Our council is very proud of its recycling, as anyone who has had a leaflet through their door on the subject will be aware of. Yet the recycling policy has major holes in it, and the council are actively stopping an important section of the community from recycling.

Businesses.

Having spoken with a member of the council, who I shall grant anonymity to, I was told that:

a) Cardboard cannot be recycled

and:

b) Business waste has to be handled differently from domestic waste

Let’s examine these two statements:

Cardboard cannot be recycled

I’ll allow the experts to field this question.

“Cardboard is made from cellulose fibres that are created from wood pulp. To reverse this process, for the purpose of recycling, the cardboard is soaked and agitated, to release the fibres which can then be pulped. This process can be repeated up to 5 times before these fibres eventually shorten, and then disintegrate.

“Cardboard, in its shredded form, can be used for animal bedding, home insulation, either in the attic or between the walls. It is also being used in the green marketplace for biodegradable coffins.

“Finally, cardboard is a good component to use in the developing area of waste to energy: creating fuels and power from waste products. It releases twice as much heat per pound of waste, compared to other sources, doesn't release toxic poisons, and its only by-product is ash.”

Source: Recycling Expert

Business waste has to be handled differently from domestic waste

Were we talking about medical waste I would be the last to argue, but we are talking about - for the most part - corrugated cardboard. This is the same thing that the majority of shipping boxes are made from. Most people will have at least one such box in the house. Strangely, if the shop gives you the box to carry your purchases home in you can recycle it; same box, different rules.

~

What it comes down to is that the retail community, who receive a large proportion of the goods they sell in cardboard packaging, want to recycle it. But the council has decided that this cardboard, which we as private citizens are allowed to recycle (where facilities are readily available - but that’s a matter for another day) must be dumped on landfill sites.

Actually, taking so much as a used tea bag away from work premises to throw on a home compost heap could invite legal action. Read that statement again, and try not to laugh.

We have started collecting signatures from local businesses in support of the campaign to offer local business recycling for cardboard in order to reduce the amount of landfill generated. We will be coming round as many local shops and businesses as possible during October - if you own a business and want to sign up but have not been contacted by the end of the month, please get in touch by emailing us at webmaster@around-bexhill.co.uk, with the subject “Recycling Campaign”.

Click here to see the current list of signatories