Recycling is now “compulsory” in Swindon as part of a drive to increase the amount of household waste that is recycled.
The change has been introduced in a bid to help move Swindon towards the Government target of 60% recycling by 2029.
The move was agreed as part of the council’s waste strategy last year, which included a range of measures aimed at encouraging residents to recycle more and waste less.
Currently only 40% of waste produced by residents is recycled using the correct containers. It is hoped this new initiative will encourage those who don’t recycle to take it up alongside the many who already do.
Residents are being asked to present all of their recyclable materials such as paper, cardboard, cans, glass bottles and jars in the appropriate boxes instead of the black wheelie bin/blue bag.
Waste wardens
The council’s waste wardens will be working with residents who do not recycle, providing advice and, where necessary, “encouraging participation with formal enforcement”, the council says.
In June the council also announced that charges for additional or replacement recycling boxes would come into effect from August.
Residents were given a month grace period to order additional boxes for free which many took up and we hope this means those residents will now be recycling more.
We are confident that our residents will support us as we start making the necessary steps towards becoming more sustainable and ensuring that our waste is dealt with in the most responsible way
The introduced fee will cover the cost of ordering, storing and delivering the boxes and will not produce an income for the council.
Councillor Maureen Penny, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and the Environment, said: “We are hopeful that the changes we are making to Swindon’s waste services will help us to achieve the best possible environmental and economic outcomes for the town over the next decade.
“We are confident that our residents will support us as we start making the necessary steps towards becoming more sustainable and ensuring that our waste is dealt with in the most responsible way.”
