Hackney recycling – row grows over orange sacks

Photograph: Hackney Council

Recycling in Hackney is set to undergo a major change under new plans.

The new proposal sees the current green box and kerbside separation scheme replaced by mixed recycling sacks, to be collected and later separated at a sorting facility in Bow.

These radical changes come as Hackney tries to boost its recycling rate of 25%, revealed in 2011 government figures to be the fourth lowest in London.

And despite criticism from environmental campaigners, Councillor Feryal Demirci, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, is determined to push ahead with the new scheme, which was tested in Cazenove ward at the end of last year.

She said: “The green box scheme has served us well in Hackney but is now nearly ten years old. In that time we have seen recycling levels increase to 25%, but in order to further increase recycling levels we need some fresh thinking.”

“We have trialled this new collection scheme and the results have been overwhelmingly positive.

“The green box service may be right for less dense urban areas, but in Hackney we need a service that suits our neighbourhoods and our housing mix which is still capable of producing a good quality end product.”

The council also claim that mixed recycling could reach an additional 14,000 households not currently served by the green box scheme, and that it could deliver £12m in savings by 2020.

However, green pressure group Sustainable Hackney has voiced concerns about the impact mixed recycling may have on waste and recycling rates in the borough.

They claim that mixed recycling can lead to recyclable waste such as clear and brown glass becoming contaminated and unusable.

Spokesperson James Diamond also believes that people are more likely to treat a mixed bag as general waste, causing a lower proportion of recyclable material to be collected.

He said: “From an educational point of view it takes people’s minds off what they’re putting in the bin.

“Recycling is really putting a sticking plaster on the problem and we should be reducing waste at source.”

In response, Hackney Council claimed that research showed mixed recycling to be more effective than separate recycling.

A spokesperson said: “The evidence that commingled schemes in an urban setting out-perform kerbside sorting is clear from benchmarking of other boroughs, feedback and case studies.

“A number of studies have shown that, nationally, local authorities employing commingled collections typically outperform those that are using source separation.”

The new recycling proposals come as Hackney battles to improve its recycling rate of 25%, well below the national rate of 40% and London’s leading borough Bexley, which recycles over 51%.

The council’s 2011 budget reduced spending on recycling promotion and communication by £25,000, a decision the council said was forced by cuts in central government funding.

James Diamond said: “If we are to improve recycling rates I think that people really require communication and persuasion and more effort.”

The focus, he said, should be on educating people about recycling and about waste reduction in general.

He added: “Hackney’s recycling has improved considerably over past years, but they risk plateauing and missing their 2020 target of 50% which itself could be higher.”

Hackney Council pointed to a number of initiatives they have introduced to boost recycling rates and reduce waste, including a trial zero waste project on the Follingham Court estate in Hoxton and increased food waste collection services.

In February, council staff handed out new kitchen waste caddies and six month supplies of free compostable bin liners to thousands of households.

The council also said that recycling in Hackney posed some difficult challenges.

A spokesperson said: “The recycling team continue to seek innovative ways to close any gaps in service provision. Hackney is a diverse inner London borough with high levels of transience, deprivation and estate and high rise properties. Each of these factors presents a significant challenge when delivering and publicising recycling services.”

Related:

Stay green with the green box, says Hackney Friends of the Earth