Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire gets new lead member for next 12 months
Following a hugely successful year for the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire under the chairmanship of Bill Chapple OBE, the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment, the leadership baton hasbeen passedon.
Mike Smith, Cabinet Member for Environment at Chiltern District Council, willprovide thelead forthe Partnership’s continuing work over thenext 12 months.
The Waste Partnership bringsthe work of the County Council and the four District Councils togetherwith a major focus onfighting food waste, increasing recyclingand combatting fly tipping right across the County.
Over the last year, the work of the five partners has seen close to a 10% rise in the amount of food waste that is properly separated out, collectedand recycled.This means thefood waste goes to an anaerobic digester where it is turned intoboth biogasand fertiliser.
And, overall, the County’s recycling rate is 56.7%, meaningover half of Buckinghamshire’s waste is recycled or reused in some way.
The Partnership also works closely together to fight the scourge of fly tipping and as a result fly tippers are sixteen times more likely tobe caught and prosecutedcompared to the national average.
And most recently, the Partnership launched S.C.R.A.P, its latest campaignagainst the dumpers, which particularly focusses on the importance of both householders and businesses to properly check the credentials of those they use to dispose of their rubbish.
Speaking after his year, Bill Chapple OBE said he was delighted with progress. “The Partnership has really driven through a series of major improvements over the past year and I know all the councils involved will continue that good workinto the future. But our success is really down tothe extra efforts bylocal people torecycle more and do their bit. My sincere thanks togo to all of them.”
Mike Smith said: “I am pleasedto take over as chairman for thePartnership. Over the years, we have gone from strength to strength through the solid commitment of the five councils to deliverimprovements.Waste recycling and stopping fly tippingremain big issues for local people and we will keep both areas at the top of our agenda.”
For more information on fighting food waste and recycling, please visit: www.recycleforbuckinghamshire.co.uk
For fly tipping and the S.C.R.A.P campaign, please visit: www.recycle4bucks.co.uk/flytip