Portsmouth set to step up recycling efforts across city
By Fiona Callingham, Local Democracy Reporting Service
Recycling bins could be installed across the whole of Portsmouth, after a summer trial proved successful.
The city council has approved putting in 30 new colour coded recycling bins along Southsea seafront – but councillors agreed more should be provided in the city centre as well as other areas of Portsmouth.
It comes after 36 new recycling bins were set up in Southsea Common and along the seafront in August as part of the ‘don’t be a din – put it in the bin’ campaign.
Speaking at a culture and leisure meeting today, where the 30 new bins were agreed, members praised the success of the trial.
Councillor Frank Jonas said: ‘It’s a step in the right direction.
‘I shall be very interested to see what happens at the bandstand when it gets back in full swing. It will be very good to see whether recycling bins are used then.’
Cllr Claire Udy added: ‘I am really astounded at the high level of take-up to the recycling that we have got and I’m hoping we can put it through to other cabinets so we can maybe have some in town in Commercial Road – that would be quite nice.’
Between August 18 and October 31 the equivalent of 112 full bin loads were collected from the 36 new recycling bins – with 78.1 per cent of this recycled due to contamination with other materials.
This percentage would be considerably higher (93.9 per cent) when excluding three bins which are near food outlets.
The council’s culture boss, Cllr Steve Pitt, explained he was in talks to expand recycling in the city. He said: ‘I have also met Colas who are responsible for large parts of the city. I have had discussions about how we might be able to expand recycling provision across their areas as well.
‘We will need to do it as a trial so we can understand what the effect of that is and what the potential cost is. They were very enthusiastic about doing it.
‘Claire (Cllr Udy) is right that we have to address recycling provision in other parts of the city and that has to involve the town centre.’
The 30 new seafront bins will be paid for using £22,100 that had already been allocated by the council.