Plastic and cardboard recycling collections - 14/09/06
The Vale of Glamorgan Council is reassuring local residents
that all material collected at the kerbside is recycled.
In the light of concerns raised by some residents about the
vehicles used for the collection of plastic and cardboard for
recycling, the Council has pointed out that various types were
tested before the service was launched last October. It was found
that refuse-style compaction vehicles were the most suitable,
especially for plastic, as they squeezed the air out.
Clifford Parish, Operational Manager for Waste Management &
Cleansing, explained: “By using compaction, we can get the maximum
amount of recycling into the vehicle during each collection. This
significantly reduces the number of times we have to travel to
empty them, therefore lessening our impact on the local
environment.
"Cardboard and plastic is easy to separate once it has been
unloaded. This is ndertaken by our contractor, Biffa, before they
send it for reprocessing. This information is stated clearly in our
recycling calendars and I hope this explanation will encourage even
more residents to recycle their plastic and cardboard at the
kerbside.”
The Council also use a number of smaller pick up style trucks in
some areas of the rural Vale to collect all recycling. These are
better suited for travelling through some of the smaller villages
and country lanes. Again residents are assured that all material
collected is recycled.
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Cardboard collected in the Vale is sent to a mill where it is
used to produce new cardboard products, including boxes and
packaging, while plastic is processed in Wales where it is
granulated before being used to make a wide range of items
including traffic cones, garden decking, watering cans and kerbside
recycling boxes.
Residents are requested to remove all packaging and flatten
cardboard and ensure plastic is washed clean before placing it out
for collection.
For further details on recycling, contact Visible Services on
029 2067 3000 or e-mail visible@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk