Plans to expand Exeter's kerbside recycling

Published: 10 July 2019

Kerbside collections for glass and food recycling are set to be introduced in Exeter.

Currently householders have to take their empty bottles and jars to recycling banks around the city but following the planned service changes these will be collected from the kerbside.

Food waste will also be collected from the kerbside – a move that will substantially increase the City Council’s recycling rate and reduce net climate change emissions. The waste will be sent off to a processing plant and turned into soil conditioner and electricity for export to the national grid.

Cllr David Harvey, Lead Councillor for Environment and City Management, said: “People have said for years now that they want to recycle more and for glass to be collected from the kerbside. We have listened to the wishes of the people and decided to bring in kerbside collections.”

With the introduction of food waste collections, less waste will need to go in the black bins. For this reason, the Council also plans to introduce three-weekly collections for household waste.

These decisions were backed by the City Council’s Executive on Tuesday, 9 July, and will now have to go before full Council.

If the plans are backed, householders will be issued with a food waste bin and a kitchen caddy for collecting the food waste before it is placed outside in the bin.

Extra recycling boxes and bags would also be issued to householders to allow for the collection of glass bottles and jars.

A timetable for the introduction of new kerbside and three-weekly collections will be agreed when the scheme is given final approval in September/October.

“We’ll be communicating these changes widely to residents so that they are familiar with them as soon as they are introduced. Our teams will be talking to people about how they store and manage their recycling bins and bags,” added Cllr Harvey.