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Residents Asked: Can you Recycle More?

Tuesday 27 January 2009, 9:28AM

By New Plymouth District Council

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NEW PLYMOUTH

Residents in New Plymouth District are on track to recycle less material from the kerbside this year than they did last year.

In the first six months of 2008/09 a little more than 1,200 tons of glass, plastic, newsprint, cardboard and cans were collected from kerbside recycling – a five per cent drop on the 1,265 tons recycled during the same period in 2007/08.

“There is some good news: The amount of glass being recycled from the kerbside has risen by almost a quarter during this time, but the volume of plastic, newsprint, cardboard and cans is down markedly,” says Manager Water and Wastes Brent Manning.

“Our message is that if you receive a rubbish collection service, please put as much recyclable material as you can into separate plastic supermarket bags. The less material we put out as general rubbish, the longer the Colson Rd Landfill will be able to operate.”

People who are not on a rubbish collection service can deposit glass, plastic, newsprint, cardboard and cans for free at the Colson Rd Transfer Station and other transfer stations around the district.

The council also operates a recycling service for schools, which is going from strength to strength.

“The amount of recycled material coming from schools has risen by 34 per cent from the first six months of 2007/08 to the same period in 2008/09,” says Mr Manning.

“The schools are doing a magnificent job, and the students and teachers should be really proud of their efforts.”

Overall, in the first six months of 2008/09 New Plymouth District residents and schools sent 6,820 tons of waste to the Colson Rd Landfill (up one per cent on the same period the previous year), and 1,279 tons of recyclables for collection (down two per cent). (Note: This recycling figure combines the volumes from the kerbside collection and the schools programme.)

Recyclables make up 16 per cent of the total waste generated in the district.

The numbers from kerbside recycling in the first six months of 2008/09 are:

Glass: Up 23.7 per cent (from 315.1 tons to 389.6 tons).
Plastic: Down 2.2 per cent (from 107.5 tons to 105.1 tons).
Newsprint: Down 16.8 per cent (710.3 tons to 591.1 tons).
• Cardboard: Down 10.4 per cent (from 108.9 tons to 97.5 tons).
Cans: Down 24.5 per cent (from 24.0 tons to 17.2 tons).
Overall: Down 5.1 per cent (from 1,265.7 tons to 1,200.5 tons).