The wait is nearly over – the new Super Recycler service for the South Hams will begin to be rolled out from Monday 8 March. So get ready and set to become a Super Recycler!
Today South Hams District Council is launching its Ready-Set-Go campaign, to ensure that everyone is ready and set for the launch of the new Super Recycler service.
Many local residents are already great recyclers, and South Hams currently recycles more than the English average. Now, the Council has made a commitment to do everything it can to help residents recycle even more.
In 2019 the Council declared a Climate Change and Biodiversity Emergency, showing its commitment to the Devon-wide plan of being zero carbon by 2030.
Under the new service residents will have a weekly recycling collection and, for the first time ever, will be able to put glass and plastic pots, tubs and trays out for recycling. Food waste will also be collected weekly in a new container.
In addition to this, the single-use clear and blue sacks will be a thing of the past, and all households will receive new containers for recycling.
Grey bin collections for non-recyclable items will continue to be collected every other week, but with more opportunities to recycle, South Hams expects to see less waste being incinerated and more being turned into new products.
Residents will also be pleased to hear that the garden waste service will continue to be provided free of charge with the brown bins being emptied fortnightly.
The change of service will happen gradually over a couple of months and all households will be informed individually.
Cllr Keith Baldry, South Hams Executive Member for the Environment said: “This is a fantastic scheme and I am so delighted to be the Executive Member with responsibility for our recycling service when it goes live.
“So many residents have been telling me for so long that they would like to recycle more at home. It has been slightly delayed because of the pandemic, but we are back on track and now the time has come for us to align our service with the rest of Devon and deliver a top class recycling service.”
“Today we are launching this Ready-Set-Go campaign because there are a few things that residents need to know.
“Firstly you need to look out for an information leaflet which will be sent to your home in the post. Then look out for your new containers which will be delivered the week before your new service starts.
“We will be rolling out the service one round at a time, so do not worry if you have friends in nearby villages or towns already have new containers. You can start filling up your containers as soon as you receive them and put them out on your usual day the following week.
“From that point onwards your recycling and food waste will be collected on your normal collection day every week.
“You will be given two boxes, a reusable sack and two food caddies. Inside the food caddy will be an information pack and two stickers, one for each of the boxes. We suggest that you put these on straight away so that you do not lose them.
“We also suggest that you familiarise yourself with what goes in each container as it’s important that the recycling is sorted correctly. The information is already on the Council’s website, so you can go in now and take a look.”
Follow us for more news in coming weeks, when you can see the new vehicles and learn more about the new scheme.
A spokesperson for FCC, the organisation who is contracted to collect waste and recycling on behalf of South Hams, said: “New vehicles will be used on this service which will help to keep each type of material separate. The result will be better quality materials which can more easily be recycled into new products.”
If you are passionate about recycling or want to keep up-to-date with the latest information we publish about the service, sign up for our Waste and Recycling email bulletin: https://public.govdelivery.
For more information on the new scheme visit our website: www.southhams.gov.uk/