New information regarding the likelihood and potential impact of a fire at the site means that an exceptional decision has been made to progress work to entirely clear the site of waste.

The Environment Agency expects to fund the clearance efforts through making efficiencies in its operations, without impacting or scaling back any of its other services. However, it is not funded to clear up waste sites nationally and will only make these decisions under truly exceptional circumstances.

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Place, Environment and Climate Action, said: “This is the news that the residents of Kidlington and the surrounding areas have been longing to hear, and we thank the Environment Agency for finding the resources for the waste to be cleared in these exceptional circumstances.

“While we agree with the principle that the polluter should pay for any clear-up, the scale of this waste and its proximity to the A34, the River Cherwell and rail infrastructure means that there is a unique level of risk compared with similar sites around the country.

“To prevent any increasing chance of long-term environmental damage and potentially major impact on nationally significant infrastructure it is vital that the waste is removed as soon as possible.”

New advice from Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service indicated the possibility of a fire on site, which could have widespread impacts on the community, including closing the A34, raising air quality issues from the smoke and interrupting electrical supplies.

Cllr Roberts added: “We will continue to assist the Environment Agency in any way we can to bring the criminals who created this blight on the community.”

Following the appalling large-scale dumping of waste earlier in the summer, partners, including Oxfordshire County Council, have been monitoring the site, restricting access to prevent further dumping, installing environmental safeguards and considering next steps to ensure the community is protected.

The Environment Agency said the scale of the fire risk sets this case apart from other illegal waste dumps in England and presents an overriding public imperative. As such, preparatory works for clearance will begin imminently.

Further details on the timeframe for clearance will be set out shortly.

Philip Duffy, Environment Agency chief executive, said: “The brazen criminality at Kidlington has appalled all of us at the Environment Agency. Our local teams have been at this site working with partners to reduce harm and minimise risks while we pursue those responsible.

“This week, new information on the risk of fire was received from the fire and rescue service and the police and a decision made to clear the site as soon as possible on a wholly exceptional basis. The EA and our local partners are now working through the most effective way to manage this work.

“We will update the public on progress with that as soon as we are able. We are determined that waste criminals will see justice for this serious offending.”

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More than 100 community action groups (CAG Oxfordshire) and Oxfordshire County Council have scooped a national award for their joint efforts to improve recycling and reduce waste.

They won the partnership category at the 2024 Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee awards on 10 October.

The award recognises the work of the partnership, which has been going strong for over 20 years. It supports grassroots efforts to reduce, reuse and repair across Oxfordshire communities, and diverted around 2,000 tonnes of material from disposal in 2023/24.

Councillor Dr Pete Sudbury, Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council with Responsibility for Climate Change, Environment and Future Generations, said: “It’s wonderful to see the strong partnership between Oxfordshire County Council and CAG Oxfordshire recognised at these national awards.

“Community groups play a crucial role in creating the social cohesion that is central to the resilience of societies when they are subject to sudden unpredictable shocks, like the pandemic, or increasingly extreme weather events. That's one of the reasons we doubled our funding support to the CAGs a year ago. 

“We are delighted to support local communities to act on the environmental issues that matter to them. We would like to thank the 112 groups across the county for doubling their impact over the last year, holding 8,800 events, putting true sustainability and the circular economy into real world action and making a positive impact on the environment and society.”

Katherine Chesson, Director of CAG Oxfordshire, said: “We are proud of our ongoing partnership with Oxfordshire County Council as we've seen the network grow and flourish over that time.

“The partnership has allowed us to support the amazing volunteers and community champions advancing important environmental and social initiatives in every corner of the county. This award is as much a recognition of their efforts as it is our partnership.”

In 2023/24 the CAG network delivered near 9,000 events and activities thanks to the support of 220,000 volunteer hours – in both cases, double the impact of the previous year.

These activities resulted in approximately 1,654 tonnes of non-food waste being reused and repaired. Another 678 tonnes of food was diverted from waste to be redistributed, cooked, eaten or processed, preventing nearly 1,695 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Events and activities have included:

• A riverbank clean-up which collected over 100kg of plastic.
• Over Christmas, one community fridge redistributed more than 14 tonnes of surplus food to families in need.
• Cooking classes supported people to eat and buy more sustainably, exploring food miles, how to eat on a budget, and how to cook using surplus ingredients.
• Five ‘libraries of things’ and swap shops, which reused over three tonnes of products.
• Over 260 repair cafes.
• Refill shops and pop-ups helping to eliminate waste, including repairing more than 2,000 bikes.

The partnership enables the council to support local communities to tackle the issues that impact them. The enthusiasm of local communities championing the projects they have identified and developed helps to ensure their success, widen the impact and, in many cases, helps the initiatives grow.

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For safety reasons, Oxfordshire County Council will be shutting the centres for two days – although never at the same time – to allow for deep cleaning and essential maintenance.

This includes jet washing the sites and structures, repainting lines and safety areas, as well as other general work to improve the customer experience.

The closing dates are:

• Stanford in the Vale, near Faringdon: Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 September
• Ardley, near Bicester: Thursday 5 and Friday 6 September
• Drayton, near Abingdon: Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 September
• Oakley Wood, near Wallingford: Thursday 12 and Friday 13 September
• Dix Pit, Stanton Harcourt: Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 September
• Alkerton, near Banbury: Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 October.

All closures are on quieter weekdays to minimise disruption and sites will reopen at 8am the following day.

Residents are asked to plan ahead, ideally holding onto their waste until the site reopens or, if that is not possible, visiting one of the neighbouring sites.

The deep clean for Redbridge HWRC in Oxford will be carried out later in the year and full details will be provided in due course.

More information can be found on Oxfordshire County Council’s website, including details of alternative sites during the closures.

Users are reminded that to use their free DIY waste allowance, they need to book an appointment for their visit on the council’s website.

Residents with van or trailer permits can use these at any of the HWRCs.

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Oxfordshire County Council has again been named the top performing county council waste disposal authority. In 2022 - 23, residents recycled, reused, or composted 57.2 per cent of their household waste, according to the latest government figures.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “We want to say congratulations and thank you to our residents for all their hard work and commitment in making it 10 in a row. It is quite an achievement.

“We have successfully kept our waste per household down, and the biggest area for improvement would be food waste. A lot of that is still not being recycled. Wasting less food is good for our wallets and for the planet, and the food waste we do recycle is anaerobically digested, making methane to replace fossil gas to heat our homes and cook our food.

“In tough times, we can all remember the old adage ‘waste not, want not’. Waste less food, keep items in use for longer and reduce the amount of rubbish we produce – which benefits everyone financially and environmentally.”

The total amount of household waste produced in Oxfordshire was 278,857 tonnes for 2022/23, with 159,732 tonnes being reused, recycled and composted.

In other good news, the overall amount of non-recyclable waste produced by each household in Oxfordshire dropped, as did the amount of waste sent to landfill.

Oxfordshire’s city and four district councils, which operate the kerbside collections for householders, also achieved excellent results in their national category.

Out of 210 waste collection authorities in England, South Oxfordshire District Council was top of the table (61.6 per cent), the Vale of White Horse was third (60.9 per cent), West Oxfordshire was 14th, Cherwell was 31st, while Oxford City Council was 49th.

Along with the county council, the city and district councils make up the Oxfordshire Resources and Waste Partnership (ORWP) – a collaborative partnership, which works together to improve recycling and waste management services for residents.

Vicky Beechey, Oxfordshire Resources and Waste Partnership (ORWP) Manager, said: “The sustained high performance by Oxfordshire local authorities is remarkable, particularly against a backdrop of challenging financial times for everyone. To see ORWP partners’ hard work continuing to be reflected in these figures is a strong indication of the commitment of those involved to deliver positive environmental outcomes and excellent services for Oxfordshire residents.

“ORWP partners recognise that there is more to do to improve recycling, reuse, and composting rates. We all have a role to play in maintaining and improving on how recycling and waste is managed correctly; using tools such as the Waste Wizard to help put the items we have in the right place – whether that’s for reuse, to repair or to throw away.”

Oxfordshire residents can now dispose of limited amounts of DIY waste for free at the county’s household waste recycling centres by using an online booking system.

The booking system, which was launched by Oxfordshire County Council earlier this year, means householders wanting to use their free DIY waste allocation will need to book in advance through the website.

For those looking to reduce their waste further, Oxfordshire’s Community Action Group network and Replenish project have lots of opportunities for people to get involved with local schemes and tips on how to reduce waste and improve their local environment.

Residents can also visit Climate Action Oxfordshire for ideas on the practical things they can do to reduce waste and make better climate choices with the time they have available. 

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The booking system, which was launched by Oxfordshire County Council today, means householders wanting to use their free DIY waste allocation will need to book in advance through the website.

The move follows a change in government legislation which now permits small amounts of household DIY waste to be disposed of for free. The legislation came into force last week.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “We hope people will quickly get used to this new way of doing things and find it a convenient way of disposing of their free allocation of DIY waste. By ensuring that people book in advance, we can make sure the system is not abused and the costs to our council taxpayers are minimised.

“The change in legislation is aimed at small amounts of DIY waste produced by a householder as part of home improvements they are carrying out themselves.”

Online bookings for free DIY waste only are for a single visit. Oxfordshire residents will need to register their address, vehicle registration number, email address, and the date they wish to visit, along with the site they want to use.

They will then receive an immediate email confirmation of their booking, which must be shown to site team on arrival. It is important residents stick to their booked date otherwise they may be charged, and only authorised bookings will be accepted. 

Free allocations are limited to five standard DIY items for free, or one plasterboard sheet, once every seven days. Where more than the allocated free allowance is presented, the cheapest items will treated as free.

Any DIY waste above this level or deposited more frequently than every seven days will remain fully chargeable at the advertised rates. Full details and examples of charging scenarios are available on the Oxfordshire County Council website and will be available on site.

Examples of DIY waste include baths, sinks, toilets, cisterns, and a 20 litre bag of rubble or tiles. Five of these items would make up a household’s free seven-day allocation.

The booking system for free DIY waste will only permit residents to make one visit every seven days. For example, if a free booking is made for a Tuesday, the next free allocation will not be permitted until the following Tuesday.

However, all residents can visit more often than every seven days, but the DIY waste brought on those visits will then be fully chargeable at the advertised rates. 

The booking system and free DIY allowance is only for Oxfordshire residents. Non-Oxfordshire residents can still use the county’s sites for DIY waste without booking but will be charged in full at the advertised rates.

To give people time to adjust to these changes, site teams will operate flexibly during the first month. Residents will, for their first visit with DIY waste during January, be able to deposit their free allowance of DIY waste without booking, although they may be asked to make a booking on site, through a smartphone, or reminded to make one for any subsequent visit.

Full enforcement of the booking system will go live from 1 February 2024.

Booking is only required for the free allocation of DIY waste. Any other chargeable DIY waste, or other household waste, does not require a booking, apart from the existing booking system for asbestos.

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Three Oxfordshire councils today unveiled their plans for new recycling services for vapes.

Oxfordshire County Council, Cherwell District Council and Oxford City Council will together provide new vape recycling services across the county. They want to prevent the disposal of single-use vapes in litter bins, general waste or mixed recycling where they can contaminate other recycling and, in some instances, cause fires in bin trucks or waste facilities.

New vape recycling points in public spaces offer convenient and easy access for recycling vapes. This is one of more than 40 UK projects funded by Material Focus, the not for profit leading the Recycle Your Electricals campaign who have provided over £40,000 for Oxfordshire to be one of the first county council’s to lead the way by recycling vapes. The funding is part of a wider initiative to make it easier for 10 million UK residents to recycle their electricals.

The Recycle Your Vapes campaign will:

• Add up to 60 new recycling collection points for vapes at small retailers, shopping areas, bars and cafes across Oxford, Banbury, Bicester and Kidlington. Look out for the three-feet high, clear plastic tube vape recycling collection points. The tubes have bright pink recycle your vapes posters and images of vapes on the posters. 
• Provide new public recycling bright pink bins at each of the seven household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) in Oxfordshire.
• And introduce a new separate kerbside collection for vapes in Cherwell.

The new household waste recycling centre (HWRC) bright pink vape bins will be installed on Wednesday 29 November, which will also start the roll out of collection points in other locations.

In all other areas of Oxfordshire, vapes can be recycled at the kerbside with other small electrical items. How they are collected in each district council area varies, residents should check the Waste Wizard or their district council's website to check the local area’s collection service. 

Residents will also be made aware of how and where they can recycle their vapes through information on leaflets, and on posters featuring HypnoCat. Keep an eye out for HypnoCat, the Recycle Your Electricals mesmerising pink, fluffy mascot, he is on a mission to hypnotise local residents into recycling their vapes.

