Tidy Our Town: Recycling bag instigator pleased to see successful rollout continues half-a-decade on
The instigator of clear recycling bags across West Northamptonshire is pleased to see the successful rollout continues half-a-decade on from its launch.
John Bright, alongside fellow resident and member of Far Cotton and Delapre Community Council Jill Harris, worked hard to build a relationship with the former Northampton Borough Council (NBC).
This began when they raised concerns about the number of HMOs in Far Cotton and with the help of Councillor Julie Davenport, controls were put in place moving forward.
John and Jill are also litter pickers and launched Far Cotton Litter Pickers at the end of 2017, before establishing their social media presence the following summer.
Following a big flood in May 2018, NBC recognised the issue with litter blocking the drains in Far Cotton in a report – and this also sparked a conversation about the counterproductive open-top individual litter boxes.
For those who do not have rear access to their homes and therefore cannot have wheelie bins with lids, John was passionate about introducing clear recycling bags.
As he works in the waste management industry, he drew on his knowledge and connections to make this a reality – after Veolia agreed it was viable to split the bags and sort the different types of recycling following collection.
This became commonplace in Far Cotton from April 2019 and John says it “undoubtedly made a difference” from the outset.
Another issue raised by John about the open-top recycling boxes is that if they are contaminated, they are not collected and left at the side of the road.
“Bags are easier for crews to take to their vehicle and they don’t have to return the boxes to people’s homes,” said John, who also pointed out that boxes are used as litter bins by passersby.
He is pleased that this initiative has been successful and it continues to be replicated across other areas with terrace houses across West Northamptonshire, as highlighted in our most recent Tidy Our Town story.
John and Jill remain proud of the area and as they are still members of the Far Cotton and Delapre Community Council, the pair look forward to supporting West Northamptonshire Council in other ways – such as a fly tipping project coming later this year.
If you would like to get involved in the Tidy Our Town campaign, established in collaboration with the Northants Litter Wombles, email [email protected].