RECYCLING BOX LIDS "LONG OVERDUE" SAY LIB DEMS

27.10.03

Overdue lids for Haringey's green recycling boxes are now urgently needed, say local Lib Dem councillors.

The roll-out of green recycling boxes has been welcomed by Lib Dem Environment Spokesperson Cllr Bob Hare. But he stresses now that the Council must act to distribute lids for the boxes and has today written to the Council's Executive Member for the Environment, urging him to look into the situation immediately.

"Getting lids for these boxes sounds like a simple and unimportant thing, but they are necessary and without them people are less likely to want to accept and use the boxes to recycle," explained Cllr Hare. "This would have a negative impact on the Council's recycling targets, as well as reducing enthusiasm for the scheme."

The Lib Dems says that value of the box lids is wider than one might think...

* they keep the newspapers dry - for the paper processor, damp paper put into a big heap can heat up and become a fire risk, so the paper may have to go to the incinerator or landfill;

* the boxes look better and neater;

* lids prevent paper blowing out of boxes and littering garden and street ;

* slight privacy issue - people may not want the whole street to know what they are throwing out!

The issue of lids for the green boxes has been raised by Lib Dem councillors before, and was raised again by local residents at the recent Muswell Hill Area Assembly. The boxes are designed for lids, but were delivered to all local households without them.

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