The Material Focus Electricals Recycling Fund is making it easier for consumers to recycle their electricals. The projects that have been funded by Material Focus include a variety of recycling methods, from kerbside collections to more drop-off points in schools, community centres and bring banks. Overall, there will be over 400 new collection points plus kerbside collections for 5.5 million UK residents.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “Partly because of their environmental impact, we would support a ban on the sale of disposable vapes and encourage reusable vapes where possible. However, while vapes are still being used and thrown away, this project will expand the range of services for residents to safely recycle them.”

Councillor Andrew McHugh, Portfolio Holder for Cleaner and Greener Communities at Cherwell District Council, said: “Cherwell District Council is always looking at developing ways to make it easier for residents to dispose of their waste appropriately and recycle more.

“We are pleased to offer residents the option to recycle disposable vapes in addition to other small electrical items at the kerbside. All residents need to do is place the vapes in a clear plastic bag on top of their blue or green bin on collection day, it’s important not to dispose of these items in the green or blue bins as the batteries can, and have, caused serious fires.”

Councillor Nigel Chapman, Oxford City Council's Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services and Council Companies, said: "One small act, like putting disposable vapes in general waste or recycling, can cause immense disruption, considerable damage to our collection vehicles, and create danger to the public and our operators.

"Only last summer we had a fire in one of our waste disposal vehicles that was probably caused by a discarded vape. It led to significant damage to the vehicle and inconvenience to the public.

"It’s important to dispose of vapes appropriately so that they can be properly treated and not cause a hazard.”

Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus, said: “We are pleased to support ‘Recycle Your Vape’ as it will help address the pressing issue of vape waste. This project could be an example for other initiatives across the UK, to make it easier to recycle vapes by providing public recycling points. By investing in improved collection and drop-off services and exploring new recycling methods, we are taking a significant step towards creating a more sustainable future by making it easier for 10 million more people to recycle their electricals.”

To find your nearest recycling point search recycle your electricals or the council’s Waste Wizard search tool.

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While most items brought to Oxfordshire County Council’s seven household waste and recycling centres (HWRCs) can be left free of charge, DIY waste – items such as rubble, soil, fence panels, work tops and sinks – is legally classified as industrial waste and incurs a small charge.

From 1 April, all items currently charged at £1.50 will now cost £2. This covers most waste generated through home and garden renovations, including loft insultation, guttering, decking and fitted furniture. A list is available on the council’s website.

The cost of disposing of bags of plasterboard will rise from £2.50 to £3.50, tyres from £5 to £6, but plasterboard sheets will remain at £10.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “Although we are not legally obliged to accept these items, we like to provide this service as it gives residents a cost-effective way of disposing of their own DIY waste. It’s a cheaper alternative to hiring a skip or a commercial waste collector when dealing with small amounts of waste.

“This is the first time the prices to the public have risen since 2017, despite our own disposal costs increasing. Our prices remain some of the lowest in the country and the money raised goes directly towards offsetting the cost of recycling, treating and disposing of this waste and operating our HWRCs.”

Cash is not accepted, so visitors are asked to ensure they can pay electronically before travelling. If you are unable to pay for items, you will not be permitted to deposit them.

Regrettably, site teams are regularly abused while taking these charges. This will not be tolerated and may lead to refusal of entry and even banning orders. The council asks member of the public to be courteous to staff at all times.

Commercial waste cannot be disposed at the HWRCs. This includes any waste generated by businesses, landlords or charities. Waste also becomes commercial waste where payment is made for the work. Details about how to dispose with this waste can also be found on the council’s website.

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For safety reasons, Oxfordshire County Council will be shutting each of its centres for two days – although never at the same time – to allow for deep cleaning and essential maintenance to take place. This includes jet washing the sites and structures, repainting lines and safety areas, as well as other general work to improve the customer experience.

The closing dates are:

• Alkerton, near Banbury: Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 March
• Ardley, near Bicester: Thursday 23 and Friday 24 March
• Dix Pit, Stanton Harcourt: Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 April 
• Drayton, near Abingdon: Thursday 30 and Friday 31 March
• Oakley Wood, near Wallingford: Thursday 20 and Friday 21 April
• Redbridge, Oxford: Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 April
• Stanford, near Faringdon: Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 March.

All closures are on quieter weekdays to minimise disruption and sites will reopen at 8am the following day. Residents are asked to plan ahead, ideally holding on to their waste until the site reopens or, if that is not possible, visiting one of the neighbouring sites.

More information can be found on Oxfordshire County Council’s website, including details of your nearest alternative site during the closures.

Residents with van or trailer permits can use these at any of the HWRCs.

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Oxfordshire County Council wants residents to sort their mixed rubbish out before their visit, in a bid to prevent items that can be recycled from ending up in the general waste and bulky skips.

Visitors are encouraged to separate their recycling so it can be put into the relevant containers which are on site, including plastics, card, textiles and shoes, metals and electrical items, before setting off.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “We know that our residents are in favour of this. It will help us reduce our carbon emissions, and cut the amount of recyclable waste that goes to energy recovery.

“A little bit of effort can make a big difference to improve Oxfordshire’s already excellent recycling rates.”

Analysis of the general waste skip showed that up to 60 per cent of the items disposed there could have been recycled instead. Items which often get thrown in the wrong skip include plastic chairs, saucepans, ripped clothing, blankets and towels, all of which could have been recycled.

The campaign follows a recent consultation in which the council asked residents their views on how to increase recycling rates further. The feedback called for visitors to HWRCs to sort their mixed waste and recycling before their visit.

Other benefits will include enabling quicker visits and reducing traffic queues at the sites.

Oxfordshire has topped the national table when it comes to recycling, reusing, and composting for eight years in a row. Oxfordshire County Council was named the best performing county council waste disposal authority in England in 2020-21, with residents recycling, reusing, or composting 59.5 per cent of their household waste, according to the most recent government figures.

Details of where to find your nearest HWRC is available at oxfordshire.gov.uk/recyclingcentres.

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The free liners are available from the following locations during December, while stocks last:

• All Oxfordshire libraries
• County Hall, Oxford
• Abbey House, Abingdon
• Bodicote House, Banbury
• The Marsh Road Depot, Oxford
• Welch Way - Town Centre Shop, Witney
• Bicester Green
• Oxford Wood Recycling, Abingdon
• The Wantage Mix
• Share Oxford.

Customers who use the Home Library Service will be offered a roll of food caddy liners with their book delivery.

All households receive food waste recycling collections from their district council. Oxfordshire County Council arranges for the collected food waste to be recycled. Although most households already recycle their food waste – the council recycles nearly 25,000 tonnes of food waste annually – it estimates that a similar amount wrongly ends up in general waste.

If all of the food waste that is still thrown away in general rubbish bins was recycled, it would save Oxfordshire County Council more than £2 million a year.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate change and Environment, said: “The best thing people can do – especially during this cost of living crisis – is to minimise the amount of food that gets thrown away. Where that’s not possible, home composting or recycling food waste using the kerbside collection really help to reduce the impact of waste disposal on the climate.

“That’s why we are giving away these caddy liners to make it easier for residents at a time when we know that food waste is likely to increase significantly. Reducing the amount of food waste that ends up in general rubbish could save the council millions of pounds – money that would be better spent on other projects to improve people’s lives.”

General rubbish in Oxfordshire is burnt to generate energy, which already reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to landfill, but recycling food waste doubles the climate change benefit.

The recycling process generates green electricity and a fertiliser that is used on farmland across the county.

Residents are also being reminded that Oxfordshire’s seven household waste and recycling centres (HWRCs) will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. They will be open on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve from 8am - 3pm. Details of where to find HWRCs is available at oxfordshire.gov.uk/recyclingcentres.

There are also tips on reducing waste and making savings over the festive period, from zero waste gift ideas to sustainable Christmas jumpers, on our Reducing waste with a green Christmas webpage, which also includes details of its #ReuseLikeScout colouring competition for under-16s. Entrants will be entered into a prize draw, with five winners receiving book tokens.

More information about how to reduce your food waste and recycle more this festive season – including links to the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, which contains money-saving tips, storage hints, and recipes to make the most of your leftovers – is available on the Oxfordshire Recycles’ Facebook and Twitter accounts.

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In Oxfordshire, we have a 59.5 per cent recycling and composting rate, which is above the national average of 44.4 per cent. However, to continue to tackle the climate emergency, Oxfordshire County Council is calling on people to do every little bit they can and get involved.

This includes checking in on if they are ‘wishcycling’ – putting something in the recycling bin in the hope that it will be recycled, even though it might be unsuitable, contaminated or only partially recyclable.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “Oxfordshire residents are already great at recycling, but there is always room for improvement when it comes to finding the best possible option for an item we no longer need.

“With busy lives and so many different types of items, packaging and materials, we know there are times when householders can be unsure if something is recyclable or not. Wishcycling can affect the combined quality of the recycling collected, and undo recycling carried out by your neighbours.”

Oxfordshire County Council’s online Waste Wizard search tool can help people put the right items in the right bin. Available on the council’s website, residents can type in their postcode and the item they no longer need to find out where it could be repaired or donated, or which kerbside bin or recycling centre skip it can go in.

There are many reasons why an item may not be suitable for recycling. Sometimes the machinery cannot identify and separate the material, or only part of an item may be recyclable.

Recycle Week is organised by Recycle Now, part of international climate action charity WRAP, and is now in its 19^th year.

Sarah Clayton, Head of Citizen Behaviour Change at WRAP, said: “Last year was the most successful Recycle Week ever in terms of changing behaviour, with 82 per cent of people who saw the campaign content saying they had changed their behaviour as a result. We need to see that momentum continue.

“In 2022, we want to show why recycling is important in the battle against the climate emergency. We are focusing on helping people recycle more effectively at home, showing people how to overcome barriers and providing simple support.”

More advice and information about reducing the amount of waste produced can be found through Oxfordshire Recycles, which provides updates through different channels including Facebook and Twitter.

The partnership, which is made up of the county and district councils, has worked together to produce videos and key messages to highlight common contamination culprits in the recycling process.

These messages include promoting the SCRAP fly tipping campaign, which was launched earlier this year. It explains to people that they have a duty of care to ensure when they give their waste to someone else to remove, that it is managed appropriately and not dumped.

Asking for details of their waste carrier’s licence, a copy of the waste transfer note and for a receipt can all help ensure that waste doesn’t end up being fly tipped.

The county, city and district councils have also been working in partnership to support climate action as a whole and residents can find out how they can do their bit on Climate Action Oxfordshire within their budgets and busy lives.

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FCC Environment, which runs Oxfordshire County Council’s Dix Pit Household Waste Recycling Centre, will be opening its first pop-up reuse shop for the day, from 8am - 1pm.

Located in the car park of the site in Linch Hill, Stanton Harcourt OX29 5BB, the pop-up shop will sell good quality preloved items at bargain prices.

With the school summer holidays almost upon us, visitors can expect to find a range of children’s toys and games including electronic games, board games and books, and sporting goods ranging from bicycles and golf clubs to exercise equipment, rackets and bats.

There will also be garden tools, pots and planters, and a selection of furniture – including items which will be perfect for upcycling.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change Delivery and Environment, said: “Keeping items in use for as long as possible, donating what we no longer need and purchasing preloved goods wherever possible is something we can all do to reduce our impact on the environment and keep our carbon footprint as low as possible.

“Residents often comment that they have spotted something that they can make use of at our sites, and we are hoping that this trial event is a great success and helps us plan more reuse from our sites in the future.”

Steve Longdon, FCC Environment’s Operations Director, said: “As we all strive to do our bit, reducing and reusing waste has got to be our ultimate goal and this trial event will give us insight into how we can make use of preloved goods brought into the site to avoid waste in the first place. We are really interested to see how this trial works as we look to create more reuse and recycling opportunities for our site users.”

Rob Harris, FCC Environment’s Contract Operations Manager, said: “Every day at Dix Pit we receive amazing items that have lots of life left in them. We understand that it’s easy to bring everything to us in one go for recycling or disposal, but we wanted to provide residents with an alternative, so we are trialling a pop-up reuse shop this weekend to see what people think of the concept.

“We have been putting great items from bikes and golf clubs to books and electronic devices to one side for some time and these will be available for sale to residents who can put them to good use.”

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Residents are being urged to follow the SCRAP code, developed by the Hertfordshire Waste Partnership, to avoid fines and prosecution:

• Suspect all waste carriers.
• Check with the Environment Agency through its website or on 03708 506 506 that the provider taking waste away is licensed.
• Refuse unexpected offers to have waste taken away.
• Ask what will happen to your waste.
• Paperwork should be obtained – such as a detailed invoice, waste transfer note or full receipt.

