Recycle For Calderdale

Why not swap those unwanted presents?;

Everyone gets gifts they don’t really want at Christmas – yet your rejects could be just what someone else was wishing for. That’s why we’re holding a special Swap Shop at Wellholme Park, Brighouse on Sunday 11th January from 12am until 2pm – with the Pulse Roadshow.

Just bring along what you don’t want and see if you can swap it for something you do – it’s as easy as that! There’s a Christmas tree collection point in the park and we’re right by Brighouse Household Waste Recycling Centre, so you can clear out all your unwanted Christmas stuff in one go (view a map of Wellholme park). If you can’t make it to the Swap Shop, remember, you can always find a good home for your unwanted gifts by visiting the Freecycle website or by donating them to your local charity shops.

Order your compost bins by 11 Dec. to ensure delivery for Christmas!;

With all that extra waste over the festive season, it's a perfect time to start home composting, or even to encourage others to do so! Why not order a bin for your household in time for Christmas, or even buy one for your friends and family as a great environmentally friendly Christmas present!

To find out more go to the home composting section of this website, or order online now.

Youngsters pick up recycling prizes!;

Green-minded primary school pupils across Calderdale have been collecting recycling pledges over the past three years as part of the Recycling Rewards for Schools campaign which came to a close this year…and are now picking up prizes as reward for their hard work!

To bring the campaign to a close, primary school pupils throughout Calderdale were given mini-recycling guides to encourage them to keep up their good work in encouraging friends and family to recycle as much as possible.

As part of this they were encouraged to enter a prize draw by asking their parents to register for the new Recycle for Calderdale online newsletter which has been recently set up to keep residents up to date with the latest recycling news in Calderdale.

On Friday 24th October, two pupils at Triangle Church of England Primary School were awarded with a Nintendo Wii for entering the prize draw in a special assembly. A further two Nintendo Wiis have also been awarded.

Since the Recycling Rewards for Schools campaign began in 2005 nearly 30,000 households have made a pledge to recycle as much of their household waste. The campaign has seen schools presented with a wide range of new equipment such as musical instruments and computer equipment in return for recycling pledges.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member, Health and Social Care, Councillor Graham Reason, said: “Primary school children have done a fantastic job in collecting recycling pledges, which have helped to make a big difference in the amount of household waste we recycle in Calderdale.

“These prizes are fully deserved and although the campaign is now over, recycling is still really important and we want to remind everybody who made a pledge to carry on the good work and recycle as much of their household waste as they can.”

We won’t let your rubbish go to waste!;

Calderdale council want to reassure householders that none of their recyclable materials get dumped in overseas landfill sites.

The reassurances come after a TV programme urged residents to contact their local council and find out where their recycling really went.

The programme revealed that a large amount of recycling went to landfill sites abroad.

But in Calderdale nearly all waste paper is processed at Shotton, North Wales, glass in Barnsley, and anything that cannot be reused goes to tips in Rochdale, Oldham and Wakefield.

Council waste manager Malcolm Akroyd said: “The high price of steel and aluminium means there is huge demand for cans.

“And although plastic sometimes passes through many hands before it is reprocessed, we have the paperwork to show where it ends up.”

Concern has been growing about increasing amounts of waste being shipped to dumps in India and China and demands are growing for waste contractors to reveal how they handle the export of materials collected through UK recyling schemes.

Mr Akroyd said Sita UK, which collects the bulk of Calderdale waste, was required just like its predecessor, Focsa Services, to keep detailed accounts of what goes where.

Last year, 25 per cent of Calderdale waste was recycled and, when wheelie bins are introduced next February, that amount is expected to increase to 40 per cent.

Calderdale families recycle the equivalent of 100 empty wine bottles every year - double the West Yorkshire average.

Taken from the Halifax Evening Courier (17/09/08)

A Great Recycling Result!;

We’re delighted to announce that the amount of rubbish you have recycled at our five Household Waste Recycling Centres across Calderdale, has risen by 33% in the last three years.

We now recycle nearly half the waste we bring to the HWRCs, which means that our 2010 target of 55% is well within reach.

The best way to maximise the amount you recycle and help us hit that target, is to check the list opposite and take a little time before you set out to sort your rubbish into separate categories. Then you can go straight to each container, and it will make your trip quicker as well.

Better centres for simpler recycling

There are five HWRCs in Calderdale to take your recycling. These can be found at; Atlas Mill Road, Brighouse; Ovenden Road, Halifax; Halifax Road, Todmorden; Huddersfield Road, Elland and Mearclough, Sowerby Bridge.

