Recycling survey results and action
What did the survey show?
Liskeard Town Council is keen to encourage as much recycling as possible. We know that some households, especially in the town centre, have difficulty using the kerb-side recycling. At the end of last year we sent out a paper and online survey to find out more and look at possible solutions.
Thanks very much to the 178 people who responded. 58 lived in the town centre, 89 elsewhere in Liskeard and 31 outside Liskeard. Click on the graphs below for a larger image.
How Much do Residents Currently Recycle?
Most of the respondents were keen recyclers with 134 (78%) saying ‘I recycle all I can, even if it involves extra effort’.
How Much do Residents Currently Use Kerb-Side Recycling?
Two thirds of those responding in the town centre (67% of total) can use kerb-side recycling. Almost all those with problems with kerb-side recycling are in the town centre.
What Would Encourage Residents to Use Kerb-Side Recycling More?
The main problems are lack of storage space for the recycling bags and boxes and lack of space to put recycling out.
There is also an issue that some people can’t bring in bags and boxes after collection.
When asked what would make it easier, two-thirds said communal wheelie bins but this is not the answer for everyone.
Use of the Recycling Banks in the Town Centre Car Parks
Earlier last year Cornwall Council removed the recycling bins in town centre car parks, and in the survey we also asked about the impact of this.
27 (16%) of the total respondents said they had used the recycling bins at least once every two weeks and a further 24 (14%) said they had used the bins at least once a month. For the town centre these figures are 16 (29%) using the bins at least once every two weeks and a further 8 (15%) at least once a month. So the numbers are relatively small but the loss of the bins presents real problems for those people.
Full Reports
If you would like to read the full results of the recycling surveys they are available in PDF format below
What are we doing in response?
We are sharing the results publicly and also providing information on issues raised in responses, such as how to get replacement recycling bags and boxes, how to get seagull-proof bags and that food waste will be included in the new recycling contract.
The results have been shared with the Waste and Recycling team at Cornwall Council and their community engagement team leader will be coming to a Town Council meeting shortly.
Via Cornwall Council we want to raise the issue of communal wheelie bins with Biffa to see if it would be possible to incorporate them in the new contract.
We plan to engage with local landlords and building owners around storage space for recycling and space to put it out. The aim would be to find some willing landlords to explore how to make changes and then publicise the good practice. We are talking to Cornwall Council’s responsible landlord scheme and local letting agencies about how best to do this.
Did You Know?
Replacement/Additional Bags and Boxes
If you generate a lot of recycling don’t put the excess in the bin, you can request additional bags from Cornwall Council. You can also request replacements for lost or damaged bags.
Fill in this recycling containment request form, select the containers you require and they will be delivered to you.
What Can (and Can’t) be Recycled?
If you’re not sure if a particular item can be recycled or not, check the new searchable A-Z of recycling, available on the Recycling collections page of Cornwall Council’s website. It’s a quick and easy way to find out what you can recycle and how, including which recycling container it goes in.
Reporting Problems with Recycling and Rubbish Collection
If you have a problem with your recycling or rubbish not being collected please contact Cornwall Council by calling 0300 123 4141 or by going to the Cornwall Council Waste Website
Please note your waste needs to be out by 7am and collections may be as late as 6pm.
Seagull Proof Bags
Seagull proof bags are a good way of protecting your rubbish bags from gulls and other animals.
Bags cost £4.00 and are available from the Tourist Information Centre in Pike Street
Recycling for Charity
Even the most keen recycler will know that there are a huge number of everyday items that are not collected by the Council and that usually end up in the bin. This includes items that many of us use a lot of including crisp packets, pet food pouches, dental products, sweet wrappers and much more.
That’s where Recycling for Charity comes in, they collect a wide range of items for Terracycle which then generates donations to the Kicks Counts charity which aims to reduce the UK’s still birth rate.
Items need to be sorted into their relevant type and there are regular collections from Liskeard. For more information see the Recycling for Charity Facebook page
New food waste, recycling and rubbish service
Cornwall Council has just started their new collection service in Liskeard, they now collect
- food waste from you every week
- your recycling fortnightly
- your rubbish fortnightly
Rubbish/recycling weeks alternate as before – 2024 Waste Collection Calendar for Liskeard
More details can be found on their website
