Posted Friday, 19 September 2003

Why can't we recycle all this plastic? By Megan Lane - BBC News Online
A trip to the shops these days is likely to result in almost as much packaging as food. And once used, these wrappers, bags and trays are destined for the bin. Ever tried to find a place to recycle plastics in the UK? It's a fruitless mission.
Read this article in full on the BBC website

Get your compost bin here!
Posted Monday, 02 June 2003
Solihull MBC is encouraging people to reduce the amount of garden waste they produce, by selling reduced price compost bins.
Working with Blackwall Ltd, the subsidised bins will be available from 6 June at Blooms of Bressingham Garden Centre, Kenilworth Road, Hampton in Arden. Stocks are limited and sales will be on a first come, first served purpose. The composters come in two sizes, the compact 220 litre costing £12 (rrp £39.95) and a large 330 litre costing £15 (rrp £49.95).

While many of us already recycle glass, paper, cans and textiles, composting organic waste is seldom seen as an equally important way of recycling. However, it is estimated that 30% of all waste that we throw away is made up of kitchen vegetable scraps or garden waste which, when put in a composter, simply breaks down to produce a nutritious soil conditioner ideal for the garden.

Cllr Dr David Evans, Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure, said: “We should all take responsibility for protecting our environment. For a few pounds, we can all help reduce the demand on landfill sites by composting our household organic waste.”

Recycling in Solihull
Solihull Council has stated its commitment to cutting down the amount of waste produced in Solihull by Reduction, Reuse and Recycling. At present around 63,000 tonnes of waste is disposed of each year.

Ways You Can Help
Take glass bottles and jars to bottle bank?
Save old newspapers and magazines and take them to a paper bank?
Use your own shopping bag?
Give old clothes and unwanted gifts to charity shops?
Save aluminium cans for recycling?
Save your plastic containers for recycling?
Have a compost heap in your garden?
Read the labels of goods to see if they use recycled materials?
Instead of going to the tip, do a car boot sale - you wouldn't believe the tat that people buy!
Shop carefully and only buy what you need -
I keep nagging my wife on this one!


There are currently 29 Recycling sites around the Borough.

Graph from http://www.beep.dial.pipex.com/campaigns/waste

You Said....
Posted Monday, August 11, 2008
Recycling is good for the environment, like it or not. I mean, think about it... What would our world be like if we never recycle? We would probably be extinct since our natural resources would disappear due to the cause of not recycling. Recycle is to use something again, and not waste more money, energy, and natural resources to make that object from scratch that could have never even been done again if you recycled. Understand?
Lorrie

Posted Thursday, June 12, 2008
I use the Bickenhill site to dispose of my plastic, and so do a lot of other people, looking at the amount of plastic in the container. My question is:- what happens to the plastic, is it recycled for fuel, or recycled to make other plastic articles, or is it dumped in a big hole in the ground, in this country or abroad? Any answers would be appreciated, as i'm trying to convince a sceptic to recycle.
Alan Hornsby

Posted Monday, January 14, 2008
I live in Castle Brom.  Where can I recycle plastic and cans?
James Gleeson

Posted Monday, June 25, 2007
I read the Wastage Disposal Article.  Where can a commercial Business dispose of waste, such as gardeners, as surely they produce the most green waste around!
Grant

Posted Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Like many other people I recycle and use the points supplied by the council. I believe in the reasons behind recycling yet it fails to make sense for some. Driving to the recycling point if in walking distance once a week protects the environment plus give you exercise.  Driving to a recycling point and DUMPING black sacks of paper tins and clothing is useless. I come across dumped recycling weekly .  This is lazy and inconsiderate as the bins are not full, cost ineffective as someone is the paid out of precious funds to clear it up.  IF YOU ARE GOING TO DO IT DO IT PROPERLY.  Many people who dump there paper are leaving evidence in the way of old household bills which could be bad news for them.
Tina

Posted Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Steve's comments on recycling in Kenilworth are incorrect. The main recycling centre in Kenilworth at Cherry Orchard is owned by Warwickshire County Council which has contracted out the management to a private operator.
A few months ago Warwick District Council actually reduced its recycling facilities in the town by removing the bottle and paper banks from the Abbey End car park.
Joanna Illingworth

