Early Christmas gift for Raffles ‘green’ residents
(Date of issue: Friday, 12 December 2008)
Carlisle City Council has rewarded four residents who regularly
recycle their household waste.
Earlier this year, as part of a Carlisle City Council promotion,
Raffles residents who took part in the kerbside greenbox recycling
scheme throughout August and September, were entered into a free
prize draw. The four winners have been chosen and have each
received £100 of shopping vouchers (a choice of either Tescos or
Marks & Spencer’s).
Ward councillors for the Raffles area – Cllr Mike
Clarke, Cllr Jessica Riddle, Cllr Mary Styth, Cllr Jim Tootle and
Carlisle City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment and
Infrastructure, Cllr Ray Bloxham, will present vouchers to some of
the winning residents next Monday (15 December), at 4pm, at the
Raffles Living Well Trust on Shady Grove Road.
The recycling promotion proved to be a great success with some
streets reporting more than a 20% increase in participation. The
overall increase of recycling participation was 7%.
The best performing streets were:
- Coalfell Avenue (from 54% pre-campaign to 75% at end of
monitoring);
- Dalton Avenue (from 47% pre-campaign to 66% at end of
monitoring);
- Dobinson Road (from 63% pre-campaign to 79% at end of
monitoring);
- Marks Avenue (from 53% pre-campaign to 63% at end of
monitoring);
- Shady Grove Road (from 27% pre-campaign to 56% at end of
monitoring); and
- Sheehan Crescent (from 58% pre-campaign to 82% at end of
monitoring).
Leaflets promoting the initiative were delivered to more than
1,000 households within the Raffles area.
Carlisle City Councillor Ray Bloxham, Portfolio Holder for
Environment and Infrastructure, said:
"Carlisle residents have a great track record
when it comes to recycling and we are one of the best performing
recycling areas in the UK, but we are always striving to increase
the amount, and the quality of waste, we recycle. The Raffles
promotion aimed to encourage more residents to recycle."
Carlisle City Councillor Jessica Riddle, representing the Labour
Belle Vue ward councillors, added:
"Raffles residents have made a fantastic response
to this City Council initiative. If this response was replicated
across the city we would soon be top recycling city in the UK."
Carlisle City Councillor Mike Clarke, a Conservative Belle Vue
councillor, said:
"This project has again highlighted the
importance of recycling and it is most satisfying to see a very
positive response from the residents in the Raffles area. The
increased use of the green box scheme shows a willingness to help
the environment. Well done everyone."
Cllr Jim Tootle, representing the Liberal Democrat Castle ward
councillors, said:
"We are delighted that the recycling promotion
was such a success and that the residents of Castle ward have
contributed towards Carlisle being the best performing recycling
city in the North West. I hope that the winners of the competition
enjoy this small thank you for their efforts."
The recycling scheme will be monitored again in six months time,
to ensure awareness is maintained. If necessary, another
promotional campaign will be carried out to raise awareness of
recycling issues, if there is found to be a significant drop in
participation.
Since the introduction of a new look waste collection scheme in
Carlisle, residents are recycling nearly half their household
rubbish. Carlisle is now the best recycling city in the North West
and is one of the top 25 performing local authorities in the
UK.
Performance information drawn together by Wastedataflow from 47
local authorities in the North West, places Carlisle as the best
performing, with a 48% household recycling rate for 2007/2008. All
UK figures audited by the Audit Commission also place Carlisle 24
out of all UK 398 local authorities.