Tuesday, 7 October 2008

Maidstone's recycling moving slowly forward

Press release from us on the new recycling arrangements:

Maidstone Greens have welcomed the announcement that the roll out of the delayed recycling scheme has finally been agreed. The scheme will complete its roll out by May next year and provide most households with doorstep collections of paper, cardboard, tins and plastics. Maidstone Greens remain unhappy that the scheme has taken so long to implement and does not include free compostable waste collections in biodegradable sacks. They now want to see business waste and packaging tackled.

Stuart Jeffery, Green Party prospective parliamentary candidate for Maidstone: "We have been campaigning for years to get improvements to the appallingly poor doorstep collection of recyclables in Maidstone and therefore welcome the announcement that Maidstone is finally going to catch up with the rest of the country.

"Doorstep collections of unsorted recyclables are the way forward in tackling our immense waste problems and if local government had got it right years ago they might never have needed the incinerator at Allington.

"It is also a shame that they continue to discourage garden waste recycling by charging for its collection through the sale of plastic sacks that don't compost. These sacks should be free and they should not go in the general waste to be incinerated.

"It is now time to ensure that businesses are able to recycle their waste easily and cheaply as they account for a high proportion of overall waste. It is also essential that packaging is reduced in the same way that carrier bags are beginning to be. It is far better to reduce waste than to recycle it."

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