Posted Friday, May 18, 2007
I want somewhere in Solihull to recycle plastic carrier bags please. Does anyone know where I can take these as I won't throw them away!
Hex

Posted Wednesday, April 25, 2007
I didn't really want a wheelie bin - thought it would be unsightly and hard work. But!! It's been great - I can dispose of my garden stuff easily, I've been putting veg. peelings, straw from cleaning out the rabbits (is this ok?) etc. in the bin. It's easy to do, I don't have to buy green bags and I feel good because i'm doing my bit for the environment. Thanks for my wheelie bin!
Elaine Covell

Posted Thursday, April 12, 2007
I now have a green wheelie bin for garden waste despite asking the council NOT to deliver one to me.  Wasn't that why they sent the letter round?  I don't have a garden, so this plastic environmental disaster will now clutter the neighbourhood, unused.  How about spending my council tax on a weekly paper, glass, plastic & metals collection instead, like the rest of the country?
Simon

Posted Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Solihull is Rubbish? I can think of much 'stronger language' to use. I think our fat bloated councillors need a thorough good kicking to get then out of their complacency. If you want to see how good recycling facilities can be visit those of Warwick District Council in Kenilworth and Leamington. They fund them by selling re-useable items that people have brought in - we have bought good doors and bathroom suites for £5 to £10 (it is amazing what people do throw away, and so much that can be re-used without even recycling). And they take every kind of sorted waste - much better than Bickenhill.
Steve

Posted Thursday, February 22, 2007
You can now recycle household plastic bottles and cartons (Tetra Pak types) at 3 of the recycling centres in the borough.  Starting from January 29, 2007 these are:
Tudor Grange Park Car Park, Monkspath Hall Road
North Solihull Sports centre, Conway Road
Bickenhill Household Waste and Recycling Centre
Helen

Posted Monday, January 22, 2007
January 2007 and Solihull council still cannot recycle as their neighbours.  Here in Shirley we still have plastic bags for paper only and, if you pay exorbitantly for them, plastic bags in the summer are collected for garden waste, as long as it is only grass cuttings and plant prunings.  Hedge trimmings and shrub prunings etc are frowned upon.  If you live a few hundred yards, sorry metres, away across the Stratford road, you have a small box for paper and a wheelie bin for garden waste but the latter  only during nine months of the year collected fortnightly. Cardboard, metals glass and plastics are not collected at all.  You can take card and glass to recycle banks but not everyone is in a position to do so. And what about the rest? where do we take it to?  Birmingham have kerbside collections for all recyclables. Even the elderly and disabled are catered for this way. Why can't Solihull, if not arrange their own recycling, have an agreement with Birmingham to dispose of ours? Ha I must be joking.  As someone else has said, all our councillors are concerned with is the new car/house etc that they can themselves get at years end.  Damn the people of Solihull and the environment as long as they are 'all right Jack'.
Helen

Posted  Monday, January 22, 2007
Can i just ask, how come Solihull has never had recycling bins? I'm originally from Tamworth, and we have them there, and they're emptied on a regular basis by our local bin men. most foods that are packed into bio-degradable packaging but there's not an awful lot we can do with it other than chuck it in the bin. i've kept on at my family about this and they tell me to ask the council. i intend on doing so.
Laura

Posted  Monday, January 1, 2007
I would like to see a plastic recycle "bin" placed next to every bottle bank as most people take their bottles to be recycled in plastic bags and then have no way of disposing of them.
Matt Drew

Posted  Thursday, December 14, 2006
 Whilst in Redditch, I noticed a recycling collection point at the supermarket for plastic.
 Where can I recycle plastic in Solihull?
Marie

Posted Monday, November 13 2006
I would like to know about a free and safe way to dispose of "domestic" AA - AAA - 9v batteries used for mp3 players, torches etc.  Thank you.
Sue Spencer

Posted Monday, September 18 2006
 Where can you recycle plastic in and around Solihull?
Cheryl

Posted Friday, September 8 2006
Why as some of the borough been supplied with expensive wheelie bins for garden rubbish when others are expected to have to pay for green bags should we not be provided with free bags. also what happens to these green bags after the contents have been emptied in the back of the refuse truck are they just throw away?
P. Hensley

