I’d like to start by saying a huge thank you to all of our residents for helping us reuse and recycle more than 22,000 tonnes of waste last year. Our recycling rate was over 47% and we couldn’t have done it without you!
Here in the Chichester District, we empty recycling and waste bins from households, as well as collecting garden waste, small electricals, textiles, and even coffee pods. We’re working with West Sussex County Council and our colleagues in the West Sussex Waste Partnership to show you what happens to this material, and why it’s so important to get the right item in the right bin.Together, we’re asking you to ‘Think Before You Throw’. You can find more information about the campaign, including videos explaining where your recycling and waste goes, at: www.westsussex.gov.uk/thinkbeforeyouthrow
Very little material that’s collected as general waste in our district is sent to landfill — in fact, the landfill rate for the whole of West Sussex is just 7%. If you’re ever unsure about what you can and cannot recycle, there’s a searchable A-Z checklist online:
www.westsussex.gov.uk/land-waste-and-housing/waste-and-recycling/recycling-and-waste-prevention-in-west-sussex/a-to-z-of-recycling/ and on our Chichester District Council app: www.chichester.gov.uk/chichesterdcapp. There’s no need to separate materials — just make sure everything is clean, dry and loose before placing it in your burgundy recycling bin.
We can now recycle more than ever before, making recycling at home even easier. A great example is the free trial service that we launched in 2021 to collect and recycle residents’ unwanted textiles, small electrical items and used coffee pods. The trial covers around 75% of households in the district and I’m delighted to say that so far, our teams have carried out 30,000 collections and collected 39 tonnes of material — including 2.2 million coffee pods! To find out more and to book a collection slot, please go to www.chichester.gov.uk/textileandelectricalrecycling for textiles and small electricals, and www.chichester.gov.uk/podback for the coffee pod service that we offer in partnership with Podback.As we get closer to Christmas, it’s worth mentioning that our waste and recycling collections will change slightly over the festive period. You can check your personalised collection dates at: www.chichester.gov.uk/checkyourbinday and on our app: www.chichester.gov.uk/chichesterdcapp. Through the app, you can also sign up for weekly reminders on when to put your bins out; get notified if our waste and recycling crews are delayed or if there are any planned changes to collections; and find out what waste should go in which bin. To download the app, search for Chichester District Council on either the apple store or google play store.
I’m pleased to say that we’ve teamed up with St Wilfrid’s Hospice again to offer a Christmas Tree Recycling scheme: https://stwh.co.uk/events/treecycle-2024. If you sign up, volunteers will collect your real Christmas tree and recycle it for you in January 2024, in return for a donation to the hospice. It’s a great cause and an easy way to dispose of your tree after you’ve finished celebrating.
Finally, I wanted to mention that in October the government announced plans for simpler recycling across the country. These plans require all local authorities to collect food waste by March 2026, and would introduce standardisation of the recycling materials to be collected. Local authorities will also be required to collect plastic film (for example, plastic film lids on ready meals) by March 2027. Businesses that produce food would need a food waste collection in place by March 2025, and all businesses would need a recycling collection by the same date.
The proposals still need to be passed as regulations by the government and we’re waiting for further announcements, including details on the funding arrangements to help councils manage the new service changes. We will make sure that we keep you all updated as we hear more on this.
Best Wishes
Cllr Mark Chilton
Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate Services and Chichester Contract Services