We would like to let you know about proposed changes to the Council’s waste collection service and how residents can have their say to help shape the service we provide in the future, and inform how we can help everyone recycle more for Cornwall.

Cornwall Council’s Cabinet Members met in November to discuss recommendations on the new waste collection contract, which will commence in April 2020.

In order to make a recommendation an Inquiry Panel considered the costs, performance, risks and benefits of a range of options and recommended that we adopt a model which is used extensively in Welsh and English authorities which should help us increase recycling rates in Cornwall from 36%

The recommendation proposed a weekly collection of recycling and food waste and a fortnightly collection of waste that cannot be recycled. Evidence shows that by making recycling collections more frequent, increasing the range of materials that are recycled and introducing food waste collections on a weekly basis, we can deliver our recycling targets.

Analysis of black bin bags shows that most people’s waste is currently comprised of 22% of materials that can be recycled e.g. paper/cans/glass etc., 35% is food waste and 43% is other residual waste. If in future we collect food waste each week, and recycling collection also moves to weekly collections, this would make collections of recyclable material easier and mean we would change the frequency of collections of waste which cannot be recycled to a fortnightly basis. This means food waste will be collected at the same frequency as it is now (weekly), with the added benefit that it would be recycled (by anaerobic digestion), which is currently not the case.

We want to give residents the opportunity to help inform and shape Cornwall’s future kerbside recycling and waste collection. What people tell us will help us to understand the impact on residents of proposed changes to the waste and recycling contract in 2020. To obtain this information we will be undertaking a survey and focus groups.

The survey is available on our website using this link: Recycling and Waste survey

Our graphic showing the contents of a black plastic bag may be of interest – what’s in the black bag