In Stroud we have a reputation for being a set of very green residents. Reputation is one thing, but do the official statistics tell the same story? This blog looks at the latest data on Stroud’s waste generation and recycling as well as comparing our performance to other parts of the country.
Recycling data over the past few years
There was a time when Stroud had one of the highest recycling levels in the country. Out of over 300 councils, in 2018, Stroud was 6th best for recycling. Over the last few years though that position has slipped to 22nd. All far better than Stroud’s position at 314th back in 2015 according to statistics from Lets Recycle.
Position in a league table is one thing, but what really matters to the protection of the environment in which we live, is the amount of waste being generated and how much of it is being recycled. Once again the statistics paint a worsening story for Stroud:
Not only have recycling rates declined, but the amount of waste we produce has increased since 2018. There is a clear spike around 2020/2021 which may be related to Covid. But clearly more is needed to be done to get back to our 2018 position and then go even further.
What can we do?
There are quite a few things we can all do to reduce waste. What’s even better, some of those things lead to us learning new skills and save us money too. For instance Transition Stroud has its Repair Café initiative. At the Café you can bring in a range of different broken items and learn how to repair them for free. So you reduce waste and you don’t have to buy a replacement item. I’ve used this scheme to repair a broken zip on a fleece – note I repaired the zip NOT replaced the zip.
Other initiatives supported by Transition Stroud are:
- Yard Trail – sell your unwanted items instead of throwing them away
- Transition Textiles Group – repair and upcycle old clothes
- Repair Cafes – don’t bin it, get it fixed for free at one of our District’s Repair Cafes
- Access Bike – originally a Transition Stroud initiative but now its own stand alone project to help people repair their bikes. I’ve used this before and it was great.
Stoud District Council’s waste and recycling team has some other tips:
- Place recycling loose in bins/bags e.g. not inside carrier bags.
- Rinse recyclables before putting in the recycling bin/bag
- Remove plastic film lids off containers before placing the container in your recycling bin/bag
- Check before you chuck – If you are unsure about what can be recycled, check the Waste Wizard – I’ve used this one to find out where to recycle an old duvet.
- Large pieces of cardboard should be folded/cut to the approximate size of your recycling box, and placed underneath.
Interestingly, a waste composition study undertaken in 2018/19 in the Stroud District, found that nearly 2,000 tonnes of food waste ended up in the general waste stream. So preventing food waste in the first instance is good, but also utilising the kerbside food waste scheme for any food waste that people may have.
You can reduce food waste by planning your meals, only buy what you know you’ll eat, store food properly and be creative with leftovers. Discover some simple hacks, tips and guidance to make the most of your food at home by visiting: www.lovefoodhatewaste.com.
Comparison with the rest of the country
Here are the latest statistics from Defra:
In general Stroud performs better than the rest of the country. But we shouldn’t rest on our laurels, because there is a general worsening and unless it is nipped in the bud we could end up in a worse situation than before.