We’re up for a recycling gong

OLDHAM’S recycling rate has more than doubled over the last four years making the borough greener, cleaner and more eco-friendly.

And the council’s efforts could soon be rewarded with a prestigious accolade at the National Recycling Awards.

An application has been submitted in the hope that Oldham will be shortlisted in the Local Authority Target Success category.

In 2005/6, Oldham’s rate was 15.5 per cent which placed the borough in the bottom 5 per cent of all local authorities in the UK for recycling performance.

A steady improvement followed year on year but it wasn’t until managed weekly collections were introduced in 2008/9 that things really started to change.

The service provided 90,000 households with a weekly food waste collection, brown bins for glass, tins and plastic and a bag for paper and card, boosting the recycling rate to 28.5 per cent — 3 percent above local and national targets.

Residents were sent leaflets explaining what to do with their new containers and council staff held regular drop-in sessions in the heart of various communities.

Oldham is doing particularly well with food waste and the weekly caddy collection is the third largest in the UK thanks to the town’s relationship with WRAP a not-for-profit company funded by Government money.

In just two years, Oldham has increased kerbside recycling by 8.098 tonnes and decreased refuse to landfill by 13,790 tonnes.

The National Recycling Awards take place at the Hilton Hotel in London on October 27 with prizes handed out across a number of categories.