LETTER: Raise recycling awareness

According to The West Sussex County Times '˜the Horsham district has the highest recycling rate in West Sussex, it is about five per cent short of the 50 per cent national recycling target it has to reach by 2020 and the council is anticipating that reducing general waste collections to every two weeks will increase their recycling rates'. {http://www.wscountytimes.co.uk/news/politics/move-to-fortnightly-bin-collections-in-horsham-district-1-7683109|http://www.wscountytimes.co.uk/news/politics/move-to-fortnightly-bin-collections-in-horsham-district-1-7683109|Link}

Whilst I am happy to hear that we are one of the highest recyclers in the county, and I understand that we have to meet the government’s mandatory target by 2020, but as we are only a tiny five per cent off that target (and we still have a few more years to reach it!) I do not think spending money on returning to the rear-loading vehicles is a good idea.

Personally I think as we are only five per cent off target, it would be a better idea to raise awareness of items people may not be currently recycling, but can (for example I always wash up and recycle my margarine tubs, but not sure many others do, so all that could help us gain that five per cent needed).

And then if you do need to then spend money, I think it would be better spent on newer/upgrading the local recycling machines, so as to allow us to recycle a larger range of items, and because the Horsham district are already keen recyclers, that would be a much better way to gain the small five per cent recycling increase than spending money on new lorries and reducing waste collections from weekly to fortnightly!

Because I assume you would then need to give everyone new refuse bins, as they are currently narrower as they get collected weekly, plus the reduced tip opening hours will likely encourage fly tipping, and waiting two weeks to be emptied will also increase smells and likely encourage more wildlife like foxes to litter.

Shaun Bacon

Nyes Lane, Southwater

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