New wheelie bin changes in Portsmouth: Council boss says it will improve city's poor recycling rates

PORTSMOUTH City Council hopes new wheelie bins will improve poor recycling rates across the city.
By The Newsroom
Published 29th Sep 2018, 15:59 BST
Updated 29th Sep 2018, 17:09 BST
Black bin collectionsBlack bin collections
Black bin collections

The black bins were first introduced earlier this year in different areas of Portsmouth as a part of a trial to see if residents could reduce the amount of waste left out for weekly collections.

Capable of holding 140 litres, or roughly three bin bags' worth, the bins are now being provided to homes throughout the city in a roll-out that is expected to be completed by November.

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It comes after Portsmouth City Council was named as the 10th worst authority, out of 350 in the UK, for green waste, with only 24.7 per cent of all the city's rubbish recycled in 2016 and 2017. In comparison some local councils were recycling more than 65 per cent of their waste.

Cllr Dave Ashmore, the council's head of environment, explained the need for the bins. He said: 'We're aware that Portsmouth could perform better on recycling and are working hard on the issue, along with our with our waste disposal partners Southampton City Council and Hampshire County Council.

'Our new wheelie bin scheme is designed to improve the situation, by encouraging people not to put recycling into their ordinary rubbish. Trials of the scheme have shown increases in recycling.

'We're also working on expanding the range of materials people can recycle.

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'One difficulty is that we are a densely populated city where many people have no garden or only a small one. This means we have less green waste to recycle, which affects our overall rate.

'Recycling saves public money and is vital for the environment, and all of us need to do a bit more.'

Homes that are unable to store a wheelie bin will be limited to three standard bin bags for collection a week.

Larger bins are available on request from the council for cases such as large families.

Rates of recycling for 2016-2017

Fareham Borough Council - 33.2 per cent

Gosport Borough Council - 22 per cent

Portsmouth City Council - 24.7 per cent

Havant Borough Council - 29.5 per cent

Southampton City Council - 29.2 per cent

Related topics:Portsmouth City CouncilPortsmouthHampshire County CouncilHavant Borough Council