Vicky Beechey, Oxfordshire County Council’s Waste Partnership Manager, said: “This is an excellent opportunity to build on the successful Hertfordshire-led campaign to rid Oxfordshire of the blight and crime of fly tipping. Oxfordshire’s county and district councils, along with Thames Valley Police and the Environment Agency have teamed up to work with our residents to #SCRAP fly tipping. We want to support them in making responsible decisions in dealing with their waste.”

There were more than 6,000 instances of fly tipping in Oxfordshire in the last 12 months – an increase on the figures of around 4,200 in both 2018/19 and 2019/20. As well as blighting the countryside and local amenity areas, fly tipping costs local council taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pounds every year to clean up.

The campaign will make residents aware that they can face both an unlimited fine for fly tipping as well as prosecution, or a fixed penalty notice if their waste has been found fly tipped after arranging for it to be removed.

Stuart Hutchings, Thames Valley Police’s Rural Crime Inspector, said: “Fly tipping is an offence: one that poses a risk to people and the environment. This campaign offers practical and helpful advice on how people can dispose of their unwanted items correctly and stay on the right side of the law. We would encourage members of the public to contact their local council if they have any concerns about the issue in their area.”

There are many options to get rid of waste responsibly. For example, finding drop off points on the Waste Wizard search tool, using district council bulky item collections or  local household waste recycling centres.

Steve Molyneux, Head of Waste Regulation at the Environment Agency, said: “Oxfordshire has seen a disturbing rise in fly tipping over the past year by almost 43 per cent – and it is waste criminals with an utter disregard for the environment and for our communities who are to blame.

“The Environment Agency and councils are ready to take action to stop waste crime. The Environment Agency has taken tough action across the country, prosecuting nearly 100 individuals and companies for the most serious waste crime offences, with fines exceeding £900,000, 28 custodial sentences and £1 million of confiscation orders.

“By working together we all have a role in stopping waste going to criminals in the first place. Following the SCRAP code, checking a firm is registered and asking for paperwork are steps we can all take to help prevent waste crime.”

Residents can anonymously report suspected illegal waste services to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. Of if you find waste that has been fly tipped, please report it to your local council.

Details, tips and advice will be available on the campaign webpage oxfordshire.gov.uk/flytipping.

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Oxfordshire County Council has once again been named the best performing county council waste disposal authority in England. In 2020-21, residents recycled, reused, or composted 59.5 per cent of their household waste, an increase on the previous year’s figure of 58.8 per cent, according to government figures.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “This is a really solid achievement and I want to thank the people of Oxfordshire, and our waste management teams, for all the work they have done to make this happen.

“The continuing COVID-19 pandemic has made it another very difficult year for everyone, so we appreciate the effort that has gone into keeping our recycling rates so high. However, over half of the waste that is thrown away could have been recycled, repaired or reused. The people of Oxfordshire understand the importance of local action when it comes to climate change and this is a great place to start.”

The total amount of household waste produced in Oxfordshire was 310,479 tonnes for 2020/2021. And 186,052 tonnes were reused, recycled and composted, which created a carbon benefit of 126,603 tonnes of CO2e compared to disposing of it through landfill.

Oxfordshire’s five district and city councils, which operate the kerbside collections, also achieved excellent results in their national categories. South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse came second and fourth respectively, while West Oxfordshire, Cherwell, and Oxford City were all in the top performing 25 per cent.

Vicky Beechey, Oxfordshire Resources and Waste Partnership Manager, said: “This is wonderful news, but we will certainly not be resting on our laurels as we know that more can be done to improve recycling, reuse, and composting rates even further. The Oxfordshire Resources and Waste Partnership, made up of the district, city and county councils, has a target to increase recycling to 70 per cent by 2030.

“You can recycle your food waste so it can be turned into liquid fertiliser and used on local farmers’ fields to help grow more crops, pull the plug on emissions by recycling electricals, or search the Waste Wizard for help to get recyclable items in the right bin.

“We can all influence the recycling and waste we create and which bin we put it in, simply from our own homes. By taking action and recycling everything we can it would save another 60,000 tonnes of CO2e a year – the same climate impact as taking nearly 40,000 cars off the road.”

For those looking to reduce their waste further, the Community Action Group network and Replenish project have lots of opportunities to get involved with local schemes, and tips on how to reduce waste and improve their local environment.

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The HWRCs at Alkerton, Drayton and Stanford in the Vale will be affected, and Oxfordshire County Council is urging people to avoid those sites on these days, if possible. All other sites will be open as normal.

The likely closure times are as follows, although they could potentially change:

Monday 20 December

• Alkerton: closed from 8am - 10.30am
• Drayton: closed for a period of up to 1.5 hours sometime between 11.30am and 12.30pm.

Tuesday 21 December

• Drayton: closed from 8am - 10am
• Stanford in the Vale: closed for up 1.5 hours, most likely between 10.30am and 11.30am.

These times are a guide and may be impacted by localised traffic. Oxfordshire County Council’s website, Twitter and Facebook pages will provide up to date details and times, including exact times for closures and reopening as soon as they are known, with the 8am closures already confirmed.

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Oxfordshire libraries will be giving away free rolls of food waste caddy liners to residents from Wednesday 8 December.

Although all households are provided with food waste recycling collections by their district council, it is estimated that the food waste thrown away in general rubbish bins that could have been recycled costs Oxfordshire County Council more than £2 million extra a year in disposal costs.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate change and Environment, said: “After making sure edible food is not wasted in the first place, home composting or recycling food waste using the kerbside collection are the next best thing people can do to reduce the impact of waste disposal on the climate. That’s why we are giving away these caddy liners to make it easier for residents at a time when we know that food waste is likely to increase significantly.

“I would urge people to pop down to their local library and grab a roll while stocks last. Reducing the amount of food waste that ends up in general rubbish could save the council millions of pounds – money that would be better spent on other projects to improve people’s lives.”

Recycling food waste costs less than a quarter of the price of disposing of it with general rubbish. General rubbish in Oxfordshire is burnt to generate energy which already reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to landfill, but recycling food waste doubles the climate change benefit. The recycling process generates green electricity and a fertiliser that is used on farmland across the county.

Each year the council already recycles nearly 25,000 tonnes of food waste – such as vegetable peel, bones, eggshells, plate scapings and used teabags – but it estimates that a similar amount wrongly ends up in general waste.

Residents are also being reminded that Oxfordshire’s seven household waste and recycling centres (HWRCs) will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, and will close at 3pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. More information, including details of where to find HWRCs, is available at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/recyclingcentres.

More information about how to reduce your food waste and recycle more this festive season – including links to the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, which contains money-saving tips, storage hints, and recipes to make the most of your leftovers – is available online or from the Oxfordshire Recycles’ Facebook and Twitter accounts.

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For safety reasons, Oxfordshire County Council will be shutting each of its centres for two days – although never at the same time – to allow for deep cleaning and essential maintenance to take place. This includes jet washing the sites and structures, repainting lines and safety areas, as well as other general work to improve the customer experience.

The closing dates are:

• Alkerton, near Banbury: Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 November
• Ardley, near Bicester: Thursday 4 and Friday 5 November
• Dix Pit, Stanton Harcourt: Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 November
• Drayton, near Abingdon: Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 November
• Oakley Wood, near Wallingford: Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 November
• Redbridge, Oxford: Thursday 18 and Friday 19 November
• Stanford, near Faringdon: Thursday 11 and Friday 12 November.

All closures are on quieter weekdays to minimise disruption, and sites will reopen at 8am the following day. Residents are asked to plan ahead, ideally holding on to their waste until the site reopens or, if that is not possible, visiting one of the neighbouring sites.

More information can be found on the Oxfordshire County Council website, including details of your nearest alternative site during the closures.

Residents with van or trailer permits can use these at any of the HWRCs.

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As part of the annual nationwide campaign, which runs from 20 - 26 September, Oxfordshire County Council, Cherwell District Council West Oxfordshire District Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Vale of White Horse District Council and Oxford City Council will be holding a series of green events – both online and in person, including fairs, markets, discussions and roadshows.

This year’s theme is ‘Step It Up’ and focuses on the climate and carbon implications of not recycling correctly, or even at all.

 Recycle Week events in Oxfordshire include:

• Tuesday 21 September: Instagram Live Q&A with Oxford Recycles and Replenish Oxfordshire (8.30am - 9.30am)
• Tuesday 21 September: Thame Market stall (9am - 1.30pm)
• Tuesday 21 September: Oxford Brookes University Activist Fair (10am - 3pm)
• Wednesday 22 September: Henley Eco Business Fair (10am-3pm)
• Friday 24 September: Asda Wheatley Recycling roadshow (8am - 2pm)
• Saturday 25 September: Faringdon Green Day (10am - 2pm)

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change Delivery and Environment, said: “The climate emergency is finally at the forefront of the world’s attention, and Recycle Week is a great way of reminding us that lots of people making small, everyday changes can have a big impact on reducing our carbon emissions, as well as the way we use the Earth's resources.

“If we ‘Step It Up’ and recycle everything we can, Oxfordshire could reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by more than 60,000 tonnes every year – the same as taking nearly 40,000 new cars off the road.”

Oxfordshire has recorded the highest recycling and composting rate of any county in England for the last seven years – almost reaching 60 per cent last year – thanks to the great work being done by householders. But the aim is to improve that rate even further by encouraging people to keep what they dispose of in their rubbish bins to a minimum.

Councillor Lubna Arshad, Oxford City Council’s Cabinet Member for Parks and Waste Reduction, said: “This Recycle Week we want to encourage residents in Oxford to learn more about recycling and the impact making small changes can have on the climate. Working together with our partners we have organised a range of different events across the county, which will provide information and resources on what you can do to help reduce waste. I encourage anyone who is unsure about what can be recycled, or who wants to find out more to attend one of these events, or to take a look at our Oxford Recycles on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram over the next week for lots of information.”

Recycling bins with incorrect items included, such as disposable nappies, can contaminate the whole load. If a truck load of recycling is rejected because of contamination, it increases the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by more than 12 tonnes.

To help combat this, Oxfordshire County Council is working with the registration service to provide new parents registering the birth of their child with a box of nappy sacks and a card with information to help them recycle correctly, pass items on, and keep disposable nappies out of the recycling bin. There is also help online for those interested in using real, reusable nappies.

Textiles and electrical items should also be kept out of recycling bins as they can get stuck in the machinery, causing tonnes of recycling to be wasted. In some cases, electrical items have even been known to cause fires, while food waste can also contaminate recyclable items.

Small electrical items which may only need a minor repair can be taken to one of six participating libraries. These are collected by local charities, tested, repaired and sold.

Any Oxfordshire residents unsure about how to, reuse, repair, refill, donate, recycle or dispose of an item should go to the Waste Wizard – the online tool which will help them decide which bin to use, where to take it, or how to avoid having to throw it away at all. More than 40,000 people have already searched for an item since it launched last year.

To make the week really shine, Christ Church, Oxford’s famous Tom Tower is expected to be lit up green during the evenings. This building is already illuminated at night, and the green lighting will use low-energy LED bulbs.

Last year Oxfordshire recycled:

• 24,000 tonnes of food waste
• more than 3,000 tonnes of textiles and small electrical items
• more than 35,000 tonnes of plastic bottles, trays, paper, card, drinks cans and food tins.

However, plenty of these materials still end up in the general waste bins. The more that this can be avoided, the higher Oxfordshire’s recycling rate will go – as will all the associated benefits, such as cutting carbon emissions.

Follow Oxfordshire Recycles on Facebook or Twitter for more information.

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Oxfordshire County Council has restarted the scheme, which was suspended while libraries were operating a click-and-collect service only.

Drop-off points are for unwanted small electrical items that are still in good condition are available at the following libraries:

• Banbury
• Bicester
• Witney
• Oxfordshire County Library in Oxford’s Westgate Centre
• Cowley
• Blackbird Leys.

A crate will be provided at the library entrance for users to donate their unwanted electrical items. The items will be collected by Bicester Green or Orinoco, two local charities who help reuse and recycle waste.

Volunteers at each charity will make minor repairs, test the items for electrical safety and the items will then be sold on to benefit the charities.

The drop-off point is for small electrical items only – such as toasters, kettles and radios – which can be easily carried. The libraries are not able to accept anything large or heavy, including televisions, monitors, microwaves, white goods or fridges and freezers, or anything damaged and beyond repair.

Drop-offs can only be made when the libraries are open – please check opening hours before visiting. To make your donation safely, remember to follow the rules that apply for all library users.

