Mar 1 2006
In a bid to encourage sustainable waste disposal, Hackney council has made recycling compulsory, letsrecycle.com reports.
Residents have been warned they could be fined up to £1,000 if they do not make use of their green recycling boxes.
The measures, which apply to 20,000 households in the east London borough, follow a similar scheme in Barnet, where compulsory recycling has also been introduced.
Barnet council's recycling rate has doubled to 29.97 per cent since 2002/03.
Hackney council has stressed that the methods are being used simply to encourage people to recycle, and that legal action will only be used as a last resort.
"Barnet has not fined anyone and we hopefully will not have to either," councillor Jessica Crowe told letsrecycle.com. "This scheme is simply an intensification of the awareness raising work that we have been running in the borough."
Residents who do not put out their green recycling boxes will receive a postcard reminding them to do so. If they still regularly fail to do so after four to six weeks, a letter will be sent. This will be followed by a visit from an officer, and if the resident still refuses, a fine could be issued.
The council is looking to roll the scheme out to the rest the borough's households if it is successful.
Recent government figures show that the UK has the worst recycling record in Europe, with only 18 per cent of household waste recycled in 2003/04.