Waste collection changes considered to boost recycling rates

PR2321/JR/MF - 11/12/2020

Mid Sussex District Council is working with West Sussex County Council, and waste contractor Serco, to redesign the way waste services are delivered in Mid Sussex.

The global coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on the way people use waste services in Mid Sussex. With social distancing measures likely to remain in place for some time, there is a need to develop new ways of collecting waste that meet increasing demand for services in the short-term and the urgent need to recycle more in the future.

West Sussex County Council has agreed in principle to contribute £290,000 towards the redesign of services aimed at boosting recycling collections and sending less waste to landfill.

The project is at an early stage, but the aim is to help people recycle more waste, expand the current services and increase customer satisfaction. A number of measures are currently under consideration, including the introduction of weekly food waste collections across Mid Sussex in 2021.

Councillor John Belsey, Mid Sussex District Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Service Delivery said:

“We cannot continue to produce the amount of waste we are currently without creating significant, long-term damage to our environment. Mid Sussex residents do a fantastic job of recycling but we need to make changes if we are going to help and encourage to them recycle as much as possible.

“It was extremely unfortunate that our proposed trial of kerbside food waste collections had to be cancelled when the coronavirus pandemic first hit us earlier this year but we remain committed to providing our residents with this enhanced service. We will be working on the best way to do this as part of our service redesign.”

Councillor Deborah Urquhart, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Environment said:

“This is a really exciting opportunity for us and Mid Sussex District Council to work together to shape the way waste and recycling services are delivered. Making it easier for residents to recycle is just one of the aims of this project and we look forward to working with our colleagues in Mid Sussex to take this forward.”

ENDS