Posted Thursday, August 31 2006
I put all my waste paper out each week, but I am told that cereal cartons are not acceptable. 
I am told I can put postcards, xmas cards, birthday cards etc What is the difference?
Derek Bridgens

Posted Tuesday, August 15, 2006
I manage a medium sized electrical wholesale unit in Shirley, and we get through a considerable amount of paper in a month, which has until now been shredded and put in the bin for the council to take away. I took over here recently and am looking for a way of managing our waste paper considerations, but bearing in mind that our Company makes no provisions in their budgets for such an expense. We probably amass 5 or 6 bin liners of shredded paper per month so it's not excessive, but I would feel happier if I knew I had done all I could to reduce unnecessary wastage. Please give me a clue as to what services you could offer, or any ideas!
Jamie Yeomans

Posted Monday, July 10, 2006
We have just received our green wheelie bin for garden waste disposal in Solihull.  Why do we need to change our garden waste re-cycling method when we already had an adequate system in place.  Could the money not have been better spent on providing facilities for plastic recycling in this area? or providing a door to door recycle collection service for glass, tins etc. that surrounding councils are able to provide?  Surely this would encourage more people to recycle.
Donna

Posted Monday, May 29, 2006
I recycle everything I can but unless I go to Bridgenorth I can't recycle plastic. Where is the nearest plastic recycling site to Hall Green/ Solihull?
Stef

Posted Thursday, April 20, 2006
My recycling material has just been collected, but the lads who collected the waste left behind cereal boxes, pizza cartons etc. (which I had broken down).  Is this material not required.  When will Needlers End Lane be given the correct bins so that we can recycle most items.
Lynn Dillon

Posted Monday, April 3, 2006
Work in a Solihull school where we pay to have our paper collected, recycle phones and printer cartridges and postage stamps. Children want to recycle cans, milk cartons and plastic but don't know how. Nothing seems to get collected by council yet surely would be great to encourage new generation of recyclers by having bins in schools. Can anyone advise?
Karen

Posted Monday, April 3, 2006
Could you please let me know where we can take plastic for recycling in and around Knowle/Dorridge & or Bentley Heath. Thank you.
Robert Dyer

Posted Monday, February 27, 2006
Reuse is more friendly than recycling. Why not pass on your unwanted but reusable items to others in need, saving them going through landfills and the remanufacturing process.
Freecycling is a way to offer these to others can make use of them. Great for making sure your unwanted microwave, curtains, kids clothes, old furniture are used by someone in need. The basic rule is... everything is offered for free. Look at www.freecycle.org for your local group. I have applied to get one set up for Solihull but in the meantime there are groups set up for Birmingham, Coventry, Nuneaton & Bedworth and Leamington.
Becky Dore

Posted Monday, February 27, 2006
In reply to Megan, it is possible to recycle plastics in High Wycombe. We only moved here recently and couldn't understand why there were no plastic containers at recycling sites.
Jean Jones

Posted Friday, December 16, 2005
 I love to recycle. It makes my day knowing I have done good in the world
Eddie Spann

Posted Friday, December 16, 2005
 I would like to know when we are going to get proper boxes for recycling paper, currently we have a plastic bag which is always torn and therefore all the paper falls out when left for the rubbish collectors. I would also like to know when we are going to get boxes for recycling plastic.
Neeta

Posted Wednesday, November 2, 2005
I want to hear from anyone who is interested in completely rethinking the way we recycle as a society. I want to talk to local people in Solihull who can think of practical ways to make recycling a more successful venture. Contact me at yaris777@hotmail.com.
David Catterson

Posted Friday, September 16, 2005
 We are asked to help the environment by re-cycling, yet looking at the messages on this website requests have been made for plastic re-cycling facilities for years now - yet nothing has been done!! Come on Solihull Council get your act together, how much of our rubbish is plastic bottles/containers that could be re-cycled instead of buried in the ground?
Lorna Lynch

Posted Friday, July 29, 2005
I think the recycling is very poor in Solihull. Although I do have to praise the Council due to the fact that they have introduced the Green Paper Recycling boxes. But more needs to be done a.s.a.p. Basically it is pure laziness that people can't be bothered to recycle their waste. God knows what would happen if the Council didn't introduce any recycling schemes! Come on People Reduce, Recycle and Reuse!!! Peace Out.
Sara Darr