People are asked to ensure any disposable batteries are removed from donations of battery-powered devices. Batteries can be recycled at the kerbside by placing in a clear bag on top of your wheelie bin. If the item has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery – such as the ones in cordless power tools or mobile phones – please leave them in the device when donated.

Small electrical items that are beyond repair can be recycled either at the kerbside or a recycling centre.

To find details of all recycling services, please visit the Waste Wizard online tool: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/wastewizard

Sustainable food initiative Good Food Oxford has joined forces with Oxfordshire County Council, Replenish Oxfordshire and other organisations to encourage people to grow their own vegetables and fight food waste.

It is estimated that nearly 13 million pumpkins are thrown away uneaten in the country every Halloween, and the festival aims to get people into the habit of eating squashes, instead of just carving and binning them.

Rachel Burns, Waste Strategy Manager at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “Every year around Halloween we notice that a lot of pumpkins end up in the food recycling bins. This is a shame because they can be delicious to eat.

“We are encouraging everyone to enjoy growing their own pumpkin and making the most of eating them. Remember, any parts of the pumpkin you don’t eat can be home composted too.”

Around 40 community gardens and allotments, primary schools, Girlguiding and Scouts groups from across Oxfordshire are signed up to receive free packets of squash seeds along with growing instructions to run planting activities, seedling swaps and to grow their own edible squashes. Some of them will run their activities as part of the national Good to Grow Day, a weekend of action (formerly known as the Big Dig Day) during 23 – 26 April, so they should be ready to harvest in the autumn.

The popularity of gardening has soared during the coronavirus pandemic. Spending more time at home has led many to rediscover the joy and mental health benefits of growing food in their gardens or balconies.

And people without their own gardens have been able to take advantage of the rise in edible and community gardens. Among those taking part in Oxfordshire Pumpkin Festival Gets Growing and Good to Grow Day 2021 are community growing initiatives in Oxford, Didcot, Wantage, Banbury, North Moreton, Chinnor and Bicester.

Nina Osswald, co-ordinator at Good Food Oxford, said: “Edible gardens directly connect us with our environment and the source of our food. Eating more vegetables and producing them as close to home enables us to shorten supply chains, reduce carbon emissions and increase biodiversity around our homes while eating tastier, fresher and more nutritious food.

 “We know that the majority of people are not getting their minimum of five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and growing food is a great way to get the whole family interested in eating more veg. Community growing spaces give those who are not blessed with their own garden a wonderful opportunity to get outside, do something meaningful with their hands in a healthy, green environment.”

Good to Grow Day will celebrate the many gardens in Oxfordshire that provide opportunities for people to get their hands stuck into the soil and grow healthy, tasty and fresh food close to home. Find your closest participating garden, or register your garden to take part on the interactive map at www.goodtogrowuk.org/

Oxfordshire Pumpkin Festival Gets Growing is also supported by the national Veg Cities campaign and Community Action Groups Oxfordshire.

Oxfordshire County Council has once again been named the best performing county council waste disposal authority in England, according to new government figures released on 3 March 2021. Last year, residents recycled or composted 1.6 per cent more of their household waste than in the previous year. Nationally, the average for recycling in England rose by 0.9 per cent.

Overall, 58.8 per cent of household waste was recycled and composted in Oxfordshire last year, compared to 57.2 per cent the previous year. The national average was only 45.5 per cent according to the latest figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Councillor Yvonne Constance, Oxfordshire County Council Cabinet member for Environment, said: “I would like to thank our residents who have done another great job of recycling so that the county keeps the top spot in the country. Oxfordshire councils provide really good waste collection and recycling services, but it is only because most people use them properly that we’re able to perform so well.”

Oxfordshire’s five district and city authorities have also achieved excellent results above the national average. South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse came second and joint third nationally, with recycling rates of 64 per cent and 63.3 per cent respectively.

Nearly 21,000 tonnes of food waste was recycled in 2019/20. Cherwell, West Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, and South Oxfordshire district councils, and Oxford City Council, operate the kerbside collections of household recycling and waste, which Oxfordshire County Council then disposes of.

Vicky Beechey, Oxfordshire Resources and Waste Partnership Manager, said: “Residents have done a great job to continue to recycle through this challenging year, and we would like to thank the collection crews and staff at the recycling centres for their amazing efforts in managing so much more waste every week.

“For those looking to reduce their waste further, the Community Action Group network and Replenish project have lots of opportunities to get involved with local projects, and tips on how to reduce waste. Oxfordshire County Council also has the Waste Wizard, an online tool that can suggest places items can be repaired or donated, or which bin it needs to go in.”

Waste officers have said there is still a lot more to be done to improve recycling rates and the county council is keen to see further improvements as part of its goal to becoming carbon neutral by 2030. The Oxfordshire Resources and Waste Partnership of the district, city and county councils has a target to increase recycling to 70 per cent by 2030.

Cllr Constance added: “We’re not complacent. This year, more waste collected for recycling has been rejected than ever before due to the wrong waste being put into the wrong kerbside containers, such as textiles, nappies, and food being put in the mixed recycling bin.

“A huge amount of food waste is still being placed in the general waste bins – indeed, we know that around half the items placed in general waste could have been recycled using the services provided locally. So please check your local council website, make sure you’re recycling everything you can, and look for advice on how to reduce the amount of waste your household produces.”

COVID-19 has impacted how we all live and work, and indications are that with more of us spending more time at home, waste levels may be around five per cent (16,000 tonnes) higher this year. As well as the environmental impact of so much more waste, this has serious financial impacts for councils. Reducing the amount of waste we produce and recycling as much as we can is vitally important to protect our environment and free up funds to be spent on other council services.

Oxfordshire County Council is supporting the national campaign set up by the charity WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme). Throughout the week, there will be tips on making the most of your leftovers, storing food properly, how to shop more effectively by planning your meals, plus the chance to win gadgets that will help you reduce your food waste.

Councillor Yvonne Constance, Oxfordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “There really is no downside when it comes to reducing food waste. It saves families money, reduces the amount of rubbish that ends up in our bins to be disposed of, and is the environmentally friendly option. The Food Waste Action Week campaign will highlight small changes we can all make to minimise the amount of food we throw away each week.”

Information will be shared all week on the council’s social media channels – facebook.com/oxfordshirerecycles and twitter.com/oxonrecycles – and people are encouraged to use the hashtag #foodwasteactionweek when they get involved. Residents who get involved by voting in various polls will be entered into a prize draw where they can win gadgets such as:

• Silicone bowl lids to preserve leftovers.
• Bag clips to keep food fresh in cupboards, fridges or freezers.
• Measuring spoons to get portion sizes correct.
• A silicone spatula to scrape all the food out of cans, jars and bowls.
• A magnetic meal planner to plan shopping trips and avoid overbuying.
• A magnetic food storage wheel to show the best way to keep different foods fresh.

Oxfordshire’s district and city councils are also supporting the campaign.

The Replenish Project – run by Oxfordshire’s Community Action Group – will be running some Love Food Hate Waste workshops and activity guides for families, with a prize for people who send in a photo of their activities.

Seventy per cent of all wasted food in the UK comes from our homes – that represents 4.5 million tonnes going to waste.

Every year, 710,000 tonnes of potatoes are thrown away by UK households. If prevented, that would save 330,000 tonnes of CO2 from going into the atmosphere.

Oxfordshire’s Community Action Group is running a challenge throughout the week on Instagram to reduce the amount of food you waste. Its focus is from portion planning to freezing and defrosting safely. Take part by posting a photo relevant to the challenge, tagging them @lfhw_uk, using the hashtag #FoodWasteActionChallenge

Everyone can make a difference, and something as small as saving your leftovers and encouraging friends and family to do the same means you’re doing your part. Visit https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/ to find out how you can get involved, help the planet – and save money too.

Despite closing on 5 November, Oxfordshire County Council’s library service will continue to offer an array of online resources at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/libraries and residents will still be able to benefit from the home library service. The county council is also investigating the possibility of a click and collect service in some libraries in addition to limited access to public network PCs.

All decisions have been made in line with government guidance.

Residents will still be able to register births and give notice at registry offices and register deaths over the phone in Oxfordshire. Weddings civil partnerships and citizenship ceremonies will be paused. 

The HWRC at Redbridge in Oxford was already scheduled to close 9 - 30 November for essential structural repair work.

Help for vulnerable people

In Oxfordshire (please see below for Oxford City). Help is available on 01865 897820 or email shield@oxfordshire.gov.uk. The service is open 8.30am - 5pm Monday – Thursday, 8.30am - 4pm on Fridays, closed Saturday - Sunday and bank holidays. 

Help for vulnerable people is available in Oxford City on 01865 249811 or by visiting oxford.gov.uk/CommunityAssistance. The service is open 8am - 5pm.

Abide by the rules

The national lockdown comes in the wake of rapidly rising infection levels across the country and a significant rise in hospital admissions.

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, the Leader of Oxfordshire said: “We have taken careful note of the detail that supports the government’s lockdown announcements and configured our services accordingly.

“I would urge people to abide by the rules that are being introduced nationally. By working together, we can stop the spread of the virus. Christmas is unlikely to be anything like normal this year, but it can at least be closer to that normality if we contain the virus during this lockdown period both locally and nationally.”

From 5 November, people must stay at home unless they have a specific reason to leave, such as education, childcare, and work which cannot be done from home. Pubs, restaurants, and non-essential shops and businesses will have to close, although hospitality venues can continue to provide takeaway and delivery services. Schools, colleges, universities and early years settings can remain open.

People must not meet socially indoors or in a private garden with family or friends who are not part of their household or support bubble. People are also being asked to avoid travelling in or out of their local area and to reduce the number of journeys they make. 

However, people are allowed to exercise outdoors or visit an outdoor public place with members of their household or support bubble. A maximum of two people from different households – excluding children under school age – are allowed to meet outdoors for the purpose of exercise or to visit an outdoor public place.

Detailed information about the new restrictions is available on the gov.uk website.

News on other council services

• The Oxfordshire Comet bus service is with immediate effect only providing transport for essential journeys for shopping once a week or for medical appointments for individuals that have pre-booked. All group bookings and timetabled services are suspended.
• The Oxfordshire History Centre in Cowley, Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock and Museum Resource Centre in Standlake will close.
• Oxfordshire Music Service’s Centre for Music will close to students, but online lessons will continue. Lessons in schools will continue.

Ends

For more information about this release contact the Oxfordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council communications team on 01865 323870 or email press.office@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Oxfordshire County Council is supporting the new national ‘Take Charge’ campaign, which calls on people to only dispose of dead batteries – dubbed ‘zombie batteries’ – by using specialist battery recycling services, and to never throw them away alongside general rubbish or other recycling.

Councillor Yvonne Constance, Oxfordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “Everyone can play their part in ensuring the safety of both the public and that of the staff working at our waste and recycling centres by disposing of their dead batteries responsibly. Batteries are accepted at all of our HWRCs. You can also approach staff at your local centre if you have an item with a battery in it which you are unable to remove, rather than placing it directly into the container.”

Dead batteries are likely to be crushed or punctured once the waste is collected and processed. Some battery types, such as lithium-ion and nickel-metal hydride, can ignite or even explode when they’re damaged, causing fires which can set light to other materials in the waste, such as paper and cardboard, putting lives at risk.

Lithium-ion batteries are often found in products like laptops, tablets, mobile phones, radio-controlled toys, Bluetooth devices, shavers, electric toothbrushes, power tools, scooters and even e-cigarettes.

The recycling and waste management trade body, the Environmental Services Association (ESA), which launched the campaign, said that between April 2019 and March 2020, lithium-ion batteries were thought to be responsible for more than 250 fires at its members’ facilities.

Executive Director of the ESA, Jacob Hayler, said: “Unfortunately, the majority of batteries thrown away in the UK at the moment are not recycled properly. Fires caused by carelessly discarded batteries endanger lives, cause millions of pounds of damage and disrupt waste services. We urge consumers to please recycle batteries responsibly by using widely available local battery recycling services.”

All seven of the county council’s HWRCs, operated by FCC Environment and W&S Recycling, accept batteries for recycling, while there are also many other local collection points around Oxfordshire. Batteries are also accepted by Oxford City, Cherwell, West Oxfordshire, South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse district councils. Residents can place them inside an envelope or clear bag on top of their bin on collection days. Waste Wizard can be used to check for specific information about kerbside collections.

HWRCs will remain open to the public during the period of increased COVID-19 restrictions, being brought in from 5 November - 2 December. Residents are asked to continue to maintain social distancing when using the centres, while being mindful of other residents and the teams working across the sites. The site at Redbridge in Oxford will, however, be closed to the public from 9 - 30 November due to essential repair work.

