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| November 2002 |
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Kerbside recycling numbers increasing
The amount of materials recovered through the
City Council’s kerbside recycling collection is steadily
increasing. In August 1998, with full city participation,
just under 900 tonnes was collected for the month. Now the usual monthly total is around 1300t. In the year to the end of June 1999 (the City
Council financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June),
about 11,650t was recovered. In the year to end-
June 2002, just over 15,300t of materials was
recovered for recycling. So far, about 59,000t of material has now been
diverted for recycling. Uncompacted it would cover
the Botanic Gardens to a depth of 2m (If it had
gone to the landfill, it would first be compacted and
the volume reduced by up to 80 per cent). Paper and cardboard make up both the largest
volume and tonnage, taking up about half the
available space in the Onyx trucks and averaging out
to 60% of the total weight recovered. By weight, the percentage of paper in the total
recyclables fluctuates over the year. In summer,
especially around December, up to 65% of
recoveries is paper. In winter, the percentage of
paper can drop as low as 50%. Glass on average makes up 30% of the total
weight, plastic 4% and metals 6%. |