Choosing the right recycling collection system

The report with the above title published by the UK Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) today should now put a number of modern myths to bed about which way is best to collect material for recycling.

As pioneers of the kerbside box collection method in the UK we have been very close to the kerbside sort collection contractors for many years and we know the facts about what works in the best way. It is very refreshing to see WRAP taking such a bold position when interests in the commingled camp (collecting mixed up in a wheeled bin) might well be annoyed by these findings.

At the end of the day, facts are facts. There is a place for commingled collections and the WRAP report does point out that dual stream commingled collections are preferable to single stream. However the conclusion is that kerbside sorting is the best way forward for most councils.

First myth to be dispelled is that using kerbside boxes is dangerous. The 2006 report by the Health & Safety Laboratory which came to this conclusion was criticised by many in the industry including ourselves. Changes were made to the report - but not to the recommendations which were basically use a wheeled bin for everything. Risks are there with all collection or downstream systems, but in the case of kerbside sorting these can be managed or controlled.

Quality is the next issue that WRAP examined and found that not only could material sorted at the kerbside be recycled into products of a similar quality - closed loop recycling rather than open loop recycling - but that the reject rates of less than 1% compare favourably with the 2% to 15% from a MRF (Materials Recycling Facility).

Another myth is that kerbside collections cost more. Although the collection itself might cost more to run, when the full cost of the service is considered including a gate fee for the MRF (Materials Recycling Facility) the overall cost is lower. Our position is that kerbside sort also requires a much lower capital outlay with significantly cheaper containers (a box is typically less than 20% of the price of a wheeled bin) but lower cost vehicles too.

Finally the perception that the public are not capable of sorting, or not willing to sort, materials into different streams has been found to be incorrect with 87% of people surveyed saying they did not mind sorting materials out.

WRAP found that container size did limit the amount of recyclable material that could be collected. This can easily be solved with the issue of second or third boxes to each household

Whilst we are big fans of kerbside sort, we do support commingled collections where appropriate. Our unique Inner Caddy turns a single wheeled bin into a container for dual stream commingled collection, for example.

At Straight plc we applaud WRAP for commissioning this research and finally proving in an independent manner which are the best methods of collecting recyclable materials. We hope to see a bright future for kerbside sorting in the future as a result.