Reigate and Banstead scoop two recycling awards
Reigate & Banstead Borough Council has won two awards for its partnership work in increasing recycling levels in the borough.
The Council won the Recycling Partnership Award at the annual Severnside Achievement in Recycling Awards on Thursday (13 May 2010), beating off stiff competition from other shortlisted nominees, Tesco and Cardiff County Council Waste Management.
Excellence in recycling
The accolade recognises organisations and individuals who have achieved excellence in sustainable recycling and waste management through working in partnership with Severnside, a company the Council uses to recycle paper and cardboard.
The Council received the award in acknowledgement of its successful work with partners and residents to increase participation in recycling to 40 per cent and in drawing up its Blueprint for the future of waste and recycling collection.
Activities included consulting with members, residents and recycling partners, holding focus groups and roadshows and effectively communicating service changes.
In developing the Blueprint, recycling and refuse collection rounds for 80 per cent of households were rescheduled last October (2009), saving some £270,000, and in December, mixed glass recycling was introduced, which is expected to save £48,000 in the first year. Both schemes will also considerably reduce the operation’s carbon footprint.
In addition, the success of our Garden Waste Service, which now has over 13,000 members and has resulted in the diversion of over 6,000 tonnes of garden waste from landfill, was also recognised.
Impressive achievement
Cllr Julian Ellacott, Executive Member for Environment, said: “It is an impressive achievement for the Council and our residents to be recognised in this way, beating the likes of Tesco and Cardiff County Council to this award.
"The changes that we have introduced in the past few years have improved the recycling and refuse service, led to significant financial savings, reduced our carbon footprint and of course increased our recycling rates.
"We have also set out our ambitious Blueprint for increasing recycling through kerbside collection of glass, plastics and food."
Extra mile
In addition, the Council’s Recycling Officer, Lizzy Jones, received a Recycling Champion Award which recognises employees who have gone the extra mile in contributing to the success of recycling in their workplace.
As well as playing a key role in the success of the council recycling initiatives, Lizzy has also been instrumental in identifying opportunities for increasing recycling through communication, consultation, roadshows and focus groups, whilst assisting on projects to achieve savings for the Council.
Thank you
Lizzy said of her achievement: “It has been fantastic to meet so many of our residents at our Recycling Roadshows and consultation events this past year. So many of them are already keen recyclers and without their help we wouldn’t have been able to achieve so much. So I want to say a big thank you to all our residents!”
Now in its seventh year, the Severnside Achievement in Recycling Awards highlight the successes of their customers and business partners, demonstrating that sustainable waste management practice has positive effects on the environment and the bottom line.
For more information about recycling see the Recycling page.
Last updated : 18/05/2010