Posted Monday, June 6, 2005
 I would like to do more recycling.  Where do I find information about the red recycle bags I see in our neighbourhood and the collection times?  Many thanks.
Michele

Posted Tuesday, January 18, 2005
I am appalled by the recycling schemes in Tudor Grange school i go there and i have just done a project on recycling and Tudor Grange school recycles the minimal amount of things it can. As a citizen of Solihull i am glad to see so many new schemes that are coming into the West Midlands.
Giles Ward

Posted Friday, December 10, 2004
The recent Council newsletter had me laughing - they were raving about the recycling success in Solihull! Here in Shirley we still don't have a kerbside collection of paper of any description, and the recycling bins that exist are so infrequently emptied that they are impossible to use (anyone been to the Nottcuts rubbish mountain recently?)
Michael Evans

Posted Friday, August 27, 2004
 Will Solihull please stop congratulating themselves on the recycling rates when they are really nothing but deplorable.  Where my mother lives they collect paper, plastic, aluminium, garden waste and even glass (yes it is in England).  Any yet what do we have, well I have just received a kerbside box for paper.  What's more, I can not find anywhere which collects plastic and as a result of refusing to throw it away I have 12 black sacks full of them in my garage.  Please start looking at reality, the environment can not last forever with our current levels of wastage.
A concerned resident

Posted Monday, August 23, 2004
Is there likely to be a repeat of the scheme to enable residents to buy compost bins at a discount? To be truly efficient I need 2 more 330 litre
ones!
J Ingram

Posted Monday, August 16, 2004
Can you tell me where I can recycle plastics in Solihull please?
Claire James

Posted Wednesday, August 11, 2004
I find it both interesting and concerning, the amount of driving one family has to do to recycle waste. When will Solihull Council look at, "Recycle days" possibly monthly for smaller items (clothes, shoes,  etc,) and once a fortnight/week for more bulky items, (such as glass, aluminium, and of course garden waste that could be sold back to us as compost. This would therefore cut down the number of trips to and from the local sites, of which I have a round trip of close to 20 miles to do. Surely the damage to environment caused by all the various vehicles travelling to these areas potentially negates the good of recycling?
Bob Hair

Posted Tuesday, July 6, 2004
 i often go to Germany to help relieve the amount of collectable and antique furniture left on the street for recycling in to the community....i am starting a new venture importing this stuff to England and hopefully getting government grants....maybe England should take a leaf out of our neighbours book and help people to help themselves....so to all you lazy English men and women who "can not be bothered" RECYCLE TODAY FOR A BRIGHTER TOMORROW, you owe the world the world don't owe you anything!!
Garry Wilkinson

Posted Saturday, May 1, 2004
 Can you advise me of any facility to dispose of/recycle unused telephone handsets.  I have two digital phones which are broken (may be capable of being recycled).  When I lived in Shrewsbury the Council/waste disposal contractor had a facility for disposal/recycling of old electrical goods (computers games, hardware etc).  Any suggestions?
David Winchurch
A search on Google returns a list of charitable organisations who recycle mobile phones and will arrange free collection within the UK. Ed

Posted Friday, April 16, 2004
From this message board it sounds like some people in Solihull do have a paper recycling service collection from the door - why do we not have this in Shirley? Overall I think the recycling in the borough is very poor - I have given up taking paper and cardboard to recycling points because they're always full. I've gone back to putting it in the normal rubbish. Until Solihull council provides the services and maintains them I'll continue to do this. I'm always embarrassed to talk of Solihull services with people from neighbouring boroughs. They laugh when I tell them we have to pay extra for garden waste bags and have no paper collection service!
Mike Evans

Posted Tuesday, April 6, 2004
I am shocked to see that despite the overall very negative comments about Solihull Council right now, the Tory councillors in charge have done nothing to improve the situation.  It is probably about time we elected some more caring councillors: the Lib Dems seem to be making noise about this in their Focus newsletters that I get.  I expect the Greens are better too.  Anyone else we can vote for to improve recycling?
John Scott

