Recycling 'on the go'

At the recycling unit with fellow Councillors Roy Smith & Jeremy Moulton plus Mrs Bottle...

Last week, I was delighted to host the launch of a trial of a new automated recycling unit outside the Tesco Metro store in Ocean village part of a trial of just 10 stores.The units will be able to recycle PET plastic drinks bottles, aluminium and steel cans which are the most common waste on the high street.

At £25,000, the cost of the automated units is not cheap (for Tescos who are funding the capital cost of the equipment in full ) but the kit is impressive; it is able identify different materials and then segregate and compact them ready for recycling. Having the privilege of opening up the machine and seeing the end result of the shedding process was particularly impressive- the shredded material was tiny.

By having the recycling units situated at street level outside convenience stores, the hope is that we can reach more people by making facilities more accessible to pedestrians when they're 'on-the-go', leading to increased levels of recycling and cleaner streets.