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Recycling gets better with tetra-pack banks
RECYCLING in Leighton and Linslade is about to get even better with the introduction of two bring-banks for tetra-pack cartons.
Juices, UHT milk, custards and soups are sold in the cardboard, aluminium and plastic mix, which up until now has been difficult to recycle. The banks will be at Tesco in Linslade and Shenley Hill tidy-tip from mid-November.
Meanwhile, the "recycling police" are about in Leighton and Linslade this week, checking people's orange bins for rogue plastics or any other waste that cannot be recycled.
Residents can expect a polite letter from South Bedfordshire District Council recycling officers asking for the contaminating garbage to be removed before collection.
One of the biggest grumbles the LBO hears from people regarding recycling is "Why can't we recycle all plastic containers, when those living in Aylesbury Vale can?"
Reporter Sarah Holmes collected plastic pots and trays used by her family for a fortnight to see how much plastic would usually end up at a landfill site, and could not be recycled according to South Beds District council's rules. The results were eye-opening.
"I've already cut down on the amount of food I buy in plastic containers, such as tomatoes and mushrooms", said Sarah. "But over the two weeks I still collected a whole orange sack full of meat trays, yoghurt pots, butter tubs, tetra-packs and ready-meal trays.
"I invited two recycling officers, Sarah Molloy and Emily Martin, from South Bedfordshire District council to ask why I couldn't recycle all this plastic."
A very well-informed Sarah Molloy said: "Packaging laws say that new food containers cannot be made out of old ones. Thinner plastics, such as meat trays, melt faster and then it cannot be guaranteed that bacteria from the food tray has been killed. There isn't a reprocessor in Europe that deals with this sort of plastic.
"Supermarkets need to look at the plastics used for packaging and individual consumer choice can put pressure on manufacturers to look at it – especially if customers stop buying it."
But Aylesbury Vale District Council do recycle these items. A spokesperson for the council said: "We collect yoghurt pots, butter tubs and meat trays, they are taken to Milton Keynes where the plastic is recovered."
Sarah Holmes said: "Sarah and Emily did offer to take my rubbish away, but like me, they really didn't want it on their conscience that it would end up in landfill, and I'm still not convinced that these plastics cannot be recycled especially when Aylesbury Vale said they can.
"So, with 'people power' in mind, I took all the plastic back to Tesco, where I had bought it, and manager Jac Williams was happy to recycle it for me. Tesco also said they could recycle these items and the good news is the supermarket in Vimy Road will shortly be getting a plastics recycling centre. So who's right? Can these plastics be easily recycled? Email me: sarah.holmes@lbobserver.co.uk or telephone 01525 858406 if you know what happens to it."
Residents who still need advice on recycling issues can call the recycling offices at the council on 01582 472222 or visit www.southbeds.co.uk
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Weather for Leighton Buzzard
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North east
