Rubbish collection boost for Sandwell (From Halesowen News)

Rubbish collection boost for Sandwell

5:00pm Sunday 29th July 2012 in News

MORE than half of all waste collected from homes in Sandwell is now being recycled, which is expected to catapult the borough from being one of the worst on the league table to one of the best.

Between April and June this year, nearly 53 per cent of domestic waste was sent for re-use, recycling or composting, compared to 39 per cent during the same period last year.

The latest statistics are set to send Sandwell shooting up the council recycling league table.

The most recent league table, published for 2010/11, saw the borough ranked 283rd out of 358 councils, but the new figures would lift it to 40th in that list.

This would make it the highest performing metropolitan or London borough council.

The dramatic increase in recycling rates follows Sandwell’s appointment of Serco as its waste partner in November 2010.

All homes in the borough with kerbside collections now have weekly domestic, recycling and food waste collections, while fortnightly garden waste collections run throughout the year.

Sandwell Council leader Councillor Darren Cooper said: “Breaking through the 50 per cent recycling barrier is a major achievement for Sandwell.

“Not only is this excellent from an environmental perspective, but it also means the taxpayer in Sandwell is saving money as we’re avoiding millions of pounds in landfill taxes and fees.”

The council’s chief executive Jan Britton described the increase in recycling as “staggering.”