More than nine out of ten households in Crowborough and the Wealden district are satisfied with their waste and recycling service, the district council says.
A survey undertaken by Wealden District Council’s waste contractor, Biffa, has revealed that 91% of all residents surveyed are satisfied with their waste and recycling collections.
The aim of the survey was to help Biffa, the council’s joint waste partner and Wealden District Council understand the levels of satisfaction with the service and to gain a better picture of how residents dispose of their waste.
When shown a list of household waste items 94% of respondents are correctly choosing to recycle paper, aluminium cans, cardboard and glass bottles/jars in the recycling bin.
However, the survey also highlighted some areas for improvement. Most residents are getting it right; however, some are still putting plastic items such as plastic pots, tubs and trays in the rubbish bin instead of recycling them.
The survey also showed that items such a textiles and black plastic bags are incorrectly being placed in the recycling bin.
Whilst textiles can be recycled at some recycling points and at the Household Waste and Recycling Sites in the district, black bags cannot be recycled and must be put into the rubbish bin.
Councillor James Partridge, lead councillor for Governance, Waste & Local Economy and deputy leader of the council, said, “Wealden recycles more of its waste than any other authority in East Sussex. This is a great achievement and something everyone in the district should be proud of.
“Many thanks to everyone who took part in the survey last year. We have taken the survey’s results on board and are starting to make changes to benefit residents. We know local people really care about recycling and are doing their best to do it properly which is great. We are always looking at ways to improve our services for residents and will be working with Biffa jointly to make improvements.”
Paul Thomson, Biffa’s East Sussex business manager, said, “We’re pleased to see such a high level of satisfaction among residents in Wealden and would like to thank everyone who took the time to share their feedback. With new Simpler Recycling rules for households being introduced next April, we’re committed to working closely with the council to further improve recycling rates and continue delivering a reliable and sustainable waste collection service for the community.”