Date for paper caddy removal confirmed

Council waste bosses have confirmed there will be no need for South Cambridgeshire residents to use paper caddies from mid-December, in a move to simplify the recycling process.

From 11 December 2017, residents should place used paper directly into their blue wheelie bins for recycling.

The date was announced at this afternoon’s full meeting of South Cambridgeshire District Council, after the Council Cabinet approved the plan earlier this month.

The withdrawal of caddies also means fewer waste collection vehicles will in future be needed, helping save taxpayers around £670,000 during the next seven years compared to the existing system.

This is because trucks which collect dry recycling that is mixed together, rather than separated, don’t have split bodies, so can carry more materials.

This means collection rounds will be completed without the need for vehicles to return to base and be emptied as often.

Therefore, trucks will cover around 26,000 fewer miles per year on South Cambridgeshire’s roads than the current arrangement.

The change will therefore also lead to lower fuel costs and reduced CO2 emissions.

Computer modelling suggests current recycling rates, that see more than half of South Cambridgeshire’s waste recycled, will be at least maintained, if not marginally improved, from 11 December onwards.

Cllr Mark Howell, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, said: “We wanted to give residents as much notice as possible about this upcoming change, and we will continue to keep them informed as we approach 11 December.

“Up until that date, residents can continue to use their paper caddies as they will remain part of our collection system for now.

“However, as this change is not far off, we won’t be delivering any new paper caddies to replace those that are lost, so residents falling into this category now can begin putting paper in their blue bins right away.

“Even though we are making this change, remember paper is still recycled when placed in the blue bin, as it gets sorted from other materials at our plant near Waterbeach.

“It then gets sold onto paper mills and made into new paper products, so residents can rest assured they are still helping the environment.”

After 11 December, residents can keep their caddies and use them however they wish. Alternatively, they can be taken to a household waste recycling centre for recycling. They should not be placed into wheelie bins.