The Keys To Getting Apartment Residents To Recycle
posted in Articles |Ian Collins, managing director of Europe’s leading waste containment company, Plastic Omnium Urban Systems, cites some of the company’s experience of recycling in mainland Europe.
“The problem with recycling waste from apartments is there’s definitely not a ‘one size fits all’ solution. Additionally there’s the manual handling issue of how best you get occupants taking their waste to a central collection point without risk of injury when negotiating steps or lifts.
“Add to these factors, there’s limited space to store waste - both in the apartment and the block itself. Then it can also be difficult to ensure waste streams are segregated as there’s generally little ownership when you have hundreds of residents using the same facility. How do you change the behaviour of people who may simply throw their waste into the nearest bin when you can’t identify who they are?
“The good news is that there are several proven solutions.
“Crucially you need to find the right container for each household and, in our experience, that entails undertaking a door-to-door survey. One of the best containers for apartments is a simple, yet special, woven and resilient carrier bag. The handles on the bag make it easy to carry in comparison with gripping a box. It also offers people the flexibility to make as many, or as few, trips to the recycling point as is convenient for them.
“People with disabilities - which prevent them recycling - generally call for local authorities to take special measures. These are picked up by the door-to-door survey.
“Wherever possible, the entire block’s recycling containers are best located in a basement as it saves them from graffiti and also contains any odours. The apertures accessing these containers are both aesthetic and can be designed to only accept their specified type of waste.
“Another location is a waste shelter containing wheeled bins. Again these wheeled bins can be designed to only accept certain waste streams and to be locked down to avoid littering. The latest generation of bins have sound-proofing. Higher density living, coupled with 18 and 24 hour-living patterns means noise is less tolerated than it used to be.
“A recent development allows you to track who’s using which bin at different times of day. Swipe cards have made a big difference to generating ownership among residents for their waste disposal and recycling. Each resident is given a card which they swipe to open a bin. That means you know the bin they’re using and at what time they’re using it. It’s also easy to see if someone is only using the general waste bin. You can then better target communications to encourage recycling.
“Progress has also been made along the lines of ‘007′ technology. A laser beam is shot across each bin at any given level which, when broken, sends a text message to the waste operator saying which bin is ready for collection and at which location.
“By British standards, I appreciate it all sounds a bit futuristic, but this is what the Benelux and Nordic countries have been doing for a number of years. That’s why they’re achieving in excess of 50% recycling rates while we still languish around 20%.”
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Editors’ notes:
NowRecycle.co.uk is a trading style of Plastic Omnium Systems Ltd - a European market leader in waste containment solutions that provides a wide range of waste containers and services including wheeled bins, litter bins, banks, composters and sacks. It is part of the International Plastic Omnium Group, a world leader in contract waste container solutions with worldwide sales of more than £1.8 billion. It employs over 9,000 people in 25 countries, across four continents, in manufacturing and service solutions for the automotive, environment and performance plastic products.
Press Contact: Simon Dutta, N European Marketing Director, Plastic Omnium Urban Systems Ltd
Telephone: 01952 582 583