It will remain open to trade customers, as the central area which they use is unaffected and can operate as normal.

Extra staff will operate at household waste recycling centres around Oxfordshire to help with any increase in demand. The aim is to have the Redbridge site open again for the busy Christmas period.

Councillor Yvonne Constance, Cabinet Member for Environment, said:

“I urge residents to plan ahead for this closure, either by storing their recycling and waste at home until Redbridge reopens or, ideally, by using one of neighbouring household waste recycling centres. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause but these are essential repairs that we can’t ignore. We thank you for your understanding.”

The closest alternative sites to Redbridge are:

• North: Ardley Fields - Brackley Road, Ardley (near Bicester) OX27 7PH
• West: Dix Pit - Linch Hill, Stanton Harcourt (near Witney) OX29 5BB
• South: Drayton - Steventon Road, Drayton (near Abingdon) OX14 4LA
• South: Oakley Wood – Old Icknield Way, Crowmarsh (near Wallingford) OX10 6PW

These sites may experience a higher volume of visits over this period and residents are asked to be patient when visiting them during this time. Full details can be found online including a postcode search function for alternative centres. Permits will be valid at any of our sites.

Residents who need to dispose of asbestos during this time can book into Dix Pit or Ardley recycling centres. Visit www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/asbestos to find out more and book.

For further information contact 01865 323870 or email Press.Office@Oxfordshire.gov.uk

Halloween and pumpkin consumption could be to blame for a big spike in the amount of household food waste. This means that October and November have the second and third highest volume of food waste after the Christmas peak.

A pumpkin can weigh 3-8 kilograms, so even if these were of the largest type, this could equate to 160,000 of them being thrown away in Oxfordshire alone, and a terrifying total of 12.8 million in Britain!

Yet so much of what is scooped out could be eaten. The message is simple: Carve it, Cook it, Eat it – many people are opting for a treat and eating the tasty insides of the scary faced vegetable rather than throwing it away as waste every year – which means money is not wasted and an added bonus it makes a delicious meal.

Councillor Constance, Cabinet member for the environment at Oxfordshire County Council said: “Eighteen thousand tonnes of pumpkin are thrown away across Britain each year.”

“In Oxfordshire, on average over the three-year period from 2017 to 2019 we dealt with around ten per cent more food waste during October and November, compared to September.

“Yet, with a bit of thought and creativity, pumpkins can have a useful life beyond Halloween. There are so many healthy and green alternatives to throwing them away.

“You can make delicious soups, curries, cakes and even pumpkin brownies. Make sure you visit the Pumpkin Festival Good Food Oxford website or Love Food Hate Waste for recipes.

“If you do decide to dispose of your pumpkins, remember to compost them at home or put them in your food recycling bin. Pumpkins and other food waste can be recycled and used for future uses such as electricity and fertiliser for local farm land.”

Festival of Pumpkins

To coincide with Halloween, the Oxfordshire Pumpkin Festival is returning for its seventh year with events taking place across the county run by Good Food Oxford and Hubbub. This year’s festival runs from Friday 23 October to Sunday 1 November 2020.

This annual event is a celebration of food: creatively encouraging people to think about the food they throw away, challenging preconceptions and teaching new skills.

November usually starts with a flood of pumpkins going to waste, but Good Food Oxford organisations are encouraging people to squash food waste by eating rather than discarding the flesh of their Halloween pumpkins.

The festival is packed full of different socially distanced events from start to finish. There is something for everyone, with activities including online cooking demos, farm tour at Tolhurst Organic, pumpkin carving and cooking, pumpkin awareness day, farmers’ and community market stalls.

This year, Good Food Oxford suggest that we look forward to next year and grow our own pumpkins which we will have more incentive to eat because we have put all the hard ghoul-ing work into it, or why not buy a locally grown, tastier pumpkin. All the events will promote seasonal eating and not wasting food, with online recipes and tips to reduce food waste.

The full festival programme is here: https://goodfoodoxford.org/oxfordshire-pumpkin-festival/

Hubbub UK is also hosting some recipes on its Instagram channel from the 26^th October, including ‘Thai pumpkin curry’, ‘How to #EatYourPumpkin’ and ‘Trick or Eating with Kids.’

The theme for the Waste and Resources Action Programme’s (WRAP) seventeenth annual Recycle Week is to thank the people of Oxfordshire for continuing to recycle despite all that has happened this year.

Statistics released by Recycle Now show that through lockdown, Britain has become even more environmentally aware, with nearly 9 in 10 households saying they regularly recycle.

Coming out of lockdown, more people are prepared to change their lifestyles to help the environment: 73%, up from 68% in 2019. An amazing 93% of households say they believe that “everyone has a responsibility to help towards cleaning up the environment.”

The figures come from research carried out during lockdown and an omnibus survey completed in July. The four district councils and the city council in Oxford operate the kerbside collections of household recycling and waste, which Oxfordshire County Council then disposes of.

In 2019, 58.62% of household waste was recycled in Oxfordshire overall against a national average of 44.8% according to figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

There is still though more we can all do to recycle more to help defeat both waste and climate change. You can now use a great tool launched this year called Waste Wizard to see what can be recycled where.

Peter Maddox, Director, WRAP, said:

“It’s fantastic to see that despite everything that has been thrown at them this year, more people than ever in Oxfordshire are taking responsibility for protecting the environment by choosing to recycle. This is something we can all do, wherever we live – an individual action that, when performed by everyone, adds up to a huge change.

“Oxfordshire’s recycling and waste workers have been real heroes too, providing the best service possible under the most difficult of circumstances. The recognition they received in the form of friendly waves, notes, cards and gifts left out for them is heart-warming proof of how Oxfordshire has cooperated.

“Recycle Week this year is an opportunity to thank everyone in Oxfordshire for continuing to recycle, whatever their circumstances and to celebrate the way we have all pulled together. There has been a positive leap forward in attitudes that we must capitalise on so Oxfordshire can do even better in the coming year!”

Oxfordshire County Council, businesses and other organisations are joining in with a range of activities to highlight the importance of recycling. Everyone – organisations and individuals - can support Recycle Week by using #RecycleWeek on social media.

Cllr Yvonne Constance, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment said:

“Oxfordshire is doing well at recycling and we thank residents for helping us but there is still a lot more to be done to improve recycling rates. Better recycling involves all of us and this will help us to attain our goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. The Oxford Environmental Partnership of the Oxfordshire district, city and county councils has a target to increase recycling to 70% by 2025. You can help us reach this goal by separating out your food waste as well as your plastics, glass metals and cardboard to make a real difference! Our Waste Wizard tool available on our website here can also advise you on what can be recycled and where.”

For more information about recycling and waste in Oxfordshire, please visit: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/residents/environment-and-planning/waste-and-recycling

For more information on Recycle Now, visit: www.recyclenow.com

All councils in Oxfordshire are appreciative that residents continue to show understanding of the changes that need to be made during these difficult times. All district councils are currently running good collection services and are able to collect and dispose of the vast majority of ‘everyday’ waste produced by residents. Please check your local councils’ website for the latest information and advice.

We would ask that residents store any waste that cannot be placed into their kerbside collections until HWRCs are open again. Where storing your waste is not practical, local businesses can remove your waste for an appropriate charge.

To ensure rogue traders are not used please always pay by card and ask in advance for contact details including vehicle registration and their Waste Carriers Certificate. Yellow pages, trust a trader and Which Trusted Traders are just some of the ways you can research a suitable trader. You may also want to consider taking a photo of the vehicle used to collect your waste, which no respectable contractor will object to. This will help prevent the risk of your waste then being flytipped.

The sites are contained within the Draft Minerals and Waste Local Plan: Part 2 which is now out for consultation. Residents have until 4^th March 2020 to submit views on the plan.

This is an important chance for residents to submit their views on planning for minerals and waste development in Oxfordshire. The responses from this consultation will inform the next stage of the Draft Sites Plan preparation that will be put to further consultation later in 2020.

Work on the Draft Sites Plan follows on from the adoption of the Minerals and Waste Core Strategy in 2017. The Core Strategy set out the vision, objectives and policies for the supply of minerals and the management of waste in Oxfordshire over the period to 2031, and the Sites Plan sets out those sites needed to deliver the Core Strategy.

Following consultation last year, the Draft Sites Plan now sets out the four preferred mineral extraction areas and nine preferred waste management sites in the County that we believe will be needed in Oxfordshire up to 2031. We are seeking views on these sites and supporting policies.

Information about the consultation can be viewed on the council’s website, including the Draft Sites Plan, Response Form and all the supporting documents. Hard copies of the plan can also be viewed at County Hall and a number of libraries across Oxfordshire. Comments can be made online, via email or posted to the Minerals and Waste Team at County Hall.

Website: https://www2.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/content/new-minerals-and-waste-local-plan

Contact: mineralsandwasteplanconsultation@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Waste Wizard is Oxfordshire County Council’s response to the evil spell that no-longer-needed items sometimes cast over residents when it’s time to recycle or reuse them. It also aims to defeat the menace that is contaminated recycling which cannot then be processed. We know our residents try hard to recycle well but we can do more to drive up what we recycle; around 50% of what goes in general waste bins could be recycled.

Waste Wizard is a fun and interactive online resource that allows anyone puzzled by the bin to type in the name of any item along with their postcode to find out whether it can be reused, repaired, donated, recycled or if it needs to go into a specific bin or collection to be disposed of properly.

We know that one of the biggest barriers to good recycling is confusion over which product to put in which bin. Some of the most commonly confused materials are plastics, crisp packets, pizza boxes and coffee cups. Common items that contaminate kerbside recycling bins include textiles and disposable nappies. Overall, food is the biggest product that could be recycled that is put in general waste bins. Waste Wizard aims to clarify exactly what and where goods can be recycled or given a new life which will help us all to improve recycling rates whilst cutting waste.

Defeat the evil General Waste

Over 58 per cent of all waste is reused, composted or recycled in Oxfordshire compared to the national rate of 45 per cent. But there is more that can be done than graphics show; the Waste Wizard can help you beat General Waste.

The tool will be promoted online via social media with the Waste Wizard and its nemesis General Waste turned into retro video-game characters. And while in the pictures the Wizard tries to zap the General, in real life it can help to:

• Boost the number of items that get repaired locally

• Increase the amount of items reused or donated

• Cut the contamination in kerbside recycling collection bins (currently 10%)

• Ensure anything that can’t be reused, repaired or donated is properly recycled

• Explain the responsible disposal of goods that cannot be recycled or repurposed

It can be found online at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/wastewizard

One Wizard for less waste

County Councillor Yvonne Constance, Cabinet member for Environment, said:

“There’s lots of different ways to get rid of waste but you only need one Waste Wizard to make sure you do the right thing.

“We have come a long way since the first thought on everyone’s mind was to put unwanted things in the bin. And even with doorstep collections for a wide-range of items there’s often better things you can do.

“Thankfully the Waste Wizard has all the answers and if you are unsure at any time you can ask for some words of wisdom.

Producing waste has an impact on your carbon footprint and the Waste Wizard can help to show you ways of reducing your impact on the environment with little effort.

Although Oxfordshire is the best area in the UK for recycling, but there is still more that can be done to make the most of what would otherwise be regarded as rubbish.”

Play the game…

Waste officers at Oxfordshire County Council are highlighting the annual spike in food waste in the hope of encouraging residents to reduce the amount of uneaten food that is thrown away.

However, we do understand that however much families love leftovers, some food waste is inevitable and are asking residents to use the food waste recycling system in their district. Throwing away food waste in the general bin increases the costs of disposal by the county council; Recycling food costs around half as much as putting it in the general waste bin. The waste food we recycle in Oxfordshire is collected to generate renewable electricity and produces a fertiliser that is spread on local fields.

Rachel Burns, Waste Strategy Manager at Oxfordshire County Council said:

“For many people Christmas is about spending time with family and friends over a good feast and sometimes there is food waste. Before the festive season gets going, we are asking people to consider if they might be over-ordering. The average household throws away around £70/month of food, and more over Christmas; this equates to 74 million mince pies or five million Christmas puddings across the country. Each household in Oxfordshire throws away the equivalent weight of 1100 mince pies in waste food over the season.

Henry Owen, Lead Coordinator of the Replenish Project, a county council-funded scheme using volunteers to help residents reduce their food waste added: “Turkey, bread sauce and sprouts are amongst the top five wasted foods at Christmas time. There will always be leftovers and there are some great recipes on Love Food Hate Waste website to help you use them up. Many leftovers can be safely frozen and eaten another day.”

“Oxfordshire’s food banks and community fridges will welcome surplus seasonal goods, tins, packets and long dated items in January when the need is great. Reducing food waste is one of the easiest things we can do to help the environment.”