Posted Sunday, December 21, 2003
 For the year 2003/04, the Council is now achieving a recycling rate of around 10.4%, which is ridiculously low. It's about time that we had cans, glass, cardboard and plastic collected from our homes as well as paper and textiles as happens in most other towns and cities. I agree with Heidi that you should write to your councillors www.solihull.gov.uk/content/wards.asp
to demand improvements and vote for a party that does want to increase the recycling rates.
Jane Peters

Posted Saturday, November 1, 2003
 The lack of recycling facilities for plastic is appalling. You are quite right to point it out Jennie. Not all but some plastic can be recycled. It IS good for the environment (i.e. it does save energy overall) but it is expensive, hence the Conservatives on Solihull Council don't want to pay for it! They seem to think it's OK to use and abuse the environment as long as they can buy a nicer car at the end of the year!
However, it would be far better to drink tap water or bought a water filter - perhaps from your local supermarket or kitchenware store. This filters out all the impurities that you are afraid of drinking in tap water. It is important to REDUCE as well as recycle since even recycling costs energy. Don't forget to ASK YOUR COUNCILLORS about recycling if they knock on your door or have an address on their newsletters
Heidi

Posted Tuesday, October 28, 2003 at 16:10:32
Plastic bottles - where can we recycle them?
we are encouraged to drink water yet when we do there are no facilities to recycle the used bottles and I hardly think the answer is to never buy plastic seen as like others have mentioned, plastic makes up most of the rubbish, yet it packages practically everything.
Can anyone suggest a site that will let me get rid of the ever mounting pile of plastic in my back garden! It makes you realise how unaware people are when the other day  I asked the site worker at a recycling plant where the bin for plastic bottles was, he replied 'we don't have one but you can put them in the burnable's well that's ok then lets not bury them in the ground, we'll just breath in the fumes in the air instead.
Jennie

Posted Monday, September 29, 2003
I was referred here by a Solihull local. I'm from Swords, in Fingal, a borough of Dublin in Ireland. Our borough has the best recycling service in my country - big green bins are collected every fortnight. We pay 5 euro per every time our black bins are collected, which is an incentive to reduce, reuse and recycle. As a consequence we only put out our black bin every two weeks. Hopefully our recycling rate will increase dramatically thanks to this. Hope your service improves some day.
Enda Crowley

Posted Monday, 1st September 2003
Plastic Recycling
I have searched the Solihull recycling web site to find a plastic recycling spot near home. I live in Shirley and was unable to find a site in the Solihull borough. Please help. I am prepared to travel out of the borough if necessary.
Can anyone tell me of a site near Solihull?
Heidi

Reply Posted Tuesday, September 9, 2003
Heidi,Plastic Recycling can be done at a number of sites in Warwickshire including Kenilworth. If you look at Warwick County Council's web-site the details are there. I take my plastic bottles there, we'll wait for ever for Solihull to get their act together !
Peter

Posted Thursday, August 28, 2003

Bins for Paper, Glass, metal, plastic and toxic!!
 The picture of the recycling dustbins above belong to me, my son Alex helped design the signs for each bin. I think it's important to teach our children to recycle as much of our rubbish as possible, whether the local council helps out or not. Solihull council is one of the worst, colleagues I work with found it hard to believe that I had to purchase the bins myself and take all of the recyclable materials to collection points. It's about time local councils got there priorities in order. There are a lot of people who want to do their bit and need help from an authority that is supposed to support us as a Community.
Karen Wardle

Posted Thursday, August 28, 2003
Pink Bag??? Why do some Solihull council tenants have their paper collected and other areas in Solihull do not?
Karen Wardle

Posted Saturday, August 23, 2003
On a recent holiday to France, rubbish was separated into bins specifically for newspaper, plastic/cans/cardboard and general rubbish and then collected by the bin men - sorry, refuse collectors. Why can't Solihull council arrange this? I think most people would welcome the opportunity to recycle waste, if only it were made easier for them.
Steve

Posted Monday, June 30, 2003
I agree that Solihull is appalling when it comes to recycling - I don't know any other council that does so little door-step recycling. My parents - in Chelmsford - have collections of paper, glass, metal and garden waste and I take my plastic bottles to a friend in Buckinghamshire. Here I can't even get paper collected - I've been putting my paper out on the allotted dates for the last two months and it still has not been collected.
No wonder people don't participate if this is the level of service we get.
In the past I was on an Agenda21 committee to look at waste and recycling, but every idea proposed was thwarted by the council citing lack of money! How do other council's manage? What are Solihull afraid of? Are they too posh to talk waste?
Dr. Nicolette Lawson

