£3m recycling bin improvement plan for Lancaster and Morecambe - but not until 2022

Lancashire County Council recently improved its recycling capacity, meaning more types of material can now be recycled via Lancaster City Council’s kerbside collections.

As a result, some residents are having problems storing additional items, such as plastic meat packets and yoghurt pots.

Lancaster City Council said that until a new system is in place, anyone struggling with storing recyclables can arrange delivery of an additional container. Will Griffith, Head of Public Realm at Lancaster City Council, said: “Whilst it is great news that we are able to collect a wider range of household items for recycling and that residents are doing a fantastic job reducing the amount of recyclable waste going to landfill, we are aware that some residents are having problems storing the additional items.

“Investigations are currently underway into the provision of larger containers such as wheelie bins to all residents in the district, the roll out of which would cost in the region of £3m.

“A report will be drawn up for consideration and discussed by members as part of the council’s 2021/22 budget before a decision is made on any changes being rolled out in 2022. In the meantime, we would like to thank our residents for doing a great job recycling.

“If anyone is experiencing any problems with storing the recyclables they should contact our customer services team to arrange for the delivery of an additional container.

“You can call the team on 01524 582491 or send an email to [email protected]”

In September, Lancashire County Council increased the type of items that can be recycled. These include yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, and meat, fruit and vegetable trays of any shape or colour.

People are also being urged to rinse items to make them more valuable to reprocessing companies, and maximise the likelihood that they will be recycled.