Waste and recycling officers believe that with careful planning, food waste at Christmas and year-round can be significantly reduced. Love Food Hate Waste is a national website with a portion control calculator or you can download the free app.

According to Love Food Hate Waste, 86 million chickens or turkeys are thrown away uneaten in Britain every year. Its website also has a range of top tips on how to make the most of leftovers and also some excellent leftover recipes.

Rachel added:

“Oxfordshire is already one of the best recycling areas in the country and more and more people tell us they are planning to have a ‘greener’ Christmas this year. We hope these tips will be useful and help to reduce the huge amount of extra waste generated during the festive period. Reducing how much we throw away and recycling food that can’t be eaten are some of the easiest things we can all do to help the environment.

And remember - if your recycling bin is struggling to cope with all the extra cardboard, plastic and paper, put any that can’t fit into the bin in a clear plastic sack or cardboard box. Place it next to your bin on collection day.”

The Oxfordshire Household Waste Recycling Centres will close at 3pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve and be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Otherwise they will be open as normal from 8am-5pm.

For further information about recycling over the festive period, visit the website

www.oxfordshirerecycles.org.uk/christmas

For more information on Oxfordshire’s Replenish Community Action Group:

https://cagoxfordshire.org.uk/replenish/

Around half of the waste put in the general waste bin – the bin for non-recyclable materials only – could actually be recycled. Further increasing the amount of waste that is recycled or composted would make a huge difference to the county’s figures and save precious resources from being wasted.

The county’s leading place is down to the commitment of our residents to reduce and dispose of waste responsibly. The County Council’s Waste Disposal Authority, together with the five district and city authorities in Oxfordshire, provide comprehensive services to maximise the amount of materials that can be collected for reuse, recycling and composting.

Oxfordshire also has a very active network of community action groups (CAGs) funded by the county council that help tackle and reduce waste, especially the Replenish network which is doing great work to tackle food waste.

Residents can use one of seven household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) across the county. This is part of the county council’s commitment to enhancing the quality of life in our communities and the protection of the local environment are top priorities.

August is a big time for the county council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres with 103,000 visits during August last year in comparison to 65,000 visits in February and 93,000 in July. It is also an important time to ensure all our residents remain safe when using our facilities.

The summer is a great time to pass on things that you may no longer use like clothes or electrical items to charity shops or friends. For anything you can’t donate, a trip to the local recycling centre is an ideal way to make space and get a bit of an environmental feel-good factor.

If you have an item to dispose of, and you’re not sure of its reuse potential, please double check with a member of the team at any recycling centre. It may still have an opportunity to be put aside and reused again!

You can find out more about getting the most from items you no longer need here https://bit.ly/2YoztDK

County Councillor Yvonne Constance, Cabinet member for Environment, said: “Reducing waste and increasing reuse and recycling has never been more important to residents.

“Having a summer tidy up of the house and garden can result in things being binned that could be put to good use elsewhere so our advice is to think before you throw and, if you are planning to take advantage of the county council’s excellent recycling centres be sure to be safe.”

If you are planning a trip out to one of Oxfordshire’s Household Waste Recycling Centres a bit of preparation can make for a quicker and, most importantly, safer visit. The county council and its site operators advise:

• Sort before you visit

Pre-sorting your items at home can help you get in and out of your Recycling Centre quickly and efficiently.

• Avoid slips, trips and falls: be aware of your footwear

In summer’s warmer weather, you may be sporting flip flops or sandals – but take care and make sure you are in more suitable footwear when visiting your HWRC. You just don’t know what may have fallen on the ground where you’re walking, or who might drop something heavy, so sensible shoes are a must and bare feet are definitely not allowed!

• Follow the signs

On arrival, a member of staff will greet and guide you to the appropriate disposal bays. These are clearly laid out and signed to help you find them. Reverse parking will get you closer for easy access. Please keep to the speed limit which is sign posted across all sites.

• Keep kids and pets in vehicles

With cars, vans and trucks reversing and bulky items being moved around, it’s important that children of all ages (from toddlers to teens), as well as pets, stay in your vehicle for their own safety. Children are often keen to be green and help out at the HWRC – but sorting through your materials and organising them at home can help to keep them engaged with recycling, as well as safe.

Find your local Household Waste and Recycling Centre and opening hours at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/findarecyclingcentre

Please check the wide range of items that can be recycled before attending site at:

www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/recyclingAtoZ

If you are planning on visiting any Oxfordshire HWRC in a pick-up truck or van (under 3.5 tonnes), or are a car towing a trailer between 1.8m and 3m, you will require a free permit. If using a hire vehicle for less than three days, the same vehicle restrictions apply, you do not need a permit but take the hire documents with you. However, if you are hiring for longer than three days you will require a permit to access the site. More information can be found at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/vantrailerpermits.

This is part of the council’s planned approach to maintenance, and is designed to keep sites safe, looking clean and fresh and helping improve the customer experience when using these much valued facilities.

Only one site will be closed at any one time and all other sites will be open on those days. Residents are asked to plan ahead for these closures, ideally holding on to your waste until the site reopens or if that is not possible visiting one of the neighbouring sites.

Site Closure Dates 

• Alkerton - Wednesday 8th & Thursday 9th May
• Ardley - Tuesday 14th & Wednesday 15th May
• Drayton - Thursday 16th & Friday 17th May
• Stanford - Tuesday 21st & Wednesday 22nd May
• Oakley Wood- Thursday 23rd & Friday 24th May
• Redbridge - Wednesday 29th & Thursday 30th May

For those residents with permits, please note that these can be used at any of the sites.

Steve Burdis, Principal Officer for the County Council Waste Team said ‘The deep cleans of our sites enable us to carry out essential cleaning and maintenance including jet washing the sites and structures, repainting lines and safety areas, along with other general and grounds maintenance ahead of the busy summer months.

“All closures are on quieter midweek days to minimise disruption and sites will reopen at 8am the following day. For practical and safety reasons we need to close the sites for this short period and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank residents for their understanding.”

Notes to Editors etc

All sites included in this programme are operated under contract by W&S Recycling. This work is a contractual requirement and was introduced when the Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) contract was re-let in October 2017.

List of Household Waste Recycling Centres addresses, including postcodes for Sat Nav’s

• Alkerton HWRC, Stratford Road Nr Banbury, OX15 6HZ
• Ardley HWRC, Brackley Road, Ardley, OX27 7PH
• Dix Pit, Linch Hill, Stanton Harcourt, OX29 5BB
• Drayton HWRC, Steventon Road, Drayton, Nr Abingdon, OX14 4LA
• Oakley Wood HWRC, Henley Road, Crowmarsh Nr Wallingford, OX10 6PW
• Redbridge HWRC, Old Abingdon Road, Oxford, OX1 4XG
• Stanford HWRC, Faringdon Road, Stanford in the Vale, SN7 8LD

Please note that Dix Pit HWRC which is operated by FCC Environment is not included in this round of Deep Cleans

The centres receive a curious haul of unusual items from residents every week, from guitars, to disco glitter balls, skis, cuddly toys, old military helmets, even an occasional vintage pram and rocking toy… in fact, everything including the kitchen sink!

And, not just the sink, the centres are flushed with taps, plugs, ball-cocks and wall cabinets. Clearly a lot of kitchen and bathroom re-fits have been taking place across the county!

Oxfordshire County Council provides services that enhance quality of life in the community and protects the local environment. Its waste and recycling team is at the heart of this work.

Weird and wonderful

Rachel Townsend, from Oxfordshire County Council’s waste and recycling team, said: “When you stop and think that our seven recycling centres process over 55,000 tonnes of waste every year, it’s perhaps not surprising that we see such a range of weird and wonderful stuff.

“The recycling centres accept a range of normal, familiar items, like fridges, TVs, electrical items, grass and tree cuttings, household chemicals, lightbulbs, batteries, clothes. Almost everything, including the kitchen sink!

“Around 60 percent of everything deposited at the centres is recycled, but we can all help raise this further, separating our waste and placing it in the right container or skip.

“So, we thought, what are the most peculiar items that residents have dropped off at the Household Waste Recycling Centres since Christmas? Here’s our Top 10 Pick of the Pops, or should I say Pick of the Drops.”

Top 10 Pick of the Drops:

• Child size Scooby Doo cuddly toy (see photo)

• Giant wolf’s head wall decoration (made of ceramic) (see photo)

• Victorian metal chain link cot

• Japanese inspired carved food tray

• Skis, lots of skis!

• Kitchen and bathroom sinks and accessories (see photos)

• Furby and friends

• Old military helmet

• Pram; a vintage from a bygone era

• Guitars and other musical instruments (see photo)

Many of these quirky and unwanted products can be re-loved and given a new home through the Reuse schemes operated at all the Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs), including the county council’s newly launched Reuse scheme at Dix Pit, near Witney. Before placing items that could be used again into the skips, speak to a member of staff for advice.

The recycling centres are for the use of residents only. They cannot accept any businesses, trade or commercial waste. Sale of reusable goods is not allowed at the recycling centres.

The Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) are in:

Alkerton household waste recycling centre

Stratford Road, Alkerton, Near Banbury, OX15 6HZ

Ardley Fields household waste recycling centre

Brackley Road, Ardley, OX27 7PH

Dix Pit household waste recycling centre

Linch Hill, Stanton Harcourt, OX29 5BB (Postcode for Sat Nav - OX29 5UX)

Drayton household waste recycling centre

Steventon Road, Drayton, Near Abingdon, OX14 4LA

Oakley Wood household waste recycling centre

Old Icknield Way, Crowmarsh, Near Wallingford, OX10 6PW

Redbridge household waste recycling centre

Old Abingdon Road, Oxford, OX1 4XG

Stanford in the Vale household waste recycling centre

Faringdon Road, Stanford in the Vale, Faringdon, SN7 8L

Councillor Yvonne Constance, County Council member for the environment, said:

“The list of quirky items is a fun way to highlight a serious challenge; how to reduce unnecessary waste and protect the environment for future generations.

“Schemes like Reuse allow us to find new homes for many products that can be re-loved elsewhere. We also encourage everyone to use the many online services like Freegle to pass on unwanted items, or see if your local charity shop would like them.

“I’m continuing to investigate rumours that we’ll soon have a waste rock band and an orchestra. And with these wonderful images in mind, thanks to all our residents who are already in-tune when it comes to recycling!”

Further information

For further information on where to take your unwanted guitar, trumpet, roller skates or kitchen sink – and for the opening times of the HWRCs – visit the website sections:

Recycling A-Z:

www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/recyclingAtoZ

Commercial waste:

www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/commercialwaste

Key points within the strategy include:

• Introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers to improve the amount recycled when out and about (known as ‘on the go’ recycling)

• Improved and extended redistribution of surplus food from businesses, and mandatory food waste collections from businesses and households.

• A national recycling target of 65 percent by 2035 (current national recycling rate is 45 percent)

Oxfordshire County Council is committed to protecting the local environment as part of its Thriving Communities initiative.

Councillor Yvonne Constance, County Council member for the environment, said:

“The strategy is ambitious and, subject to consultation, will transform the way that waste is viewed and managed.

“It will keep resources in use for much longer, tackling some longstanding issues with waste management. The environmental and cost benefits of this approach are clear.

“Importantly the strategy is based on the ‘polluter pays’ principal so that producers rather than councils will meet the costs of collection, recycling and disposal of specific materials.

“This will hopefully incentivise producers and manufactures to design their product and packaging to be more easily recycled.”

She continued:

“As the best recycling county in England (current recycling rate is over 57% in Oxfordshire), we’re well placed to help deliver the goals of this strategy.

“Our residents are very proactive in recycling as much material as possible, including food waste. They’ve worked hard to achieve this result, but we don’t want to rest on our laurels.

“We will continue to work with the government, the waste collection authorities and residents to improve the way that waste is managed. We will respond to the series of consultations planned over the next year to implement the detail of the strategy.

“Oxfordshire County Council looks forward to working with residents to reduce the amount of waste produced, and increase the amount recycled.”

For further information about waste and recycling in Oxfordshire, visit the website: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/waste

South Oxfordshire
Vale of White Horse
Cherwell
Oxford
West Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire has been named the best performing county council waste disposal authority in England for its recycling rates during 2017/18. The success reflects Oxfordshire County Council’s commitment to work with districts to protect the environment.Figures published on Tuesday 11 December by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) show that Oxfordshire is the highest performing disposal authority, ahead of Buckinghamshire and Cambridgeshire.

Oxfordshire is ‘top of the pops’ in two categories:

• The highest proportion of waste which is reused, recycled and composted (57.2%)
• The lowest amount of general waste (non-recyclable waste) produced per household (430kg).