Posted Friday, May 23, 2003
I have been putting out my waste paper and cardboard in the pink bags ever since the system began in Solihull. The past few weeks I have not been left a pink bag, so have put out my rubbish in a carrier bag, which has been collected. It might be a good idea if  WRC put the new pink bag through letter boxes, as mine has sometimes been found in the garden next door, having presumably been blown or thrown there! Another point - I clean and squash all my cans but do not have a car, and have to rely on someone's good nature to take them to Tesco's in Monkspath every so often. Why can't there be more can banks available? I have seen containers for plastic in Derbyshire, why not here?
M Jennings

Posted Monday, May 19, 2003
 We had a pink bag and a loose notice advising of the (irregular) collection arrangements for these waste paper recycling bags delivered some weeks ago. We put out a full sack of waste paper, and about 2 days later it was collected. We haven't got any more pink bags, and erroneously threw away the loose notice giving the dates of collection, so I'm wondering what happens now? When I lived in Holland for two years, paper for recycling was put out on Monday nights and collected every week by the council. Why can't we have a similar arrangement?
Tom Brassil

I'm glad to read that recycling has been imposed in Solihull. It's great!
I lived in Barnfield Drive, Solihull from 1999-2001. I was wondering about the system there in UK since I was  resident in Germany for 16 years before moving to the UK. I'd been used to recycling, separating bottles, plastic & papers and wastes. There are biological waste and rubbish wastes. Here in Germany, the community has been provided with a Bio-waste container, Paper container and Waste-rubbish container with cover on each. These three containers are at each home or apartment . These have a monthly payment to service the pick-up of wastes. The monthly rate bills depend on numbers of household members and the litter volume of each container. Plastic is also separated with see thru plastic, that content could be seen. Aluminium is also separated from tins metals. Styropor is also separated from plastic.
Metals have a bigger container. Aluminium, plastic, tins metals and styropor & other throw able materials are being brought to recycling hall that the community or borough has provided for their residents. Damaged Electrical appliances are also brought to recycling hall. All these systems must be done by Solihull council. Another comment of mine during my stay there in UK is about water. Houses are billed unjustly of water usage. Not all houses have water meter. They just calculate it per thumb, example: 5 people in a 5 bedroom detached house, £69 a month even though not much water has been used because my husband has been away for weeks due to his job. Should there be a fairer water law? Here in Germany, the government controls the private company of their rates to water usage. Once a year a report of water substances and hardness is done to let people be aware to maintain clean water resources. Anyway, good luck for this recycling adjustment time. Solihull deserves a more healthy greener environment.
Josephine Hoyer

Is anyone else fed up of putting out the orange bags with paper to be recycled, only to find them still there uncollected at the end of the day. The service in January and February was appalling. No paper was collected n three out of four collection dates. The Recycling manager at Solihull Council has been given a variety of sad and sorry excuses by WCR - the waste collection service. Despite being given assurance that a reliable collection service would be forthcoming, the evidence is to the contrary. Once again I have returned from work at 6pm to find the bags uncollected and waste paper from unsecured bags blowing around the road. I was under the impression that recycling should help the environment not pollute it further. Perhaps SBC should bring to account WCR for contributing to the pollution around the borough, or should someone at the council just make a decision to award the contract to a firm that offers a more reliable service!
Moira Mees

It is good to see there are so many re-cycling points around Solihull to help encourage residents to recycle their 'rubbish'. However, are there any recycling centres I could visit to recycle my plastic?
N.Richardson

I was putting plastic bottles, paper and metal cans in kerbside containers in New York 14 years ago. What's so difficult?
Brian

I would like to know, Why there is not more kerb side collection in Solihull. Birmingham were collecting paper ages before Solihull. I recycle everything I can, Have even driven my mates mad, with magnets etc. My main concern is for the Elderly, non drivers and those to busy, they want to recycle, but are unable to get to the recycling sites. If We all got bags or boxes etc, where We could put ALL the things that are recyclable in, I think more people would do it. I fill a red bag every 2 weeks and still have to go recycling.
Karen

