This is a guest article from the Waste Prevention Team of West Sussex County Council. Julie Silverson, their Events & Initiatives Assistant, gave a talk to the Shoreham Society with Gigi Backshall-Wilkinson in November 2023 about reducing waste and what can be recycled.
The West Sussex Waste Partnership (WSWP) is a collaboration that includes all seven district and borough councils in West Sussex, West Sussex County Council and their recycling and waste contractor, Biffa.
The WSWP serves around 400,000 households in West Sussex, collecting over 370,000 tonnes of household waste, including 84,000 tonnes from recycling centres.
The WSWP work together to:
- Provide the most effective and efficient service for residents.
- Increase recycling rates (currently 53.7%)
- Reduce the recycling contamination rate.
- Reduce the volume of residual waste per household.
- Reduce the costs of waste collection and disposal.
- Provide clear and consistent communication.
- Encourage behaviour change.
By working together, WSWP are able to trial initiatives and facilitate changes to help deliver quality recycling and waste services to residents. Examples of initiatives that have been rolled out include:
Kerbside WEEE collections
Electronic equipment (anything with a plug or a battery) plays an increasing role in our daily lives WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) is not always easy to dispose of in a sustainable way.
In Adur, residents are able to recycle old and broken small electrical items by placing them next to their rubbish bin/sacks on normal waste collection day. Items must fit into a standard size carrier bag. Items must be kept separate and not placed in the recycling or rubbish collection. Items that can be recycled include small kitchen appliances – e.g. kettles, toasters, hand mixers, blenders, hairdryers / straighteners, power tools – e.g. drills, jigsaws, sanders, multi saws, DVD / Blu-ray players, remote controls, smoke detectors, radios, single use vapes and reusable vape bodies (place in a tied bag so they don’t fall out onto the road).
Vapes should never be disposed of in recycling or refuse bins.
Unfortunately, items that are larger than 35cm x 40cm cannot be collected as they don’t fit into the storage cages on collection vehicles. These larger items need to be taken to your nearest Recycling Centre or for a fee, a special collection can be booked here www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/bulky-waste/.
UKHarvest, Southwick
WSCC has been working with UKHarvest, a not-for-profit perishable food rescue operation since 2022. UKHarvest collect quality excess foods from commercial outlets including supermarkets, hotels, farms, corporate events and restaurants which is then taken to UKHarvest community food hubs.
In West Sussex, each district and borough host a UKHarvest community food hub once a month where, for a suggested small donation, people are able to bring a shopping bag and pick up a wide selection of groceries. By working together and encouraging people to take advantage of surplus food, the partnership is minimising food waste and helping to prevent greenhouse gas emissions. The UKHarvest community food hubs are also enabling everyone to access quality food regardless of their budget.
The Southwick UKHarvest community hub takes place between 10 – 11 am on the second Wednesday of every month at Southwick Community Centre.
Volunteering
The WSWP are always on the lookout for friendly and enthusiastic new volunteers to join them to encourage local residents to think about reducing, reusing and recycling their waste.
Volunteering with the Waste Prevention Team can involve:
- Working with the Waste Prevention Team to deliver initiatives across the county.
- Assisting at local events, fairs, festivals, promotions, or writing blogs or newsletter articles
- Speaking to members of the public about waste prevention initiatives and recycling right
- Taking on the challenge of becoming a ‘master composter’ and sharing your skills and knowledge
- Educating primary and secondary school children by delivering the ‘Wastebuster’ programme
More information on how to get involved can be found Waste prevention volunteer – West Sussex County Council.
