Isle of Wight residents have been given a big thank you for helping the Island rise to close to the top 10% of areas in England for recycling rates.
The Island is now 36th out of 345 local authority areas, according to figures recently published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for 2018/19 – rising from 51st the previous year.
The Island’s percentage of household waste sent to reuse, recycling or composting has improved to 55.7%, compared to 53.4 per cent in 2017/18. Nationally there was a 0.3% improvement.
Councillor Steve Hastings, Cabinet member for waste and recycling management, has said:
“This is excellent news, and goes to show what a terrific commitment our residents are making to recycling initiatives throughout the Island. I’d like to say a big thank you!
“It is very much our aspiration to eventually take the Island right to the top of the table, as a national beacon for recycling, with zero non-essential waste going to landfill.”
The figures published by Defra also show the Island’s collected household waste per person was reduced to 413.2 kilogrammes (kg) in 2018/19, compared to 449.8kg the previous year.
Natasha Dix, the Isle of Wight Council’s strategic manager for waste and environment, said:
“These figures reflect the excellent ongoing initiatives in many areas by the council in partnership with its contractor Amey.
“A strong foundation has been the Island’s collection service and its efficient delivery, with the ongoing emphasis on maximising recycling and minimising waste.
“We have also conducted strong communications campaigns and provided clear information to help guide and encourage residents with their recycling. This has combined with ongoing waste and recycling education in the community through Amey and our environment officers’ team.
“There have also been measures – including permits, trailer restrictions and a new commercial lane – introduced at our household waste recycling centres to prevent trade waste infiltration. And we continue to remind businesses of their duty of care.
“Our improving figures clearly demonstrate ongoing behaviour change across the Island and the dedicated buy-in of our community.
“While we are delighted to be considerably ahead of the national average of 45.1 per cent, we remain determined and dedicated to achieve our goal of zero non-essential waste to landfill and fully maximising recycling.
“We also continue to need Islanders’ full support in reducing the amount of household waste per person, encouraging people to think more before they buy, and to ensure they recycle in the correct way.”
Can I ask exactly what a ‘Strategic Manager’ for waste and environment is?
I’m pretty sure there must be an ‘ordinary’ manager somewhere in the mix, so why the exotic title for this lady?
Lovely title for someone, who presumably is paid reasonably handsomely for a non-job.
No brakes on the Gravy Train STILL.
Must keep making cuts to services but still increase Council Tax by maximum possible, however still have positions available with exotic titles…just saying…
she was the principal project officer for waste and recycling at the council from 2013 to 2017
she was then promoted to waste and recycling manager until early 2018.
she was then promoted to principal manager – waste and recycling until august 2019
she was then promoted to strategic manager for waste and the environment in september of last year.
She has been with the team for nearly seven years – she has yet to demonstrate whether she can build on the success so far, as this new role of hers is only a few months in.
whilst i do not want to see council tax going up as we always see it wasted on pointless projects etc, this aspect of the council, that being waste and recycling is one of the fundamental reasons we pay council tax and one of the primary functions of the council.
Good waste policy and procedure is good for public health and the environment – the more Natahsa Dix’s there are the better.
It seems the Council are happy to take the credit and lion’s share of credit when it’s down to the hard work of the AMEY team that has delivered it.
fleur ..
The waste and recycling team at the council decide on the strategy and what they require to be done to ensure that the island has a comprehensive waste process, with as much recycling as possible – they then put out to tender for an organisation who will deliver what the council want for the best price possible.
Amey looked at the councils plans and agreed to it and the price – they are simply doing as they have been contracted to do.
Having said that….since when has it every been any different – management always sit back and take credit for the hard work of others and then blame the same others, when it doesn’t go right.
Who receives the money from the recycled waste,aluminum cans are worth quite a bit per ton,do the IWC or Amey get the money from selling them
The council will receive the revenue from the recycled waste – which is paid to the recycling centres accounts.The centres will no doubt use some of that cash for improvements and general running costs, along with sending some to the IW council coffers.
Isle of wight residents have given their waste to the council not AMEY, as it is the councils sites. By rights we should be charging the council for our waste, as it is effectively feedstock for their profitable recycling operation.