Cleared litter could save £14k for Telford & Wrekin taxpayers
Nearly half of discarded litter picked off the ground in Telford and Wrekin could be recycled to make savings.
Following a pilot scheme in Woodside the borough council found that separating rubbish obtained by litter-pickers and recycling where possible could save £13,500 a year.
In a new report Telford and Wrekin Waste and Neighbourhood Services chief Debbie Germany said: “Opportunity is being sought to increase recycling through the separation of litter during litter-picking.
“A pilot has been trialled in Woodside to establish how much litter could be recycled. This demonstrated 45 per cent of litter collected could be recycled, representing an estimated saving of £13,500 per year.
“The next phase of the pilot is for IDverde to trial bespoke equipment in order to maintain efficiency of the litter-picking operation.
“Street Champions will also be given the opportunity to recycle litter.
“Recycled litter is kept separate so it can be passed to Veolia for processing.”
The Environment Scrutiny Committee report included details of the council's grounds and cleansing contractor IDverde. Under the it holds.
Under a £4.2 million-a-year 10-year deal which started in April 2019 the company is responsible for grass cutting, shrub and hedge maintenance, grave digging, fly-tip removal and graffiti removal as well as litter picking and public bin emptying.
She said at a meeting last October, the seven-member committee suggested that the council try out “dual aperture litter bins” to allow users to dispose of recyclable rubbish properly.
“That will be consider by cabinet at the March 18 meeting,” she added.
The committee will discuss the report when it meets remotely on March 15.
