Waste and recycling policy approved for South Tyneside

The local authority already had in place a series of strategies relating to the collection of domestic refuse and recyclable waste.

However South Tyneside Council’s cabinet recently approved a report updating and consolidating the various policies into one overall document.

This will set out how the local authority delivers “more effective, efficient and consistent collection services” for residents.

This includes the approach to the collection of waste across key areas ranging from bulky waste and assisted collections, to side waste, the issuing of larger bins to families, replacements and enforcement.

Councillor Ernest Gibson, lead member for neighbourhood and climate change, speaking at the decision making meeting in May, said the move will update and consolidate existing measures.

He added: “The object is to ensure consistency of approach and application of the policy and support the council’s part in stronger communities ambitions relating to waste reduction and improvement in recycling.

“The policies are designed to assist the council in achieving the targets set by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) within the January 2023 revised environmental improvement plan.”

He added aims include reducing residual waste produced per person by 24% by 2028 and achieving the Government target of increasing recycling to 65% of overall waste by 2030.

Cllr Gibson, speaking before the meeting, said the policy will “help us to deliver waste collection services in a clear, fair and consistent way, while continuing to do all we can to reduce household waste and contamination”.

He added measures will also be in place to “encourage the reuse of materials wherever possible and improve recycling rates across the borough.”

Work to reduce waste volumes and maximise recycling across South Tyneside aligns with the council’s ambition for residents being ‘part of strong communities’.

It also supports the local authority’s commitment relating to climate change and its aim to be carbon neutral by 2030.

Council chiefs previously stressed their waste collection staff work “extremely hard all year round, in all weathers, collecting bins from more than 70,000 households each week”.