Council embraces national Recycle Week
The theme of this year’s Recycle Week, taking place between 23 and 29 September, is to encourage local people to take recycling into their own hands and do whatever they can to protect the environment.
Fully supported by Buckinghamshire County Council, next week’s national campaign aims to build on the growing awareness and importance of protecting our fragile environment by encouraging people to recycle more than ever before.
Latest figures show that around two-thirds of UK households are recycling more that they were a year ago. And across Buckinghamshire, that extra effort has meant the County Council now has the second best recycling figure across all county councils nationally at 56.6%.
This means we are all getting better at recycling things like plastic bottles and containers, glass and metal tins and also learning more about what can and cannot go into our recycling bins.
Buckinghamshire County Council Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment, Bill Chapple OBE said his message was one of congratulations for the efforts local people are putting in.
“I’m so pleased Buckinghamshire is right up there with its recycling rates, but we can’t rest on our laurels quite yet. There’s over 43% still to go and that means everyone showing their commitment and playing their part.
“The more we can recycle, the better for our environment and next week’s campaign just helps as a reminder that recycling is everyone’s responsibility.”
Many people are still unsure what can be recycled and how. Across Buckinghamshire, the Waste Wizard can help. Simply by entering your postcode, you can make sure your items are dealt with in the most environmentally friendly way possible. The Wizard tool can be accessed at: www.buckscc.gov.uk/services/waste-and-recycling/what-to-recycle-where/
Bill continued: “It’s absolutely fantastic that more and more of us are recycling. Our next step now is to make sure we get things recycling in the best possible way. So, let’s all keep up the great work and get Buckinghamshire’s figures even higher next time round.
Bill added: “Across all its services, the County Council remains absolutely committed to reducing its impact on the environment. Only recently, I reported that the Council had achieved a 41% reduction in the amount of carbon dioxide it produces, significantly better than the 30% national voluntary reduction target set by Government.
“And, next Thursday (September 26) during Recycling Week, the Council will be debating a special notice of motion on what more it can do to reduce the impact of climate change. This debate will be available to watch live on webcast via our website.
For more details on Recycle Week, please visit www.recyclenow.org.uk