Recycling at the ready

In this month's special edition of Hull in print we devote six pages to recycling household waste.
Going green and recycling items such as plastic bottles and food cans is not only good for the environment but also for your wallet.
This is because local taxpayers will be hit by financial penalties if they fail to meet tough recycling targets set by the Government.
And these penalties, if imposed on the city, would inevitably result in Hull residents having to pay more council tax.
I want to keep council tax bills as low as possible and keep any future increases in the amount you pay to an absolute minimum.
But the council needs your help to achieve this and for you to be committed to recycling more of your household waste.
Recycling is not an optional extra – it's not something we can sidestep and just leave to other people such as our neighbours.
We all have a responsibility to make sure waste is recycled and does not end up in a landfill site, and for these reasons, I hope you all make time to read pages 18-23 to really get to know the changes in recycling services that the council is now rolling out across the city.
Meanwhile, I'm sure many thousands of people in Hull will be looking forward to the return of the Freedom festival, which takes place this month.
Last year's event was superb but this time around it will be bigger, better, and last the entire weekend of 11 – 13 September.
It's also great value for the city – last year it attracted 28,000 festival-goers and an extra £1 million was spent in the city centre as a result, which is great news for Hull during a recession.
The weekend also includes the start of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race, a ten-month, 35,000 mile race around the globe that will end in Hull next July.
There will be something for everyone during the Freedom festival and the Clipper celebrations and both will bring positive international publicity for Hull, putting us on the map for all the right reasons.
Have a great month, and enjoy your read!

Cllr Carl Minns
Leader, Hull City Council