Press Release

RECYCLING TWICE AS EASY FOR CAMDEN RESIDENTS

27 March 2007

Recycling will soon be twice as easy for some Camden residents as a new trial to double recycling collections starts next month.

Almost 6,000 households on 72 roads in Hampstead Town, Belsize, Fitzjohns and Frognal and Gospel Oak will take part in the pilot doorstep scheme, which begins on Monday 16 April 2007. It aims to increase the amount of rubbish that people in Camden recycle, and cut the amount that is sent to landfill or incineration. 

Although Camden residents are the best recyclers in inner London1, the council still collects around 85,000 tonnes of rubbish from homes each year – the equivalent weight of almost 40,000 polar bears. 

The trial will swap the balance of the three doorstep recycling and rubbish collections each week, so people’s recycling is picked up twice a week and their rubbish once.  At the moment residents get their recycling box or bag collected once a week, and their rubbish taken away twice.  Camden is one of only three councils in England that collects rubbish twice a week2, whilst some local authorities are moving towards fortnightly collections. 

Cllr Mike Greene, Executive Member for Environment, Camden Council, said:

“Although many people don’t know it, they can actually recycle about two thirds of their household rubbish, so it makes sense to try changing the collection we provide for residents to reflect this. We will still collect waste three times a week in total, but we hope giving residents an extra chance to recycle will encourage them to do it more and cut the amount we are sending to landfill.  This will help the environment as well as meaning Camden taxpayers don’t have to pay as much in landfill duties.”

For more information about recycling in Camden see: www.camden.gov.uk/recycling or call 020 7974 6914.