Bins crisis delays garden recycling

May 15 2008 by Ben Guy, The Journal

AN international plastic bin crisis caused by massive orders from Eastern Europe is thwarting the efforts of green-thinking residents in a Northumberland borough.

Berwick Borough Council had planned to roll out its garden waste recycling scheme to coastal areas, but has seen the plan delayed because of a European shortage of the wheeled bins it would use.

Such is the shortage that the council, despite contacting a number of suppliers, has had to buy a number of bins from neighbouring Alnwick District Council just to keep stocks of normal bins up.

The council had ordered 520 brown bins for the scheme, but France-based supplier Plastic Omnium was unable to meet that order because demand is so high.

A spokesman for the council said the shortage was down to the recycling effort across Europe.

Head of public protection at Berwick Jan Anderson said: “There has been an unfortunate delay to the start of the garden waste scheme extension to coastal villages by circumstances beyond our control.

“Despite ordering the bins in good time we have been let down by the manufacturer and it has become apparent that there is a European shortage of plastic bins due, it is thought, to Eastern European countries swamping the market with massive orders.

“We have tried to find other manufacturers but they are in the same position and their delivery dates vary from September to March next year.

“We’ve considered collecting the waste in compostable bags but due to health and safety risks to employees lifting heavy bags this has had to be ruled out.

“We know that residents in these areas are eager to join the scheme which makes it even more frustrating that everything is ready to go, except for the one essential item, the wheeled bin.”

More than 410 residents already take part in the council’s garden waste recycling programme, with more than 118 tonnes of waste diverted from landfill last year.

Berwick resident Caroline Morrell, of St George's Road, is part of the original garden waste recycling scheme.

She said: “It is good because before you had to put more garden waste in the general waste bin, but now you can recycle it and it gets collected regularly.”

The new scheme was designed to increase those numbers in a bid to help the council meet Government recycling targets, but now a letter has been sent to all the residents who registered for bins to explain the delay.

In the meantime garden waste in the borough can be taken to waste recovery sites at North Sunderland or the North Road Industrial Estate in Berwick.

Yesterday Caroline Morrell, 50, of St George’s Road, Berwick, said: “I’m totally surprised by this, I had no idea there was a shortage of wheelie bins. I’m very keen on recycling, we have had three bins for a few years now and I think we should be doing more, but this may cause a problem if councils can’t get hold of bins.”

Terry Harkins, recycling officer at Alnwick District Council, said: “We ordered our wheelie bins earlier this year in preparation for the re-starting of our garden waste service at Easter.

“We ordered sufficient stock to see us through the complete season.

“When Berwick approached us to tell us about their shortage we were happy to help out our neighbours in need and sold them some of our bins to help ease their predicament.”

Councils join campaign to cut food waste

THREE North East councils have signed up to a national campaign in a bid to stop good food going to waste in the region.

South Tyneside, Gateshead and Sunderland City councils are supporting the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, which aims to reduce the 6.7 million tonnes of food that is thrown away by UK households each year.

Research released by the Government-funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) shows that on average a third of all food bought is wasted, costing each household up to £400 per year on food which isn't eaten. Reducing food waste by half would be the equivalent of taking one in five of the nation's cars off the road.

Tony Alder, of South Tyne and Wear Waste Management Partnership, said they were committed to increasing recycling rates and reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.