Householders get a little extra help to ‘Keep it Out’

HOUSEHOLDERS in the city will be getting a little extra help with their recycling efforts over coming weeks from experts at the council.

Around 9,000 homes in the city are being targeted by the council’s recycling team in a door-to-door effort to encourage more to join the council’s ‘Keep it Out’ black bag waste campaign.

Over the last year more families than every have been enthusiastically supporting efforts to reduce waste and increase recycling percentages in communities across the city.

But recent surveys have shown up to a quarter of black bag waste is either food or textiles and now recycling teams will be going door-to-door to urge householders to heed the message.

David Hopkins, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transportation, said: “The people of Swansea have done a great job with the ‘Keep it to 3’ black bag waste campaign.

“We’ve seen a significant improvement which is helping save money and reduce the risk of Welsh Government fines for sending too much waste to landfill. But we need to do more to make sure we hit their 58% target by next March.

“That’s why our experts are going door-to-door to meet with up to 9,000 householders in a targeted campaign to encourage them to ‘Keep it Out’ when it comes to food and textiles in black bag waste.”

He said: “Recycling Officers have recently completed surveys of a number of communities to look at usage of food waste recycling and from this week will be knocking doors in those communities, encouraging residents to do more.

“This week they will be in Penllergaer and Clase where latest figures show that around 53% of households are using the food waste recycling scheme.”

The council’s recycling team say there are a whole range of reasons why putting out food waste in environment-friendly green food caddies is better than black bags.

The green bins are easy and hygienic to use and, unlike black bags, they can be put out every week.

On the other hand using black bags for kitchen waste attracts vermin, gulls and cats, leading to waste being strewn across streets and pavements. Food waste can be recycled to create soil improver to grow more food while leftovers sent to landfill creates methane which is bad for the environment.

Textiles can also be recycled at places like clothes banks which are located at council household waste recycling centres as well as many supermarket car parks.

To find out more about how you can cut back on black bag waste, go to www.swansea.gov.uk/keepitout