To help you keep up the good work, we’re refurbishing them in order to make them easier to use. We’ve already made big improvements to the centre at Elland, and over the next year, we’ll be refurbishing three more, starting with Brighouse, which will be closing for a refit very shortly. To find out when it will close and then reopen; where you can take your recycling while it’s closed; and the addresses/opening times of each centre, go to the HWRC section of this site or call the Street Care Helpline on 0845 245 7000.

NEW RECYCLING SERVICE STARTS - MON 4TH AUGUST;

From 4th August 2008, SITA UK will be providing household recycling services across the whole of Calderdale.

You will be able to recycle: glass, paper, cans and textiles. Your recycling will be collected fortnightly on the same collection day as before and from the same collection point outside your home. Look out for your new collection calendar, a postcard will be delivered to your household during August.

Residents in Hebden Bridge, Todmorden, Sowerby Bridge, Mytholmroyd, Ripponden, Skircoat/Copley and Mixenden areas will shortly be given a new green box for cans, glass and textiles and a green bag for paper. Your box will be delivered as soon as possible but in the meantime please use any suitable bag(s) if you wish to recycle any of the above materials.

For further information, check the day of your recycling collection with our ‘postcode look up’ finder at the top of this page or call Street Care Helpline 0845 245 7000.

Click here to view the recent press advertisement.

Congratulations to all schools that have taken part in this year's Recycling Rewards for Schools campaign!;

The campaign has now finished, but with 9,690 pledges collected this year – making a grand total of over 30,000 in Calderdale – things have gone extremely well!

Recycling Rewards for Schools is the campaign where pupils accross primary schools in Calderdale ask people to pledge to recycle more of their household rubbish. When a householder makes a pledge, they're asked to choose a local primary school they'd like to support through their recycling efforts.

Participating schools are then awarded points based on how many pledges they collect and how much rubbish is recycled each month. These points can then be exchanged for a range of useful school equipment from the Recycling Rewards for Schools online catalogue.

So, the more householders recycle in Calderdale the more they have been benefitting local primary schools through their efforts. This campaign has been a huge success over the last three years and has significantly contributed to the year on year increases in our recycling efforts.

Thank you and well done to all schools, pupils and householders who have made a valuable contribution to the campaign!

Tetra Pak packaging now accepted for recycling in Calderdale;

Tetra Pak is no ordinary cardboard. It is specially coated with food quality sealant to enable it to carry liquids. Because of this it is not suitable for recycling along with normal cardboard. The good news is that there are now 5 sites in Calderdale where you can take your Tetra Pak packaging for recycling. Tetra Pak comes in all shapes and sizes but is best described as cardboard with a waxy/smooth surface. The Tetra Pak packages usually carry liquids like milk, soft drinks, soups, flavoured ices and ice creams.

Sites that now accept Tetra Pak packaging for recycling are:

Eastwood Household Waste Recycling Site, Halifax Road, Todmorden, OL14 5JR
Tesco Supermarket, Kings Cross, Halifax, HX1 3TU
Tesco Supermarket, Sowerby Street, Sowerby Bridge, HX6 3BN
Sainsbury Supermarket Wade Street, Halifax, HX1 1SB
Tesco Supermarket, Huddersfield Road, Brighouse HD6 1RZ

Council gives green light to better recycling;

A combination of wheelie bins, black bags, recycling and food waste will be introduced across Calderdale as part of a major new scheme to deal with the borough’s household waste.

The thumbs up for the new scheme was given by councillors at last night’s Cabinet meeting where they heard that local residents could be hit hard in terms of future Council Tax rates if the authority did not meet the recycling targets set by Government.

By working closely with local residents, the scheme should mean that Calderdale can double its recycling rates to over 40% by 2010 with up to six recyclable materials being collected, including food waste, paper, plastic bottles, textiles, cans and glass.

The introduction of this new way of dealing with household waste comes on the back of extensive consultation in which 9 out of 10 residents surveyed, said they wanted to see improved recycling facilities throughout Calderdale

Councillor Stephen Baines, Deputy Leader for Calderdale Council, said:

“Local residents have made it clear that they want to recycle more. This scheme will help this to happen but gives residents a choice as to how they can best contribute towards maintaining Calderdale as a fantastic place to live. Most importantly, the introduction of this scheme will reduce the chances of tax payers having to foot the bill as a result of targets set by Government and Europe.

