Ashford Borough Council has seen its recycling rate treble in three months, after implementing a new refuse and recycling service with waste management company, Biffa.

Provisional tonnage data for July to September 2013 shows that Ashford’s residents recycled more than they sent to landfill for the first time. The borough’s recycling, reuse and composting rate for 2011/12 was one of the lowest in the country at 14 per cent, but the council’s provisional figures for the second quarter of 2012/13 show that just over 50 per cent of waste was recycled.

In total, between July and October, Ashford residents recycled 5,000 tonnes of materials; nearly 2,800 tonnes of dry recyclables (such as paper, glass, metal and plastic containers), just over 1,300 tonnes of food waste, and around 900 tonnes of green waste. This represents an increase of 3,500 tonnes, 250 per cent up on the average quarter in 2012.

Biffa added that the 4,600 tonnes of residual waste collected was sent for energy-from-waste (EfW) disposal.

If taken on an annual scale, the recycling statistics would have placed Ashford around 45th in Resource’s recycling league table for 2011/12, up nearly 280 places and in the upper quartile, as well as making it the best-performing council in Kent.

Contract details

The Mid Kent Joint Waste Partnership (MKJWP) appointed Biffa as service provider for Swale, Ashford and Maidstone borough areas earlier this year, as part of a move to save money and increase recycling rates in the area.

Under the new £86 million contract, Biffa undertakes alternate week collections (AWC) of residual waste and co-mingled dry recyclables, as well as weekly collections of food waste. In addition, it provides householders with an optional garden waste collection service for a fee.

Of the three councils covered by the MKJWP, Ashford underwent the most changes to its collection system, seeing its weekly refuse and recycling collection system replaced with an AWC system, and its refuse sacks and kerbside recycling boxes replaced by wheelie bins.

“Astounding performance”

Councillor Jessamy Blanford, portfolio holder for the environment at Ashford Borough Council, welcomed the figures, saying: “The first three months of Ashford’s new collection service has produced an astounding performance, thanks to the hard work of the council, Biffa and, most of all, our residents.

“This three month snapshot must be seen in context as it cannot account for the seasonal nature of recycling performance. But it does show we are very much on the right track.

“This very encouraging performance indicates that Ashford will be amongst the top performers in Kent and a contender for the most improved service in the country – a far cry from propping up the bottom of the county and country league tables.”

Biffa Municipal Managing Director, Roger Edwards, forecast that, over time, the new service was likely to treble the borough’s current recycling rate to 50 per cent or more.

Describing the first quarter performance as ‘a fantastic reward for Ashford’s councillors, officers and residents’, Edwards stated: “Any major service change is challenging for local residents as they are the ones who really bear the brunt of that change. Ashford’s residents have risen magnificently to the challenge, as shown by these interim performance figures. They justly deserve high praise, and the Biffa team looks forward to building on their positive response and diverting even more waste to recycling and reuse in the months ahead.”

He added: “Of course, we wouldn’t be in this wonderful position if Ashford Borough Council had not made a bold decision to transform its recycling service so comprehensively.”

Resident reaction

Several Ashford residents have also posted messages on Ashford Borough Council’s Media feed welcoming the new service. Resident Chris Evans said: “The information supplied has been clear and the process has generally been pretty easy. It has been easy to separate my rubbish into the relevant bins and very little will be going in general waste (most product packaging etc is recyclable).

“No more people putting about bags and letting them get ripped to shreds with foxes/cats and then leaving the rubbish for others to clear up. All A+ in my book!”

Find out more about Biffa’s MKJWP contract or read Resource’s recycling league table for 2011/12.