Kirklees Council is launching a commercial recycling service as part of the new Waste Strategy – and children and young people are to be the driving force.
This new and improved recycling service will replace the existing service, first introduced as a trial back in 2003, as a partnership with DEFRA and only available to schools.
The council’s Trade Waste Team have been able to redesign, modernise and expand the recycling collections to include businesses within the borough thanks to a successful funding bid of just over £130k from the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
Currently only on offer to businesses situated near schools, a full recycling service is expected to be available to all Kirklees businesses within the next 12-15 months.
As well as extending the service to include businesses, this service redesign enables schools to recycle more of their waste and should link in closely with their environmental and our climate change objectives.
Each school that signs up for the new recycling service will receive two 60 litre clear perspex internal containers allowing for the materials inside to be visible, encouraging recycling and reducing the possibility of the wrong items being put inside.
Schools will also receive a free composter and options of educational assemblies and workshops provided by council recycling advisers to further encourage recycling with pupils and staff.
To celebrate the launch of the new recycling service, Kirklees Council are running a competition with schools to design artwork which will feature on the side of the new recycling wagon. The competition is open to all year groups at all schools signed up for the recycling service, and the winning school will also receive one year of free collections.
Clr Will Simpson, Cabinet member for culture and greener Kirklees, said: “This new commercial recycling service is just one more way that our resources and waste strategy is continuing to improve our waste services and bring us closer to our vision of a carbon-neutral Kirklees.
“There are now over 100 schools and 80 businesses signed up for the service ready to start in September and this number will grow as it becomes available to more businesses across the borough.
“From listening to feedback from the Our Voice Climate Festival in March 2021, we know that our children are passionate about recycling and preventing climate change.
“We hope that they will embrace this opportunity to make a difference in their schools and take the learning home with them, in turn improving recycling across the district.”
All eligible schools and businesses have been contacted but if you’ve not signed up yet and would like to or you’d like to learn more about Kirklees Council’s trade waste services visit www.kirkleesbusinesssolutions.uk/Services/6045
