Waste Analysis

Earlier this year a survey was carried out to find out how the nature of our waste is changing. Refuse and recycling was collected from a random sample of residents and sorted into over 50 categories, giving a detailed picture of what's in the average bin and recycling bag.

It's a messy process but the information is vital for planning future collection and disposal services. It also tells us how much is left in the grey bin that could still be recycled, helping us to target specific materials in our promotional campaigns.

THE RESULTS are encouraging, showing that waste in the grey bin has been reduced to an average of 12kg per household, with a further 14kg being recycled or composted each fortnight. But not everyone is good at sorting their waste! On average a quarter of what was found in the grey bin could have been recycled. Most of this was made up of kitchen peelings, salad waste, paper, cardboard and plastic packaging.

- For full survey results please click here.

A few residents expressed concern that their waste had been sampled without any prior warning. Unfortunately this is necessary to get a representative sample. When people know their waste is being included in a survey, they tend to try harder and recycle more, giving a misleading picture of what really happens. This type of survey, is regularly carried out all over the country and there are standard procedures for sampling, including strict controls to ensure confidentiality. All of the samples are mixed so that waste from individual households cannot be identified and at the end of the analysis, the waste re-joins everybody else's rubbish for disposal or recycling.

More Information

For further information, please contact BDC Customer Service Centre at csc@braintree.gov.uk

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Braintree District Council
Causeway House
Bocking End
Braintree
Essex, CM7 9HB
T: 01376552525
e: csc@braintree.gov.uk
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