Improvements made to textiles, small electricals and coffee pod recycling trial

Chichester District Council is introducing improvements to its textiles, small electricals, and coffee pod collection trial, which will enable residents in the trial area to book their free kerbside collection online from Monday 18 July.

The trial, which was launched in July 2021 and covers 75% of the district, offers residents a convenient way to recycle their unwanted textiles, broken small electrical items, and used coffee pods. Following feedback from residents and a review of the trial so far, the council is changing the way it collects items so that people in the trial area can book a free collection quickly and easily online. The frequency of collections has also increased from monthly to fortnightly.

Councillor Penny Plant, Cabinet Member for Environment and Chichester Contract Services at Chichester District Council, says: “We’re really pleased with the results of the trial so far, which has significantly reduced the amount of material being thrown away as general waste in the district. Over the past year, the council has completed over 4,400 collections and recycled over 11 tonnes of material!

“Throughout the trial we’ve listened carefully to residents’ feedback and we are pleased to be introducing bookable collections, which will make for a better and more efficient service. From 18 July, if you’re in the trial area, you will need to book a collection whenever you have textiles, small electricals, or coffee pods that need collecting. You can check if you are in the trial area at any time and book a collection for textiles and small electricals from 18 July at: www.chichester.gov.uk/textileandelectricalrecyclingand for coffee pods at: www.chichester.gov.uk/podback

“Residents in the trial area no longer need to request a special bag to recycle their textiles and small electricals. Items should be tied up securely in a standard plastic carrier bag, keeping textiles and small electricals separate.

“The aim is to continue to monitor and review how the trial is running with a view to seeing if it could be expanded and rolled out to the whole of the district, and we will keep everyone updated on this.”

The council is working in partnership with Podback to deliver the coffee pod collection element of the trial. Improvements to this service mean that coffee pod users in the trial area can now sign up for a one-off collection or for regular fortnightly collections without the need to book each time they need a collection. Because plastic and aluminium pods must be kept separate and distinguishable, people will still need to request bags through the Podback website to use this service.

Rick Hindley, Executive Director of Podback, says: “Chichester was one of the first local authorities to introduce Podback when we launched in 2021, and we have been delighted with residents’ enthusiasm for the service over the past year. Podback’s mission is to ensure every coffee pod enjoyed is recycled. The plastic and aluminium from the pods we have collected so far have been recycled into new products like garden benches and plastic bottles, while the coffee grounds have been used to create soil improver and renewable energy. We hope that the changes Chichester District Council is making will make it even easier for people to recycle their pods at home”.

More information and a range of frequently asked questions about the textiles and small electrical collection trial can be found at: www.chichester.gov.uk/textileandelectricalrecycling. Further details about the coffee pod collection trial can be found by visiting: www.chichester.gov.uk/podback.

Notice Date: 19/07/2022