If the Council did nothing to improve recycling rates, then by the year 2012/13 Council Tax could rise by up to 7% based upon increased landfill tax charges and Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme LATs penalties.

We need to get this right from the start and therefore we will consult with residents to ensure that the right solutions are offered to each household. For example, parts of the borough are very rural and we also have urban areas which mean that there won’t be one universal solution that fits all. This will also mean that in some instances it will not be possible for households to use standard wheelie bins."

Calderdale Council’s Group Director, Health and Social Care, Jonathan Phillips, said:

“We will investigate practical alternatives and find appropriate solutions where we need to, for example, the introduction of an assisted service for the elderly and more vulnerable. This new scheme will put us above the government set targets and will help us avoid government-imposed fines.”

The report considered by Cabinet yesterday, highlighted that the new scheme will help residents recycle more and there will be extensive support services put in place to assist residents in understanding how the new service will work. As a part of this, there is to be a comprehensive assisted bin service for people such as the elderly or infirm who may feel that they need help with moving wheelie bins for collection.

The new scheme will see a standard household provided, free of charge, with:

a wheelie bin or black bag for waste that cannot be recycled (“residual waste”)
a box and a bag for recycling paper, glass, cans and plastic bottles (“recyclables”)
food waste containers for uneaten food from plates and dishes; meat and fish (raw and cooked including bones); all dairy products, such as eggs and cheese; vegetables and fruit (raw and cooked); bread, cakes and pastries; pasta, rice and beans; and, tea and coffee grounds.

Recyclables and food waste will be collected weekly. Waste that cannot be recycled will be collected fortnightly; all collections will be on the same day. In areas where wheelie bins are not appropriate residents will continue to use black bags.

There is flexibility in how residents can use the scheme so if residents do not wish to use the plastics or kitchen waste services, they do not have to. However, if they do, it will help the environment and contribute towards reducing future Council Tax rates.

Cabinet also decided on the successful contractor who will take the scheme forward. Over the coming year the Council, in consultation with local people, will finalise how the new system will operate and how it will be implemented. For example which residents will get their bins first, the preparation of a new collection schedule and which households may need to be served by an alternative system if they cannot accommodate wheelie bins. It is estimated that 25% of the borough will not be able to use the wheelie bins but until further consultation has taken place it is not yet known which properties will be affected.

The contract will start on August 1 and the scheme is expected to roll out across the borough in 2009. Information packs will be delivered to all households in the borough and adverts detailing the new service will appear in the local press. The Council will also be holding road-shows at a number of venues across the area to offer help and advice. For more information call 0845 245 7000 or visit the Council’s website www.calderdale.gov.uk.

St. Josephs Recycling Rewards assembly;

Pupils at St Josephs Catholic Primary School in Brighouse learned all about the launch of the new Recycling Rewards for Schools campaign in assembly this afternoon. In a bid to encourage more of us to recycle, Calderdale Council have relaunched their popular recycling campaign across most of the primary schools in the borough. At the assembly today pupils were all issued with ‘Pledge books’ and were tasked with persuading their parents to help them get as many friends, family and neighbours to sign a pledge to recycle. Pupils that collect three pledges will be awarded a handy ‘Flat Ball Pen’ all branded with the Recycle logo. Those pupils that collect 5 pledges will be awarded a trendy Carabiner (A climbers clasp) and compass. As a top award, the pupil in each school that collects the most pledges by the time the campaign finishes on 31st March 2008 will receive a smart new monocular.

The Recycling Rewards for Schools campaign has run through 82 of the 87 primary schools in Calderdale over the past two years and during that time almost 26,000 householders have made the pledge to recycle. The good news is that during this same period recycling levels in Calderdale have risen from 17% to approximately 25%.

However, as councillor Graham Reason, Portfolio Holder for Health and Social Care explained,
“There are 88,000 households in the borough, so there’s plenty of scope for all our pupils to collect plenty more pledges. In fact in this year’s campaign householders that have already signed a pledge in a previous year can now sign a new pledge, this time as a reaffirmation of their commitment to recycle”

Calderdale schools also benefit from pledges too. As in the previous campaigns, pledges are linked to the borough’s recycling tonnages and generate points that schools can exchange for all sorts of equipment available to them in a Recycling Rewards for Schools catalogue. Simply put; the more pledges a school collects and the more recycling that householders do, the more points that school will accumulate and the more equipment they can order.

For more information about Recycling Rewards for Schools go to www.recycle4schools.net/calderdale.