Local Harpenden businesses to be surveyed on waste recycling

St Albans City and District Council is to consult local businesses on the amount and type of waste they recycle to inform a future strategy on increasing recycling across the District.

While the focus has, for many years, been on the provision of recycling services to local residents, they are also interested in learning how they can better support local businesses with their recycling.

They have devised a short survey asking local businesses about:

·        the kind of waste they produce

·        the types of waste they recycle

·        how much they recycle

·        how much they spend on recycling waste.

 

If a business does not recycle any waste, then they would also like to know the reasons for this as they may be able to help them overcome any issues they may have. The survey should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete and can be accessed online.

 

A link to the survey is being sent by email to businesses through the Chamber of Commerce, St Albans Retail Forum and the Harpenden Retail Forum.

Councillor Daniel Chichester Miles, Portfolio Holder for Environment for St Albans City and District Council, said: "The Council is committed to working with businesses to encourage recycling so that the amount of waste sent to landfill is reduced and material resources are used more efficiently. We have been working with households to help them increase the amount of waste that is recycled, and we now want to see how we can better help businesses to do the same."

 

Lisa Bates, General Manager at the St Albans District Chamber of Commerce said: "We are pleased to be involved in this project which will help the Council identify how it can support local businesses recycle their waste."

 

Although the Council does not provide local businesses with waste management services, it would like to work with them in other ways to help them increase the amount of waste they recycle by, for example, providing information on the types of waste that can be recycled and recycling services in the area.

The Council has worked with local residents to increase the District's household recycling rate from 36% to 51% in the last 3 years and has set a household waste recycling target of 60%.

What do you think about local recylcing facilities?  Mr Birtles commented the other day about how impressed he had been recently, especially with the emptying of the communal bins.  Do you share his opinion or do you think more could be done?