A RECYCLING trial which saw recycling wheelie bins scrapped as the council looks to meet new Government targets has been deemed a success.

During the six-week trial 320 residents in Noak Bridge were asked to separate plastic and cans into a crate and paper and card into a reusable sack.

The trial sought to bring Basildon’s recycling in line with the Government’s Waste Strategy and Environment Bill which calls for authorities to focus on quality recyclables over quantity.

“It was small scale, but the quality of the material which came out from collections was good, participation rates were really high and residents really engaged with the service,” a council officer told councillors at a Leisure and Environment Committee on November 24.

“I went out with the collection crews and saw the quality of the material which was coming out and it was clean material that would probably attract a value at market.”

The service was rated 3.4 stars out of five by 92 residents who responded to a survey following the trial – 42 per cent supported the continuation of the scheme.

However, residents did feedback their dislike for one of the containers used to separate the materials. Almost three-quarters of residents said they did not like the crate provided for storing plastic and cans.

Thirty-eight per cent approved of the reusable sack for paper and card while 35 per cent disproved.

Fifty per cent of residents said they would prefer the scheme to use wheelie bins.

However, council documents show wheelie bins would impart greater financial costs on the council.

The total cost of providing the borough’s residents with wheelie bins is estimated at £1,529,000. The crate and the reusable sack are listed at £632,000 each.

The annual cost of weekly collections of wheelie bins is estimated by the council to cost £1,808,000, well above the £1,315,000 estimated for the trialled receptacles.

Chairman of the Leisure and Environment Committee councillor Craig Rimmer said: “We are listening and will continue to listen so that we can balance out the preferences of our residents and the changes being made through the Environment Bill and our own waste strategy. This will enable us to run a service that improves recycling quality, reduces our collective environmental impact and ensures value for money.”

Councillors voted to approved a consultation and look into the procurement of a contract for the collection and processing of mixed dry recyclables.