Councillor Yvonne Constance, county council member for the environment, said

“I would like to commend our residents who take the time to recycle. Oxfordshire councils provide a comprehensive range of services to encourage recycling, but it is only through people doing their bit and using these services correctly that we’re able to perform so well in recycling and reducing waste.”

All Oxfordshire Councils recycled over 50% in 2017/18, (the national recycling rate is 45%). Oxford City is one of the best performing cities in England, and Oxfordshire district councils are three of the top four best performing councils in the South East.

Oxfordshire residents are not only great at recycling, but also very good at not producing waste in the first place. Each person produces around 420kgs of waste (recyclable and non- recyclable) each year. Funded by the County Council, Oxfordshire’s Community Action Groups (www.CAGoxfordshire.org.uk) support communities to take action across the county on a wide range of environmental topics, including waste, transport and energy.

There are also Oxfordshire-wide food waste recycling collections. Food that can’t be eaten is converted to renewable energy and compost, meaning big benefits for the environment and savings for the council. Only around half of councils in England offer this service, and this year Oxfordshire councils collected the highest level of food waste yet, up 16.9% (compared to a 12.4% rise nationally). The councils want to do better though, and know that around a quarter of the general waste bin is food waste that could have been recycled.

The county has seven Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) that provide recycling facilities for a wide range of items, from batteries to clothes, fridges to plastic garden furniture. They accept over 350 different waste streams, recycling around 60% of the waste accepted.“We’re not complacent,” says Councillor Constance. “Oxfordshire councils are working together to build on our success. We’re determined to further reduce waste and recycle even more. Everyone can play their part.

“Check your local council website; make sure you’re recycling everything you can. Look for tips on how to reduce the amount of waste your household produces. Help us to stay top of the pops!”

For further information about Oxfordshire County Council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres, visit www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/waste

They will be joining the growing number of employees in public services such as the police, parking enforcement and trading standards who use body worn cameras as part of their day to day work where they have been found to encourage more positive interactions between staff and customers, even though they are almost always switched off.

Rarely recording

Staff will be able to record conversations with site users in situations where they feel intimidated or subject to abuse. The hope is that the presence of the cameras will discourage interactions from escalating and capture evidence if it does. The technology could also help deal with complaints from members of the public.

Operatives will wear the camera as part of their work uniform. They do not record all the time – they have to be switched on by the worker who will tell the person that they intend to start filing.

It will be very clear when the cameras are recording. They will not be used to film general footage of the site nor types of waste being put into any of the containers – a small screen on the camera shows the limited range and frame of the shot.

There will be signs displayed in each of the county council’s seven recycling sites when the technology starts to be rolled out initially at the Redbridge site. The cameras are also very visible – there will be no covert recording.

Tiny percentage of problem visits

On average per year there are 20 escalated reports of physical and verbal abuse by a member of the public on a member of recycling centre staff in Oxfordshire.

More than 1.25 million people visited the sites in the last year and the proportion of incidents is therefore very low, but is still something that the county council and site operators W&S Recycling and FCC Environment want to reduce.

All incidents are taken very seriously and reported to the police, but it is thought that the presence of the cameras could prevent many incidents from even happening. However, if something does happen the staff are able to collect evidence.

Safety number one priority

County Councillor Yvonne Constance, Cabinet member for Environment, said: “The safety of our staff and customers is our number one priority and using this technology will only be an enhancement.

“The vast majority of people only ever intend to bring their waste and dispose of it quickly and if they are unsure of anything they will speak to the staff.

“There have been times, and this is not unique to Oxfordshire, where someone will come along and will seek to intimidate or abuse the staff. This is not acceptable.

“We are being upfront about using the cameras and that alone will help improve many of the interactions on site. Knowing that you could be filmed could for many people be enough to make them think twice before they act.”

Residents are being given the chance to talk rubbish and recycling and tell Oxfordshire’s county, city and district councils how they can help them recycle more and create less waste.

This consultation will inform the review of the joint countywide waste strategy. This sets out shared priorities across Oxfordshire for waste and recycling until 2030, that will be approved by the Oxfordshire Environment Partnership over the summer. Then, each council partner will adopt changes later in the year.

We want to do better at recycling and the new joint countywide waste strategy is critical to this. We know that on average over half of the items put in the general waste bin could have been recycled by placing them in the other bins available.

Through this consultation residents are being asked what would help them to reduce their overall waste consumption and recycle more. This includes expanding the range of materials that can be recycled at the kerbside and tips and advice on left-over food, upcycling clothing or donating or buying second hand goods. The councils are also seeking views on more radical schemes that have been implemented elsewhere in the country, such as changing bin sizes and collection frequency.

Councillor Yvonne Constance, Cabinet Member for Environment at Oxfordshire County Council said: “We want to help residents to increase the amount they recycle and have looked around at what other councils are doing. This is a long-term strategy and we will not be making any immediate changes however we are interested in which of these the residents of Oxfordshire think may work for them as we seek to minimise the overall amount of residual waste produced in the county.”

Do you want to recycle and reduce waste, so help us by taking part in the online survey at www.recycleforoxfordshire.org.uk. The survey is open and will close on 18th February.

Christmas Tree Collection Points

City and District Councils are running Christmas Tree collection points for residents who don't have green waste collected. 

Oxford (open between 27 December 2017 and 14 January 2018)

• Alexandra Tennis Courts, Middle Way, Summertown
• Bury Knowle Park, North Place car park
• Cutteslowe Park, Harbord Road car park
• Florence Park, Cowley
• Hinksey Park, off Abingdon Road
• Leys Pools and Leisure Centre car park (formerly Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre)
• Long Lane, Littlemore
• Margaret Road Recreation Ground
• Meadow Lane Recreation Ground, Jackdaw Lane
• Oatlands Recreation Ground, Ferry Hinksey Road (car park)
• South Park, Morrell Avenue
• Sunnymead Recreation Ground, by play area

South Oxfordshire

If you're not a garden waste customer you can drop your tree off at one of the following locations

Before Sunday 14 January​

• Brightwell - Root One
• Christmas Common - The Tree Barn
• Henley - Toad Hall
• Nuneham Courtenay - Notcutts Garden Centre
• Sonning Common - Herb Farm
• Wheatley - Waterperry Gardens
• Chinnor - Whites Field Car Park - Mill Lane
• Thame - Cattlemarket car park

Before Monday 15 January

• Beckley - Folly Farm, Common Road
• Towersey - Sports and Social Club car park and Village Green

Before Tuesday 16 January

• Ewelme - Recreation ground car park - Common Road
• Watlington- Church car park (left of the grass by the fence)

Before Thursday 18 January

• Aston Tirrold and Aston Upthorpe - Recreation ground car park - Chalk Hill
• Brightwell-cum-Sotwell - Recreation ground car park
• Cholsey - Pavillion car park

Vale of White Horse 

If you're not a garden waste customer you can drop your tree off at one of the following locations

Before Tuesday 9 January

• Buckland Village Hall
• Childrey playing field
• East Challow Village Hall Car Park
• Before Thursday 11 January
• Appleford recreation field car park
• Milton burial ground

Before Friday 12 January

• Kennington - Forest Side and Playfield Road playing fields car park

Before Sunday 14 January

• Frilford - Millets Farm Garden Centre
• Hinksey - The Oxford Garden Centre
• Wantage - Charlton Park Garden Centre

Cherwell District Council

Cherwell District Council have more information on how to recycle your Christmas tree here 

West Oxfordshire

Saturday 13 January 2018

• Witney: Witan Way Car Park, 9 - 11am
• Carterton: Black Bourton Road car park, 1.30 - 3.30pm

Sunday 14 January 2018

• Chipping Norton: New Street car park, 9 - 11am

Every year thousands of pumpkins are carved and lit up to celebrate the 31^st October, but so much of what is scooped out could be eaten rather than binned.

The message is simple: Carve it, Cook it, Eat it – Don’t bin it!

Make the most of your pumpkin

You can find a whole host of tips and recipes on this page to help you make the most of your pumpkin innards.

Festival of pumpkins

To coincide with Halloween, and in the long run up to the festive period, the Oxford Pumpkin Festival is returning for its fourth year with events across the city run by Good Food Oxford network members. This year’s festival dates will be 28th October to 5th November 2017.

This annual event is a celebration of food: creatively encouraging people to think about the food they throw away, challenging preconceptions and teaching new skills.

November usually starts with a flood of pumpkins going to waste, but Good Food Oxford organisations are encouraging people to “squash food waste” by eating rather than discarding the flesh of their Halloween pumpkins.

The festival is packed full of different events from start to finish. There is something for everyone, with activities including a pop-up pumpkin bistro, pumpkin-themed market stalls and cafe menus, surplus food cook-ups, pumpkin fancy dress, bonfires, live music, and much more.

All the events will promote seasonal eating and not wasting food, accompanied by recipe cards with easy tips to reduce food waste.

The full festival programme is here: http://goodfoodoxford.org/oxford-pumpkin-festival

Waste will be removed from an empty area of land at the entrance to the traveller site, the highway verge adjacent to the site and in the field to the right of the road that leads to nearby allotments.

Councillor Judith Heathcoat, the Deputy Leader of Oxfordshire County Council said: “The actions of a small number of irresponsible people have cost the general taxpayer £65,000. Along with Vale of White Horse District Council and Oxford City Council we are committed to identifying and taking action against those who undertake this criminal act.

“Anyone arranging for waste to be removed from their business or home has a duty to ensure that the waste is going to be properly disposed of and could be fined if they fail to do this. People should not under-estimate the determination of local councils to enforce this. The play area has long been promised and we will continue to work with site residents who are committed to work with us to prevent further illegal waste tipping.”

“We are looking forward to the site being cleared and a new chapter beginning.”

Oxford City Council are to meet a proportion of the costs.

Richard Webb, Head of Community Protection Services at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “We cannot prove who illegally tipped this waste although the Vale of White Horse Council has been able to fine one person for tipping waste in the site entrance road. If we secure evidence that proves who has been doing the tipping then formal legal action is likely.

“We have held discussions with site residents and they are committed to working with us to prevent further illegal waste tipping. They will be monitoring the land that has been affected by the tipping and reporting anyone seen undertaking this criminal activity to us for investigation.”

The children’s play area

A new children’s play area will be constructed at a cost of £35,000. This will include a selection of play equipment and some open space for ball games. The site residents and the county council’s Gypsy and Traveller Service will be maintaining the area.

There are a number of families living on the site with children who will want to use the play area. The residents are committed to working with the council to keep this area clear of waste in the future.

Cllr Heathcoat said: “The play area has long been promised and we will continue to work with site residents who are committed to working with us to prevent further illegal waste tipping.”

Investigating and pursuing reports

Cllr Elaine Ware, Cabinet Member for Environmental Health at Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “We are pleased to hear that the county council has agreed to remove the waste and install the new play area. We will continue to investigate and pursue any evidence or reports of fly tipping in the area. If you see anyone dumping rubbish or have information which may assist our investigations please report it.”

Councillor John Tanner, Oxford City Council Board Member for a Clean and Green Oxford, said: “I am pleased that at long last this rubbish eyesore is being removed. This is good news for local residents and allotment holders. But councils really have better things to spend money on than clearing up other people’s fly-tipping.”

To report fly-tipping in the Vale of White Horse or South Oxfordshire please call 03000 610610.

The Dorset based firm already manages five of Oxfordshire’s HWRC sites which means there will be minimal disruption to residents when the new contract starts on 1 October 2017. W&S Recycling will manage the HWRC sites at Alkerton, Ardley, Drayton, Oakley Wood, Redbridge, and Stanford in the Vale. Dix Pit HWRC will continue to be managed by FCC Environment.

Household waste remains free to bring to HWRCs

Residents will continue to be able to dispose of all household waste free of charge at any of the county’s recycling centres.  Oxfordshire has had a system of charging for non-household waste which includes soil, rubble and DIY waste for 15 years and has not increased the charge of £1 per item over that time. When the new contract starts on 1 October, W&S Recycling will increase the charge for non-household waste items to £1.50 which is less than other authorities who charge for this service. In the HWRC public consultation carried out in summer 2016, 91% of Oxfordshire residents favoured charges for non-household waste over site closures. 

Highly valued service 

Councillor Yvonne Constance, Cabinet Member for Environment said:

“Oxfordshire’s residents told us very clearly that their priority was to see all the HWRCs kept open when the new contract started and I am delighted that we have been able to achieve that.

“Oxfordshire has one of the best recycling rates in the country which is thanks to the hard work of our residents who collectively make a huge difference to the environment by separating out their household waste and recycling as much as they can.

