17 June 2008, 08/128
Residents help recycling rates soar
Recycling rates are going through the roof as
West Lancs residents do their bit to help the environment.
Around 43% of household waste is being
recycled rather than going to landfill – an increase from 38% the
previous year, which means the district is well on the way to
hitting its target of 50% by 2010.
Latest figures show that the amount of
material being recycled is rising with millions of glass bottles
and jars, cans, plastic bottles and newspapers being saved from
landfill along with thousands of tonnes
of garden waste.
· Almost 30 million cans and
plastic bottles were collected in 2007/08 – that’s more than 227
for each West Lancs resident!
· Nearly 10 million glass bottles
and jars were saved from landfill – that’s 91 for each resident
· Slightly more than 20 million
newspapers and magazines were collected. That works out at 183 per
person per year
· Almost 9,500 tonnes of garden waste were taken away and sent for
composting.
Councillor Paul Greenall, portfolio holder for
recycling, said: “West Lancs residents really have taken recycling
to their hearts. The amount of material being recycled is
increasing month by month, meaning less is going into
landfill. I think residents deserve to be congratulated for
their magnificent efforts.
“The Council’s collection services are clearly
helping people to recycle, and I urge people to continue to recycle
more so that together we can be sure of reaching our target of
recycling half our household waste by 2010.”
Latest figures show that recycling is
continuing to increase. The number of glass bottles collected
in April 2008 was over 200,000 more than in April 2007 while the
number of cans and plastic bottles collected increased by almost 1
million, to a total of 2.8m.
Facts and figures
· One recycled glass bottle saves enough
energy to power a computer for 25 minutes. So the glass recycled in
West Lancs in April 08 alone would power 872,000 computers for 25
minutes!
· One recycled tin can would save enough
energy to power a television for three hours while a recycled
plastic bottle saves enough energy to power a 60watt bulb for three
hours.
Related information
> Recycling
> Refuse
> Composting