With the festive season approaching, Babergh District Council is urging its residents to forget about a white Christmas and turn this one green instead!
The Christmas period produces huge amounts of rubbish from wrapping paper, cards and toy packaging to trees and excess food – in Babergh the tonnes of black bin rubbish will end up in landfill at Great Blakenham, where it is buried in a huge hole in the ground.
Babergh is urging all its householders to shop smartly, avoid excess waste and over-packaging and recycle more in a bid to control the amount of rubbish that ends up in landfill.
And as a seasonal bonus for residents, Babergh is offering three extra clear sacks – which will be collected along with the first blue bin collection after Christmas Day - for each household to put any additional recyclables collected over the holiday period.
Latest figures show that the total weight of waste and recycling put out by households for collection in the district, has dropped four per cent from 404kg per person, per year to 387kg – but Babergh is still urging people to do more.
Jonas Grist, Babergh’s Technical Officer (Waste Strategy), said: “Each year the UK produces around 10 million tonnes of packaging waste and not all of it will be recycled. Unfortunately a lot of it will and end up in landfill sites.
“We want people to be aware that by avoiding over-packaging and taking responsibility for the amount of waste they produce, especially at Christmas, they can make a difference.
“By taking advantage of the extra sacks provided this year by Babergh, there is no need to throw out those extra recyclables just because the blue bin is full.”
To claim your free, clear sacks, please come to Babergh District Council’s offices in Corks Lane, Hadleigh, or Sudbury Town Council during office opening hours before Christmas Eve.
To expand the service throughout the district, Babergh is working with numerous Parish Councils across the district which will also offer the clear sacks to residents. The list of parishes taking part in this scheme will be updated on Babergh’s website.
Babergh has also revised its bin collection timetable over the festive period.
This year refuse collections during the two weeks will be made either one day earlier or one day later than usual.
Usual collection day Your collection day - Christmas and New Year
Monday 22nd December 2008 Saturday 20th December 2008
Tuesday 23rd December 2008 Monday 22nd December 2008
Wednesday 24th December 2008 Tuesday 23rd December 2008
Thursday 25th December 2008 Wednesday 24th December 2008
Friday 26th December 2008 Saturday 27th December 2008
Thursday 1st January 2009 Friday 2nd January 2009
Friday 2nd January 2009 Saturday 3rd January 2009
Babergh, which in partnership with Mid Suffolk District Council, Serco and Parish Councils, will also be providing a Christmas tree composting service to get rid of those unwanted pines.
Further information on tree recycling points will be available nearer to Christmas and will be posted on Parish Council notice boards and on Babergh’s website: http://www.babergh.gov.uk/. ENDS
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