Positive suggestions for “two obvious quick-wins” which would increase recycling and save landfill tax have been suggested to the Marlborough’s Transition Towns team.
They come from Marlborough town councillor Richard Pitts, who liaises with the group, and the first concerns carrier bags in which users of Hills’ Business Park recycling facility typically bring paper, cardboard, glass and other waste.
Hills do provide bins for collecting carrier bags, but unfortunately these bins carry notices saying bags placed in them will be sent to landfill.
By contrast, the nearby Tesco supermarket — and also Waitrose — both have carrier bag recycling points.
“Wiltshire Council should ask Hills to do the same by arranging a carrier bag recycling as soon as possible and stop sending bags to landfill.” Mr Pitts told Marlborough News Online.
“Specifically, Hills should arrange short-term use of the Tesco/Waitrose carrier-bag recycling points, and subsequently arrange their own long-term solution.”
His second idea concerns polystyrene, which is a common waste product not currently being recycled at the Salisbury Road facility.
“We have discovered there is a growing trend in polystyrene recycling, and the British Plastic Federation is working hard to encourage this,” Mr Pitts pointed out.
The federation’s website shows polystyrene recycling plants at locations including Northampton, Stafford and Torbay.
“So Wiltshire should now ask Hills to set up a polystyrene recycling container at the Salisbury Road site, for disposal to one of these plants,” he added.
“These two obvious quick-wins should be implemented as soon as possible by the council and its contractors.”
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