Black wheelie bins prove a success in city as recycling rates increase

New figures from between April and June this year have shown Portsmouth households are recycling three per cent more than during the same time in 2018, before the general waste wheelie bins were introduced.

They were also up seven per cent from the period between January to March in 2018 when only 21.8 per cent of waste in the city was recycled.

This means 29 per cent of rubbish was recycled this spring - although the final data has yet to be ratified by government.

Councillor Dave Ashmore, Portsmouth City Council's cabinet member for environment and climate change, was buoyed by the results. He said: 'These numbers aren't official yet, but they give us great encouragement that the scheme is starting to work, and that residents are joining in the push to recycle more.

'They are very good news, and combined with our other efforts, they show that we're definitely on the right track when it comes to increasing recycling and saving money on our waste disposal bill.'

The black bins - that are collected every week - were officially launched across the city in September last year, following a two-year trial in parts of Portsmouth.

Able to contain 140-litres of rubbish - or three black bags' worth - the bins were intended to cut down the amount of general waste from each household. Homes unable to have bins, such as those without forecourts, were limited to three bags of waste a week.

Items that can be put in household recycling bins in Portsmouth, which are collected every fortnight, include plastic bottles, food and drink cans, card, paper and aerosols.

Any unwanted small electrical items – smaller than a microwave – can be put in a carrier bag and left on the lid of a recycling bin on collection day.

Glass and unwanted clothing should be taken to the nearest recycling bank.

To further reduce general rubbish, food waste bins for households are about to be trialed this September.