Follow the Thread on - RECYCLING - ENVIRONMENT - GREEN

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Recomposing your Christmas Tree

5/1/15

As twelfth night falls and Christmas memories fade into the past Rochford District Council are reminding residents that they can recycle their trees buy cutting them up and putting them in their normal compostables bin.

Only real Christmas trees can be composted and all decorations must be removed beforehand. Artificial trees should be reused if possible or taken to the Castle Road Recycling Centre in Rayleigh.

Rochford District Council’s Head of Environment, Richard Evans said: "We want as many of our residents as possible to recycle their Christmas trees so we've tried to make it as easy as possible. We already know our residents are fantastic recyclers and we hope they will join us by going green in 2015 and helping us to compost their trees."

A full A-Z can be found on our website along with details of what can be recycled, please visit www.rochford.gov.uk/recycling or call Customer Services on 01702 318111.

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FOLLOWING THE THREAD FROM ORIGINAL ARTICLES (Scroll down to see them)

Article Dates: Page 1

6th Aug 2014 - Tips on recycling summer items

12th Sept 2014 - Rochford seal new recycling deal with SITA UK

18h Nov 2014 - Stay warm this winter

Article Dates: Page 2

19th Nov 2014 - RDC still near top for recycling

12th Dec 2014 - Being Green at Christmas

Article Dates: Page 3

31st Dec 2014 - Be Green in 2015

5th Jan 2015 - Recomposting your Christmas Tree

Tips on how to recycle all those bits and bobs from over the summer!

6/8/14

From old beach towels to garden furniture and tired sheds, all sorts of unusual items will present themselves for recycling or disposal over the summer period. Here are our top tips to help you recycle as much summer paraphernalia as possible:

 Pool and Beach Toys
Some pool toys such as buckets and spades are made out of rigid plastics that are not accepted at the recycling centres or in your kerbside recycling collection. If you’re no longer using them, give them away on Freecycle or ask local playgroups if they can make use of them. Plastic paddling pools are non-recyclable but they could be reused to cover bikes with later in the year.

 Beachwear and towels

Old swimsuits, flip-flops, sandals and towels can all be recycled in textile banks and at the recycling centre (please tie shoes together first). Items in good condition can be sold as second-hand or given to charity.

 Spray cans and sun lotion bottles

            Empty metal bug spray cans, sun lotion bottles and miniature hand luggage size bottles can all be recycled in your kerbside collection.

 Batteries

Many of the devices we bring on holidays or camping run on batteries so make sure to hold onto used batteries from speakers, shavers, torches, etc. and recycle them at your local library, school or Council reception area. Use rechargeable batteries            wherever possible. Even better look out for solar battery chargers.

 Barbeques

            Metal barbeque frames can be recycled in the metal container at the recycling     centre. Cold barbecue ash should be disposed of in your non-recyclables bin. Wood    ash can be home composted, to buy a reduced priced compost bin visit www.essex.getcomposting.com

 Sheds, timber fencing and wooden chairs

            If items are in good condition try advertising them for free, otherwise wood is accepted at Castle Road Recycling Centre, Rayleigh.

Please remember to leave your flip flops at home and wear sensible shoes when visiting the Recycling Centre.

For more information on the Essex County Council Recycling Centres visit www.essex.gov.uk/recyclingcentres

For more tips or further information about your local recycling scheme please visit www.rochford.gov.uk/recycling

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Rochford seal new recycling deal with SITA UK.

12/9/14

Rochford District Council has agreed a seven-year contract extension with SITA UK, which will see residents benefit from new state-of-the-art street cleansing machines.  SITA UK has been providing waste, recycling and compostable material collections in the District, as well as street cleansing services, since April 2008.

The contract extension will run until March 2022 and will see resources directed at dealing with street litter, in an effort to keep our District clean and tidy.

SITA UK has previously helped Rochford District Council to achieve the accolade of No 1 authority in the whole country for its recycling rates. This is largely thanks to the introduction of a simple and easy-to-use system, where all recyclable materials can go into the one wheelie bin. This system has been a success thanks to environmentally-friendly residents across the District, who have made the effort to get recycling.

Since 2008, Rochford has gone from being one of the lowest performing local authorities in the country for recycling, with a rate of under 20 per cent, to the best authority in England – last recorded at 66.82% compared to the national average of around 43%.

SITA UK Chief Executive Officer, David Palmer-Jones said: “Naturally, we’re very pleased to have the opportunity to continue our relationship with Rochford District Council for another seven years and we look forward to further improving on the excellent level of service that the residents of the district have come to expect. We are very proud to serve the local authority with the highest recycling rate in the country and look forward to helping the residents of Rochford and our partners at Rochford District Council maintain the top spot by continuing to drive recycling performance.”

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Stay warm this winter

18/11/14

Now that the cold winter days are setting in, residents are reminded that it is possible to save energy but still stay warm this winter.

Avoid wasting energy

Simple things such as switching off an unused appliance, closing curtains to avoid heat loss through the windows, and turning off lights in unused rooms, will avoid lots of wasted energy and save you money.

‘Eco’ your day

Switch washing machines and dishwashers to their ‘eco’ setting and wait until they are full before using them, only boil as much water as you need, and use energy saving light bulbs to cut the cost of everyday activities without giving them up entirely.

Get financial help

Several schemes provide money toward winter bills:

Warm Home Discount: Some energy providers offer a discount of up to £140 to those on a low income. Contact your energy provider for more information.

Winter Fuel Payments: Those of pensionable age may be able to apply for a payment of between £100 and £300. Phone 08459 151515 for more information.

Cold Weather Payment: A payment of £25 per day may be available during very cold spells to people in receipt of certain benefits. Contact your Jobcentre Plus office for more information.

Get your “5 a Day”!

Take part in the new Twitter campaign. Tweet your tip for saving energy, and read others’ suggestions at #energy5aday.

Rochford District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community, Cllr Jo McPherson, said: “Being careful with money is something we all try to do, so these simple tips are useful for gaining much-needed additional help with bills, as well as reducing expenditure without making too much sacrifice. In addition, the suggestions help us to be kinder to the environment by reducing our use of energy.”

More information about preparing for winter is available at http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/get-ready-blog?blogid=9657 and www.gov.uk/warmthiswinter.

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Where a series of press releases follow the same subject Rochford Life will group those pages together so that you can follow the thread and look back and see how it has developed. The most recent page will be at the top of this page, but then all other articles will be in chronological order starting from the first we received.  To see all articles scroll down.