.

In November, the council, on behalf of its residents, collected an international Green Apple Environment Award at a special ceremony at the Houses of Parliament. The award recognises, rewards and promotes environmental best practice around the world.

The new service also won the Devon Environmental Business Initiative’s best Public Service in Devon Award in late November and a month earlier, East Devon was one of four national finalists in the Best Communications Campaign of the Year in the national Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) Awards. 

Councillor Tom Wright, East Devon District Council’s portfolio holder for the environment, said that the awards were for all the households who had participated so well in the new service.

He said: “The service has received exceptional support from so many households across the district and I am absolutely delighted with the response. The East Devon recycling team is all too aware that our residents have had to make some considerable adjustments in their daily routines to accommodate the changes to their recycling and waste collections.

“The aim of the new service was to help our residents recycle more, which many had asked us to do, and a 15% increase in recycling in just a few months proves to us that this service was much needed and is a considerable success. Environmentally, we are relieving the pressure of dumping our waste and we are recycling our resources to better effect. We may not see the environmental impact of our current recycling actions today, but in the long term I have no doubt that we will.”

Earlier this month, all residents received information about the seasonal changes to their recycling and waste collections along with information about Christmas tree shredding events in the New Year. Householders can also find out about their collections by putting their postcode in to the ‘when is my bin collected’ area on the council’s website www.eastdevon.gov.uk

East Devon residents will be able to recycle Christmas wrapping paper this year, as they have been able to in previous years. However, as is normal practice, we are unable to accept shiny, metallic, plastic or glittered wrapping paper for recycling as this type of material cannot be accepted by our recycling mill.

The council also has a really useful smart phone app which will send reminders about recycling and waste collection days tailored to your own address. The East Devon mobile app is free and is available to download for iphone users from the Apple App Store and for Android smart phone users from the Google Play Store.

For further information on East Devon’s recycling and waste service call  01395 571515 or visit http://eastdevon.gov.uk/recycling-and-rubbish/christmas-collections-2017/