There is a ‘genuine minimisation effect’ associated with introducing alternate weekly waste collections, according to the results of a council survey.
Waste advisory body, the Waste Improvement Network (WIN), conducted an informal survey where it asked 30 councils across the UK how they achieved low waste arisings or large decreases in waste. The majority said the introduction of alternate weekly collections was the main factor in them cutting residual waste.
Other waste-restriction measures, such as smaller-sized bins, strong enforcement, and ‘persistent communications campaigns,’ were also seen as important to encourage residents to minimise waste.
As a unitary authority, Barnsley said it was confident that the large reduction in arisings was due to the ‘minimisation effect’ of introducing alternate bin collections, together with a strict regime of no side waste.
Hyndburn Borough Council in Lancashire said it had reduced its household waste per head to the lowest per head of population – 293kg. The council said a number of factors were behind those, ‘notably the introduction of alternate weekly collections’.
Purbeck District Council also cited alternate weekly collections as the main reason behind its reduction in waste collected per head to 298kg.
Neil Randall, principal environmental services officer at Purbeck, said: ‘The principal reason for our low arisings is the introduction of alternate week collections in autumn 2005. This was in combination with a strict no side waste or overflowing bin policy, and kerbside sort collection of dry recyclables to 100% of households.’
The survey also found that ‘out-of-date trade-to-household ratios for mixed loads could be artificially inflating household waste arisings figures.’
Some local authorities, which had recently re-estimated the ratio after validating their figures, found their household waste arisings figures dropped. Also, occasionally, a localised factor such as a drop in tourism was the key factor in reduced waste.
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