“While the county council does not have a legal obligation to accept non-household waste at HWRCs, this is a popular and highly valued service among local communities and I am therefore pleased that W&S Recycling is able to continue to offer this service, with only a modest price increase. Overall, I am delighted that our HWRC service remains an accessible, affordable service.”

New low-emission vehicle fleet

Geoff Thompson, owner of W&S Recycling said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this contract and are looking forward to working closely with Oxfordshire County Council to increase recycling rates at sites and continue to make improvements to the HWRCs which we know residents use regularly and value.

“Many Oxfordshire residents already pre-sort their waste and recyclables before visiting their local HWRC but we will be encouraging more residents to do the same as that will help to boost the county’s excellent recycling rate even further. We also plan to invest in a new low-emission vehicle fleet which will be used to transport materials from all of Oxfordshire’s HWRCs to their end destinations.”

Facts and figures

The £27m contract, which starts on 1 October 2017, is for a seven year period with an option to extend for up to a further three years. The Dorset based firm W&S Recycling will manage all of the county’s Household Waste Recycling Centres except for the site at Dix Pit which will continue to be managed by FCC Environment but W&S Recycling will provide management for the recyclable materials. W&S Recycling will take over responsibility for managing the Ardley HWRC which is currently operated by Viridor Waste Management Ltd.

Oxfordshire’s seven Household Waste Recycling Centres accept approximately 50,000 tonnes of household residual waste and recyclables each year with an average recycling rate of around 60%. Residents make over 1.25 million visits to the sites every year.

The locations of the county council’s seven Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) are:

• Alkerton - Stratford Road, Alkerton, Nr Banbury
• Ardley Fields- Brackley Road, Ardley
• Dix Pit - Linch Hill, Stanton Harcourt
• Drayton - Steventon Road, Drayton, Nr Abingdon
• Oakley Wood - Old Icknield Way, Crowmarsh, Nr Wallingford
• Redbridge - Old Abingdon Road, Oxford
• Stanford in the Vale - Faringdon Road, Stanford in the Vale, Faringdon.

Oxfordshire County Council’s new minerals and waste core strategy, which outlines the planning strategy and policies for the supply of minerals and the management of waste in Oxfordshire until 2031, is set to be adopted following support from the Government’s Planning Inspectorate.

Independent conclusions and modifications

Following an independent examination of the strategy, the Inspector concluded that the strategy, with modifications, meets legal requirements and provides a sound and appropriate basis for the planning of future quarrying and waste management in Oxfordshire for the next 15 years.

Minerals include sand, gravel, limestone, ironstone and clay, which are all naturally occurring materials dug from the ground, and recycled concrete and ash.

The report follows public examination hearings in September 2016, and the county council carrying out further sustainability appraisal which was consulted on alongside proposed main modifications to the strategy in February 2017.

The core strategy includes measures to strengthen protection of the amenity of communities living close to proposed sites, ensure that adequate measures are taken to protect the water environment, agricultural land and soils, biodiversity and geodiversity, the landscape, and the historic environment, and to secure high quality restoration of minerals and waste sites.

The Planning Inspector’s findings will be reported to the council’s Cabinet on 18 July and to Full Council on 12 September. At the council meeting a decision will be made on the adoption of the core strategy itself.

Hard work and public debate

Councillor Yvonne Constance, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “I am pleased that the planning inspector’s report concludes that subject to the incorporation of the main modifications the core strategy is sound and legally compliant and can now be adopted.

“This represents the outcome of many years of hard work and public debate on this important statutory document and we now have a very clear planning strategy for mineral provision and waste management in the county up to 2031.

“I would like to thank everyone for their input in helping to develop a strategy that will meet our county’s future minerals and waste needs while minimising the impact on Oxfordshire’s environment and local residents. It is a very important balance to strike.”

What modifications need to be made?

The main modifications include:

• Confirming the amount of minerals required over the course of the strategy
• Promoting the role of recycled and secondary aggregates
• Clarifying that there will not be a ceiling on the amount of waste management capacity for recycling, composting and food waste treatment, provided the development is otherwise acceptable
• Confirming the general spatial strategies for where minerals and waste development can be located.

Following the adoption of the core strategy, work will begin on preparing the Site Allocations Document which will identify sites which are considered suitable in principle, subject to necessary planning permission, for future minerals and waste development.

Why does Oxfordshire need this plan?

The Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan: Part 1 - Core Strategy includes:

• the approach the county council will take in making decisions on future minerals and waste related development
• guidelines for where, when and how much minerals and waste related development should take place in the county
• policies for each mineral type and the different types of waste produced
• specific policies relating to development management issues such as transport and protection of the environment and communities.

For more information

The Inspector’s report and more information about the development of the core strategy are available on the Oxfordshire County Council website here.

At the moment it is thought that around 30% of the county’s food waste is binned – a figure the county, city and district councils hope to slim down significantly.  

To do this Oxfordshire's councils have launched a campaign with Agrivert, the company who process our food waste, to encourage residents to recycle more of the food they would otherwise throw away.

It is two and a half times cheaper to process food waste if it is put into a food waste caddy for recycling or composting than if the same waste is put in the general rubbish bin.

Startling benefits

In 2015/16 in Oxfordshire almost 15,000 tonnes of separately collected food waste and 23,000 tonnes of mixed food and green waste were collected and sent to Agrivert for recycling or composting.

County Councillor David Nimmo Smith, Cabinet member for Environment, said: “It is as easy to recycle food waste as it is to throw it in the main rubbish bin – but the benefits of recycling can be quite startling.

“Food waste collected for recycling is treated at Agrivert’s anaerobic digestion plants in Oxfordshire, and used to generate enough electricity for over 9,000 homes, as well as making fertiliser for use on local farms.

“An average family with children spends £680 every year on food that ends up in the bin. Nearly half of what is thrown away is fresh fruit and vegetables. Bread, dairy produce, rice and pasta also make the top five on the most wasted food list, all of which can be recycled in the food waste caddy.

“The first thing to do is look at how you can reduce waste. Then make sure that anything that has to be thrown away gets put in the right bin.”

There’s lots of advice on how to reduce your food waste and information on how it is recycled in your area on www.recycleforoxfordshire.org.uk/lovefoodhatewaste

The county council is implementing the Household Waste Recycling Centre strategy that was passed by cabinet on 15 December 2015.

Part of implementing the new strategy is procuring a new management contract to operate the Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) sites. We would like to know your views on measures that could be implemented at sites to make savings and create income.

There will be a consultation on these proposals running until 11 August 2016. This consultation is open to all Oxfordshire householders to comment on.

Understanding public views, opinions and preferences is key to our decision making process.

Take part in the consultation here 

People are encouraged to complete the response questionnaire. If residents need support to take part in this consultation, contact Oxfordshire County Council on 01865 816043 or email waste.management@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

The Household Waste Recycling Centres can accept a wide range of materials for recycling including garden waste, textiles and electrical items.

Food waste should always be placed in the food caddies provided by your local council and collected as part of your kerbside collection scheme.

More information about the sites, including layout and a full guide to what can be recycled, can be found here

Around 5,000 tonnes of sweepings a year are collected from Oxfordshire’s roads by operators working for each of the five district councils; all of this material will now be processed and recycled at the new plant.

Three years ago, the Environment Agency banned the composting of street leaf sweepings because of concerns about the high levels of contaminants such as nickel, copper and zinc.  This move left many local authorities worried about the impact on their recycling rates and having to find alternative disposal methods for the waste.

Keen to maintain its place as one of the top performing county councils in the recycling performance league tables, Oxfordshire County Council had to put in place interim measures, while looking for a more sustainable and local alternative.

Rebecca Harwood, service delivery manager at Oxfordshire County Council’s waste management group, said: “After the legislation changed, we had to send some road sweeper waste to landfill, while the remainder went to an alternative facility outside the county.

“Obviously we were very keen to look for alternatives which would be closer to home and more environmentally friendly. Grundon’s new facility is not only very impressive, but it offers the capability to handle all of the county’s road sweeper waste in one central place.

“We see it as a win-win situation, using the facility is half the cost of sending waste to landfill and we’re also cutting down on transport costs and carbon emissions. Above all though, it’s the fact that Grundon is able to recycle and recover all elements of the sweepings that makes the biggest difference. We anticipate this will help us boost our recycling performance rates by nearly 2%, which is a great result.”

While Oxfordshire County Council makes the decisions on where waste will be disposed, each of the five district councils is responsible for managing the actual collection. Operators acting for the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils, together with Oxford City Council, will deliver the waste directly to Ewelme at the end of each clean-up round.

Further afield, road sweepings from West Oxfordshire and Cherwell District Councils will be ‘bulked up’ at waste transfer stations at Banbury and Cassington before being transferred to Ewelme in larger vehicles.

Owen George, tender manager at Grundon, said: “Our decision to invest in the new facility was born out of finding a sustainable and suitable solution to the problems local authorities had in recycling their road sweeper waste.

“Oxfordshire County Council has been very supportive throughout the development stages of the project and we’re delighted to be able to play our own part in helping the county fly the flag for excellence in recycling and recovery of waste.”

Three new jobs have also been created at the plant which, once fully operational, will be able to process around 25,000 tonnes of road sweepings a year – roughly 10 tonnes every hour.

As capacity increases, Grundon plans to work with other local authorities and private contractors across the region.

How it works

On arrival, the road sweeping material goes into a giant tipping area where excess water is drained and stored for treatment and re-use later in the process.

A giant magnet removes any metallic objects, such as nails or bottle tops, before the material is thoroughly scrubbed and washed.

Screening removes larger aggregate materials (gravels of 5mm-40+mm) and these are sorted and stored by size, while the remainder goes into a Hydro cyclone – effectively a giant washing machine – which separates out organic material such as leaves and litter, from sand and grit. Each is then stored in different bunkers.

All the waste water is treated with a polymer which separates out the clean water from the sludge and, after further processing, the sludge forms a ‘filter cake’ which can be used in land restoration projects.

Thanks to the sophisticated recovery process, both the sand and the larger size aggregates qualify for ‘end of waste’ status, allowing them to be sold to the building trade, and sand and gravel businesses, where demand for recycled products is high as they are cheaper than virgin aggregates.

The royal visit comes just weeks after Bicester Green was awarded the prestigious ‘Charity of the Year’ and ‘Business of the Year’ awards at the Cherwell Business Awards.

Oxfordshire County Council supports this centre, which operates by intercepting items that are destined for the bin and sharing skills to repair a variety of items that can be re-used.

Centre Manager Emma Gordon said “We were thrilled to be able to show the Duke around the workshop and for him to be able to meet our volunteers. He was impressed by the things we are achieving in preventing items from becoming waste and providing practical skills to volunteers and the community.”

Bicester Green is open from 10am – 5pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays selling bikes, furniture and electrical items. They are always looking for donations of these items and volunteers to help repair them.  http://www.bicestergreen.org.uk/

Bicester Green is currently looking for premises as it has to move from its workshop at the McKay Trading Estate, Station Approach, in November. If you could help them find a new home please email info@bicestergreen.org.uk or call 01869 388564.

Oxfordshire is pursuing a clear vision for sustainable waste management and resource efficiency, working in partnership with the district councils, residents and waste management companies to reduce waste and to maximise reuse, recycling and composting.

The county council topped the table for percentage of household waste sent for recycling, with an overall rate of 59.22%, beating the next council by over 3%. The county also has the lowest amount of household waste being sent to landfill, at just over 420kg per household, this is 40kg better than the next best county.

Recycling has great benefits, not only to reduce the amount of waste thrown away, but also in the energy that is used to process it, for example; recycling 1 aluminium can uses 95% less energy than making a brand new one.

Recycling also can help with energy production. The food waste processing plants at Cassington and Wallingford  use food waste to  produce energy for about 4,800 homes and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the equivalent of taking 71,000 cars of the road annually.  The facilities also produces fertiliser that can be spread on 2,500 acres of local agricultural land..

Oxford City Council, Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse and West Oxfordshire district councils all performed well in the collection figures, rating mostly in the top half of all collection authorities and South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse topping the tables in two separate categories.

Councillor David Nimmo-Smith, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for Environment, said: “These figures clearly show that we at Oxfordshire County Council take waste management and recycling extremely seriously and that our planning and investment in this area is bearing fruit. The work of the City and district councils cannot be underestimated and are a vital part of the waste management programme.”

“We would like to thank all the residents who take the time to sort their rubbish and ensure that the right bins are used for the appropriate waste.”

“There is more work to be done and initiatives like the Ardley ERFwill help us reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, which in turn will reduce costs for the council and allow us to invest more into services.”