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.