31/7/18
South Hams District Council is looking at new ways to move forward with their recycling and waste service.
The South Hams has enjoyed a high recycling rate for some years and is currently second in the Devon ratings, however changes in legislation, rising market costs and decreases in the value of recycling material, make it more and more difficult to meet ever-changing needs without a change to our service.
Many other councils already enjoy a weekly collection of recycling materials from the kerbside. In order to improve our current service we need to increase the number of materials we collect from the kerbside weekly to include glass, textiles, plastic pots, tubs and trays and offer a weekly food waste collection service.
The Council is looking to align its service with our Devon neighbours to make sure we divert as much useful recycling material as possible from incineration. This means, a service will be designed which has the greatest environmental and cost benefits we can operationally achieve, and which is similar in design to that of other councils in the area.
By having a similar recycling and waste system across the county, it will make the service easier for residents if they move between authorities. It also helps us to benefit from economies of scale when selling recycling materials and helps the County Council to provide cost effective disposal routes.
The move to the Devon Aligned Service is likely to be in place by the end of September 2020 to allow time for changes to take place with the least disruption to residents.
A procurement project is also currently underway to look at testing our frontline services for recycling and waste, street and toilet cleaning in the market place. This means a company could be contracted to deliver these services on behalf of South Hams District Council if they can offer better value for money and a better quality of service can be achieved. The Council is doing this to improve both the cost and quality of services to householders.
Cllr Rufus Gilbert, Portfolio Holder for Commercial Services, said: “We are working really hard under very difficult economic circumstance to deliver a quality service which is cost effective and environmentally friendly. By looking at the potential benefits of outsourcing our services and aligning to the Devon waste and recycling service, we will be addressing both of these targets.
“It is a really exciting time and it’s important to us that we get it right for our residents.”
ENDS
South Hams Looking to Improve Recycling Services
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