The Recycling4Fylde initiative

Abstract

All local authorities in England have been set challenging statutory performance targets for recycling and composting household waste. In 2001, Fylde Borough Council (FBC) launched a new integrated alternate weekly collection system called Recycling4Fylde that has seen recycling performance rise from 7% in 2000-01 to 36% in 2005-06. In 2004, the council won the prestigious National Recycling Award for Best Local Authority Initiative and claimed the best recycling rate in northern England and the most improved performance. This paper describes the approach used during the development and implementation of the Recycling4Fylde initiative and the comprehensive evaluation survey that was undertaken to establish customer satisfaction rates regarding the initial phases of the new scheme, particularly the new alternate weekly collection (AWC) system. The results show that there was a high level of customer satisfaction with the Recycling4Fylde services, including the AWC system, and demonstrate how important it is for local authorities to use a systematic approach to the development of new and/or improved waste management services. The paper also highlights a range of other issues that require attention for services to become more customer-focused and responsive and reports on the actions taken or planned by FBC in response to the surveys undertaken. The initiative shows that although there can be problems with public acceptability, AWCs can be successfully and (relatively) painlessly implemented and subsequently improved upon if a carefully planned, systematic, user-responsive and proactive approach is used

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ORCID for I.D. Williams: orcid.org/0000-0002-0121-1219

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