Plastic bottle collections to start in Bridgnorth area

Bridgnorth-area residents will soon be able to recycle plastic bottles from the kerbside for the first time when the new collection service starts at the end of October 2011. 

A new collection calendar, which gives details about the new service, will be delivered to homes in the area over a two-week period from Monday 19 September 2011. 

Collections of plastic bottles in the Bridgnorth area will be made for the first time in the week commencing Monday 31 October 2011 as part of the existing recycling collection service. 

The collection of plastic bottles is being introduced by Shropshire Council and their waste contractors Veolia Environmental Services. The service has already been introduced in the Oswestry, north Shropshire, Shrewsbury and south Shropshire areas.  

When the new service starts, people will be asked to put their recycling out for collection in three kerbside collection boxes rather than two.  An extra box will be delivered to households in the two weeks before the service starts, and residents will be asked to sort their recycling as follows: paper in one box, glass in another and plastic bottles in the third, with metals such as tins, cans, aerosols and foil. 

A leaflet giving more information about the new service will be delivered to households when they receive their new recycling box. 

Residents will be asked to wash and squash their plastic bottles, remove the lids and then put the bottles into their recycling box along with their tins, cans, aerosols and foil. 

Councillor John Hurst-Knight, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for waste, said:

“The collection of plastic bottles from the kerbside has already proved extremely popular with residents in other areas of the county and is helping to boost the amount of household waste that is recycled in Shropshire.  I’m pleased that this service will now be available to people in the Bridgnorth area too, and hope residents will make good use of the service to ensure that their plastic bottles are recycled.” 

Donald Macphail, Managing Director of Veolia Shropshire, said:

“Only plastic bottles can be put out for collection.  This includes most kitchen and bathroom bottles such as milk containers, soft drink bottles, shampoo bottles, and washing-up liquid bottles.  At present this is the only type of plastic which is widely and cost-effectively recycled in the UK.  Other types of plastic such as yoghurt pots and margarine tubs won’t be collected.”

Residents are asked not to hoard plastic bottles until their collection begins, as the collection vehicles will not be able to cope with the resulting volumes in the first weeks of collection.  Local recycling centres can be used to recycle plastic bottles until kerbside collections begin. 

For more information people can call 0345 678 9007 or visit www.recycleforshropshire.com.