Inadequate infrastructure and budget for ‘On the Go’ recycling

The findings of a survey looking at the UK’s use of ‘On the Go’ recycling has highlighted that the systems in place are failing.

RECOUP carried out the survey of Local Authorities in the UK with the aim of gaining an insight into the service provision and collection ‘On the Go’ - i.e. outside of the home.

The responses from nearly 100 Local Authorities suggested that there is inadequate ‘On the Go’ collection infrastructure for both collection of recycling and residual waste material.

For many Local Authorities answering the survey, the cost vs benefit does not add up. There are significant costs in providing ‘On the Go’ collection services and high levels of contamination from the material collected, and many Local Authorities reported that the budget can be better spent on increasing quantities and reducing contamination in kerbside collections.

It was made clear investment is needed to prove the business case for ‘On the Go’ collection schemes. To do this effectively it was reported good data is needed to assess costs and potential benefits, with funding needed for procurement and installation of bins, scheme maintenance and collection of material, and also for consumer communication and education to promote effective use of the schemes.

RECOUP Technical Manager, Steve Morgan, stated: “We are increasingly seeing the priority placed to ‘On the Go’ services to reduce litter and also provide services for the public to recycle away from home. This survey shows the scale of the challenges that Local Authorities are facing to provide effective collection services.”

Steve Brunt, Joint Assistant Director, Streetscene, at Bolsover and North East Derbyshire District Councils, added: “We found that the operational difficulties outweigh any potential benefits to ‘On the Go’ collections we would have gained through contribution to our combined recycling rate. The cost vs benefit needs to be proven. We have concentrated on increasing performance kerbside dry recycling and organic waste collections.”

The Local Authority Disposal ‘On the Go’ Survey report is now available to download from the RECOUP website.