Hertfordshire's Recycling Performance Should Improve now that Broxbourne has Introduced a Better Waste Collection Scheme

Not every council can achieve the high rate of recycling demonstrated by Liberal Democrat run Three Rivers District Council. With a rate of 62.4% this is the highest in Hertfordshire and the 4th highest in the country.

Broxbourne District Council certainly couldn't with its primitive scheme that they have operated since 2008 - garden and food waste only, went into a green wheely bin with everything else going mixed up into a purple sack. The scheme was inefficient, inconvenient for residents and with a recycling rate of 35.0% the worst in Hertfordshire and a ranking of 273 out of 352 local authorities. Broxbourne's Conservative administration had always prided itself on spending as little as possible - but they have now discovered that their meanness has backfired. Now the penny has eventually dropped and they at last realise that a better scheme will actually cost less money.

So a new household waste collection system is being rolled out across Broxbourne in a bid to reduce the cost of sending refuse to landfill.

From October 5 residents Broxbourne residents will see their purple sacks replaced with 180-litre wheeled bins for residual waste - which will be collected fortnightly as opposed to once a week.

And, an additional 55-litre kerbside box for mixed paper and cardboard will also be rolled out - to be collected alongside the existing cans and plastic container and glass box every two weeks.

Food and garden waste will still be collected weekly in green wheeled bins, but householders will be urged to stop placing cardboard in them.

Broxbourne have finally caught up with the rest of the county and realised that the cardboard element in its organic waste stream is not breaking down into compost when sent for In-Vessel Composting, resulting in material being rejected and sent to landfill.

The new paper and cardboard containers are expected to prevent this issue, and larger bulky cardboard will only be collected if left under or at the side of the box.

The improved scheme will save council tax payers at least £200,000 per year and is expect to increase recycling rates.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Nick Hollinghurst, who is the Opposition Spokesman on the Environment for the Lib Dems welcomed Broxbourne's move. He said,

"It is good that the Broxbourne Conservative administration is now taking recycling seriously at long last. Although this new scheme is less effective than best practice in Hertfordshire, it is a good step forward. It will be an improved service for Broxbourne residents, improve the recycling average in the county and will be better for the environment. However, they still have a long way to go. The amount of waste per household in Broxbourne is exceptionally high. I hope the council will now encourage residents to avoid waste in the first place and to consider re-use, recycling and ways to purchase more wisely."