Avoiding the 'big bang approach' has paid off (From Gazette & Herald)

Avoiding the 'big bang approach' has paid off

FORTNIGHTLY rubbish collections in Ryedale have been hailed as hugely successful by council chiefs.

The secret of its success, according to Ryedale District Council's recycling officers, was the scheme's "controlled, three-year roll-out" - quite unlike what they call "the big bang approach by City of York Council".

The district's alternate weekly refuse collections have boosted recycling rates and helped to secure massive Government grants. The scheme now covers 96 per cent of households in Ryedale, some 22,000.

The remaining 905 properties, in villages in the North York Moors National Park, will join in March 2006.

In Pickering, where reports of "plagues of flies" were strenuously denied by council chiefs, a petition was signed by hundreds of residents calling for a return to the old system. But, since then, according to local councillor Natalie Warriner, "slowly but surely, people have been getting used to it".

She said: "There were initial objections, but it was rolled out very sensitively, and I think now the majority of residents recognise that it will have a long-term environmental benefit."

Across Ryedale, landfill-bound rubbish is collected one week, and recyclable materials such as garden waste, paper, glass and cans are collected the next.

The scheme was introduced to 3,000 properties in Norton in 2003. Another 9,000 properties joined the scheme in 2004, with 10,000 more this year.

The latest figures show 5,455 tonnes of waste was recycled in Ryedale last year - 25 per cent of the total amount, and already not far off Whitehall's 30 per cent target.

The council won grants of more than £1.2 million to fund the scheme. Some of that money is left over, and will be used to purchase more recycling equipment.

In a newly-published report to Ryedale District Council, commercial services manager Phil Long said: "Public participation has remained excellent and contamination levels low. Residents have made excellent efforts in embracing the scheme and this is reflected in the high volumes of material now being collected for recycling."

Mr Long predicted Ryedale would easily meet the 30 per cent target this year. Plans are already underway to trial a new, different coloured kerbside box for paper recycling, to be used instead of blue bags.

City of York Council environment chief Coun Andrew Waller said: "We just didn't have the time introduce the scheme in any other way without facing massive penalties.

"Years had been wasted by the previous administration, and York has lagged behind everywhere else - but the targets and fines haven't lagged behind.

"They are kicking in this year while we are making up for lost time."

Coun Waller said York residents had been "voting with their bins and boxes" and he was very pleased with the amount so far recycled.

He added: "We were able to gain experience and were also very encouraged by the achievements of Ryedale's collection scheme."

Updated: 14:54 Wednesday, October 12, 2005