How Green Is Your Wheelie Bin?

EVERYONE CAN DO THEIR BIT TO REACH HULL'S RECYCLING GOAL. Hull inprint TALKS RUBBISH...

Early findings from an independent study into the state of the city's household rubbish are proving particularly valuable. Did you know, for instance, that over half of everything we throw away could be reused or recycled?

By digging for dirt on dustbins, the City Council's sustainable waste team hopes to find out what more can be done to reduce the 117,000 tonnes of waste we still send to landfill sites every year. Recycling and education officer, Doug Sharp, explained: "Recycling and reuse mean that fewer of the earth's scarce natural resources - trees, sand, petroleum - are used up in manufacturing.

"And at the other end of the cycle, there is less environmental damage from landfill and disposal. Landfill sites produce methane and carbon dioxide - gases which both contribute to global warming. They also generate toxic chemicals which can pollute land and rivers." In Hull, we are getting gradually greener in dealing with our rubbish. Households in the city currently recycle some 10 per cent of their waste - up from six per cent less than a year ago.

Much of this increase is down to the major expansion of the council's blue bin kerb-side collection service since last April. By summer, the service will be available to 83,000 households across the city and hopefully account for 5,000 tonnes of paper waste annually. Meanwhile the city's network of community recycling centres, many of which are run by community groups, churches, scout troops, businesses and schools, continues to grow.

Expanding current recycling initiatives should bring the city into line with Government targets to increase the proportion of waste we recycle to 14 per cent by 2003/4. But, to meet the more stringent longer term recycling goal of 21 per cent by 2005/6, and cope with the ever increasing volume of waste, alternative solutions will be needed.

Later in the year, the council will carry out citywide public consultation to see what additional steps people would be prepared to take. "We'll be asking people to consider, for example, whether they would be willing to collect a number of different goods for recycling," said sustainable waste development manager Les Clark. He said that future recycling schemes will also have to be tailored to the needs of a particular area.

"We've identified places where there has been a low uptake of blue bins because houses don't have room for more bins. In these areas, more recycling centres could be installed instead." Where blue bins are practical, however, the level of recycling varies greatly, pointing to a need for environmental education. To promote greater awareness, Waste Aware, an educational pack on sustainability issues linked to the national curriculum, has been developed for secondary schools. A primary school pack is currently being prepared.

Contrary to popular belief, the council runs its various recycling schemes at a net loss - most recyclable materials simply don't fetch enough on the open market to generate a profit, once all the costs are taken into account. However, greater public participation, resulting from educational initiatives and improved access to recycling facilities, should start to make the green option economically viable.

Waste doesn't get much greener than the grass clippings and potato peelings that we throw away in large quantities every year. If a council bid for landfill tax credits to fund a home composting scheme is successful, home composting bins will be available at a discounted rate. The authors of Hull's 'bin survey' expect to find that up to 30 per cent of our household waste is organic. Just don't ask how they came up with the figure.

Recycle or reuse?

Several organisations in Hull are pioneering the reuse of waste as an alternative to the throwaway society. Scrapstore on Dairycoates Avenue uses other people's rubbish to stimulate the imagination.

It provides a central storage point for clean scrap, ranging from paper to barrels, which it collects from companies around the region. Member groups, including schools and playgroups, are then able to use the materials in art, craft and play activities for children and young people. Scrapstore, which is a registered charity, also runs its own creative workshops, in which scrap is used to build anything from medieval castles to percussion instruments.

The University of Hull's Waste Exchange is based on the fact that one person's waste is another's wealth. The service, which is free for small and medium sized enterprises, allows companies to market waste products, ranging from timber off cuts to old engine oil, to each other. Businesses publicise the materials they want or have available via the Waste Exchange web site www.hull.ac.uk/erdf/Waste_ Exchange Once two companies have agreed terms and conditions to exchange or sell products, Waste Exchange puts them in touch with each other.

Refurbit collects redundant computers free of charge from local companies and organisations offering a green alternative to landfill. Refurbit's New Deal and Youth Programme trainees then refurbish the machines before selling them on at low prices to schools, small businesses, community organisations and individuals. Eternal Benefits is a not-for-profit community project based in North Hull, which collects unwanted furniture, stores it and delivers it to people on low incomes.

Further information:
Scrapstore: Annabel Pir 328750;
Waste Exchange: Janet Boyd 465324/0800 7380218;
Refurbit: 565999;
Eternal Benefits: Graham White 803756