MORE than five million additional plastic bottles were collected for recycling by the Forest Council over the last year.

One year on from the introduction of its revitalised kerbside recycling service, the council’s joint waste team has reported a dramatic increase in materials col­lected from households for recycling.

Launched last summer, the new weekly kerbside recycling service saw cardboard, plastic bottles and textiles added to the paper, glass, tins, aerosols and food waste already collected by the council from homes throughout the district. 

Figures for the period August 1, 2016 to July 31, this year show a 139 per cent increase in the weight of plastic bottles collected, 276 tonnes more than the same period for the previous year. 

This is equivalent to five and a half million more plastic bottles being recycled in the district.

During the same period, an extra 1,325 tonnes of cardboard and paper were collected – an increase of 59 per cent.

The council’s Cabinet member for the Environment, Cllr Chris McFarling (Green, St Briavels and Newland) said: “While residents could recycle their plastic bottles, cardboard and unwanted clothing before the new service was launched in August last year by using the recycling banks and at the local household recycling centre, it is clear by making the service more accessible we have seen a vast improvement in the amount of rubbish which is now being recycled.”

Glass, while already collected at the kerbside under the old fortnightly scheme and through the network of recycling banks, rose by 470 tonnes overall, an increase of 21 per cent. Tins, cans and aerosols rose by three per cent.

Cllr McFarling added: “This improvement in performance is great news for Forest of Dean residents and means we are capturing more materials than ever before, helping reduce costs to the taxpayer and keeping waste out of landfill. 

“Since the new service, we have experienced a six per cent reduction in the amount of black bin rubbish too; that’s the equivalent of 85 fewer refuse truck loads. 

“We are delighted that the district’s performance has also contributed to Gloucestershire as a whole exceeding 50 per cent recycling for the first time ever in the last financial year.

“We would like to thank the public for their continued efforts and ask that they keep up the good work of separating their recyclable items into the different containers. 

“This helps the loading of the materials into the different pods on to the trucks and maintains the high quality of what we collect so that items can go on to be recycled again and again.”

Recycling containers can be ordered from the council by calling 01594 810000 or online at www.fdean.gov.uk