Residents in the Vale are being asked to have their say on recycling and waste collections following a rise in the wrong items being placed in bins.
Aylesbury Vale District Council has put together the survey to find out what items are most commonly recycled, what are the biggest obstacles and what residents think can be done to improve recycling locally.
It’s almost two years since the council made changes to it recycling and waste scheme, introducing weekly food waste collections and an ‘all in one’ recycling bin. Since then the amount of recycling collected has more than doubled, to between 50 to 55 per cent.
But recently there has been a sharp rise in items being placed into the blue-lidded bin, that the council doesn’t collect. This is known as ‘contamination’ and can result in the entire load being rejected, and going to landfill.
Sir Beville Stanier, councillor for environment and health, said: “Reducing the amount of waste we produce and recycling as much as possible is a key priority of the council. So we need to understand how residents feel the system is working; does it help them recycle more materials, or do they find it harder to work out which bin to put things in? Has it helped residents reduce how much they put in their waste bin?
“We want as many people as possible to complete the survey. The information we collect will give us a better understanding – and subsequently the knowledge – to improve our recycling service and help us reach our target of recycling 60 per cent of waste collected by 2016.”
To complete the survey visit www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/recycling2014 by July 31. To request a paper copy, call 01296 585510.