Ealing Council awards £80,000 through its Recycling Reward Incentive Scheme
June 2, 2011 at 2:31 pm
In April 2011, residents of several wards in Ealing were rewarded for their recycling efforts. Waste disposal in the 23 wards of the borough was monitored for a period of 7 months, between September 2010 and April 2011. Council officers went out on to the streets to check how much residents were using their recycling bins for paper, glass, cans, plastic and food waste. Monitoring first took place in September and then 6 months later, in order to measure the wards’ rate of improvement.
In the end, 5 wards were rewarded and placed in two categories:
- Elthorne and Hobbayne were found to be the best overall recyclers, with an average of 72.7% of their households recycling. They won £10,000 each.
- South Acton had the best increase in recycling rates with a rise of 6.1%. It was followed by Southfields and Northolt Mandeville (4.1% increase each). Each ward won £20,000.
At the other end of the spectrum, Southall Green came last with the worst participation rates and results. On average, only 38.3% of its residents participated in recycling.
Ealing rewarded wards rather than individuals. The prizes will be used to improve local facilities.
It is not just the wards that profited from this award: during the 7-month survey, the council as a whole spent £231,000 less in landfill tax according to the Ealing Gazette.
Ealing’s incentive initiative is fairly new in the UK. Only two other councils have recently organised recycling rewards schemes: Windsor and Maidenhead (RecycleBank scheme) and Cornwall. These schemes aim at rewarding the residents directly, rather than wards, with shopping vouchers, discounts and offers at local shops and restaurants.
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