Archive for Recycling

Barrowell Green recycling centre update

Many residents having been complaining of struggling with waste, in part, following the the Labour run Enfield Council moving to fortnightly bin collections for blue and black bins and charging for green bin collections.

The local recycling centre being open and accessible has therefore been a key concern.

Clearly with Covid19 any Council will have to have had to changed processes, but residents remain concerned at difficulties in securing appointments and not being able to drop off waste at quiet times.

I have raised these issues at a senior level in the Council.

The response I have received is that appointment slots and are booked up to two weeks in advance; the Council are reviewing how they can increase appointment slots each week and expect that these will increase very soon.

Whereas before appointments were allocated, the new system the Council has brought in allows days/times to be selected by the user. This is a welcome and commonsense step.

Currently due to Covid19 there are a set number of bays for dropping waste, this is to ensure social distancing. The Council said that this may give the appearance of the centre being quiet, all bays actually may be full.

There has been a significant issue to appointment no shows, although this has dropped from 28% to 18%. This still means that nearly two in every ten booked appointments do not attend.

A common sense approach is being taken during quiet times for those without an appointment – since the centre re-opened in May nearly 900 vehicles were allowed on site without appointments.

As mentioned on previous blogs and posts, the casework for recycling and flytipping has increased greatly and become the number one issue that you have raised. I will continue to work with the Council and represent your concerns. 

Amey Cespa Waterbeach – leading on recycling

I was delighted to go on a tour round Amey Cespa (East) based in Waterbeach Ward with local MEP Vicky WP_005970 (1)Ford and MEP candidate Margaret Simons.

Amey Cespa are a major employer in the ward – employing over a 100 staff. I have been delighted to see how the site has grown over the years, under previous owners Donarbon to now Amey Cespa.

Working with partners like South Cambridgeshire District Council, we are, together, reducing the amount going to landfill and increasing recycling. That is good for the environment and the taxpayer. There are strict targets for local authorities on landfill from the EU. We are WP_005992meeting the targets so by 2020 will mean that authorities need to reduce landfill to 35% of waste. As a Eurosceptic I am often critical of the EU, but here is one policy I agree with! This was brought home to me when on the tour I saw, firsthand, the landfill area.

As part of the tour, we saw the MBT facility which supports black bin waste diversion from landfill. Many of you will know that the Terminator broke down. So it is great news that the facility will be up and running again in a few weeks time!WP_006012