Published: Wednesday, 10th March 2021
West Norfolk residents have recycled more than ever during the pandemic and the various lockdowns and they are being urged to keep up those good habits.
Residents are being asked to hone their waste and recycling skills even further to ensure the right things are going in the right bins each time.
Cllr Stuart Dark, MBE, Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Public Protection, said: "During this pandemic, people have excelled themselves with the amount of recycling they have done. We know people have had to spend more time at home and this could be the reason, but what we want to do is ensure we keep up this level of recycling.
"We have produced a leaflet, on recycled and recyclable paper, which has been sent out with the council tax bills, which we hope will help people understand exactly what they can and can't recycle through their kerbside collection, and also to understand why it is so important to keep things loose, clean and dry in the bin. The biggest issue we have at the recycling centre is waste arriving in tied up, opaque carrier bags. It can't be sorted and gets rejected immediately and has to be disposed of elsewhere."
"We have been relying on press and social media to get messages out about recycling, but I felt with the annual mailing out of the bills there was an opportunity to get the message directly into 63,000 homes at a very low cost, as the postage charge was already incurred. I hope people find the leaflet both informative and useful. In addition to photos of what can and can't recycled, it also contains web links to further information for those that really want to make a difference."
The leaflet goes on to explain how recycling right can help to tackle climate change.
Cllr Paul Kunes, Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Commercial Services, added: "We all understand the importance of climate change and responsible waste disposal, but we don't necessarily understand how each of us can play a role.
"By recycling right, we reduce the need for extracting, refining and processing raw materials, all of which create air and water pollution. The more waste we recycle, the more we divert from landfill, which reduces the production of green house gases such as methane. If each of us thinks about what can be recycled, even if it is a just a few extra things each week, the habit will be formed, and those small changes will add up to a big difference."
For more information about recycling visit: norfolkrecycles.com
For information on borough council waste services visit: west-norfolk.gov.uk/yourbins
To find your nearest household waste recycling centre visit: norfolk.gov.uk