We have just moved here from Stafford and are surprised at the very low priority that seems to be being applied here. No doorstep collection; we are used to having separate collection of paper, cans, bottles and some plastic, leaving very little to go in the main bin. Cardboard recycling was available at the local dump. Here there are no collections, the dump is over busy and the containers are often too full to sort stuff properly anyway. I guess this is what you get for keeping council tax as low as possible but we are unimpressed.
Louise Holden

 I agree, 6% is very poor indeed! Daventry Council is managing 45% at least now. the only way other councils are getting higher recycling rates is because they provided kerbside recycling services. We must have this service delivered to us as soon as possible before we drown in our own rubbish.
As for plastic bottles, they can be recycled but again, there are no facilities in the borough - none provided by our Tory council! If it were profitable, there'd be a recycling bank for them provided by a company. It's not profitable and the council doesn't appear to want to pay for it. 
Chris Williams

 Solihull's recycling facilities are pathetic. I am appalled at the high cost of council tax and the total and utter lack of recycling facilities. I was expecting kerbside recycling but even providing the bins somewhere would be a start. What a ridiculous situation. What happened to the local authority recycling targets?
Rebecca

The reason that I came on to this web site was to find out about recycling plastic bottles, only to have my question answered by the first comment!
The majority of our rubbish that is left after recycling paper and glass is plastic - it would be great if I didn't have to put this in the bin.
Julie

I have contacted Solihull Council regarding the recycling of plastic containers and was told there were no facilities in the area.   I have just moved down from Leeds where plastic recycling was common.  Most supermarket packaging is now of this type and makes up a large portion of domestic rubbish.  Solihull council are very, very poor on this front.
A Kendall

I firmly believe that every concerned citizen of this borough who thought that we would benefit from more recycling were to write to their particular MP, Parish Councillor, or Residents Association stating their position on recycling, then more would and could be done.
Neil A. Bromley

6% recycled is very poor. How long will it be before someone realises that we need to recycle a good deal more, and soon ! Our European neighbours can do it but then I guess they are more progressive nations than we are.
Just depressing.
Pete Harcourt

Many factors contribute to the quality of our lives - the environment in which we live and work, the quality of our social conditions, our health and our economic well-being to name but a few. When attempting to achieve a better "quality of life" for all members of our community all these factors must be considered as well as the effect our actions may have on future generations. Agenda 21 - the agenda for the 21st Century was agreed by 179 different nations at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. A crucial element of Agenda 21 is the production of Local Agenda 21 Plans by local communities.
To date much of the work towards the production of our Local Agenda 21 Plan has focused on work carried out by the Council on behalf of the local community. It is however equally, if not more important for individuals or communities to contribute directly to the aims of Local Agenda 21. It is about creating communities where local people work alongside local authorities, businesses and other organisations to raise the "quality of life" of those living in that community, in ways that won't deny future generations a decent quality of life too.
For more information on Local Agenda 21 contact the Council's Green Scheme
Solihull Green Scheme, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, P O Box19,
Council House, Solihull, West Midlands, B91 3QT.
Telephone 0121 704 6874 Fax 0121 704 6575 or E-Mail dbiss@solihull.gov.uk

Could do with info about recycling in the area, where, what
{glass, plastic, paper etc.)
Dave
 

Name E-mail Comments

 

We want the Government to make it possible for us to recycle 50 per cent of our waste by 2010 Recycling needs to be as easy as putting the rubbish out. This means doorstep recycling collections for every household.

Solihull's Litter or Rubbish Hot Line - Telephone 0121 704 6503

Useful Links
www.recycle-more.co.uk
www.wastewatch.org.uk
www.recyclingglass.co.uk
www.environment-agency.gov.uk
www.defra.gov.uk
www.solihull.gov.uk

Refuse collection - domestic, trade & bulky items
A service is available to collect and dispose of up to 10 items of household waste such as wardrobes, tables and settees. It should be noted that some items are specifically excluded from the service such as garden waste or builders rubble and the current charge is £19 payable in advance. If you wish to dispose of a fridge or freezer this cost increases to £25.
For Further information call
0121 704 6503 (office hours).

Waste Disposal Site
The facility at Coventry Road, Bickenhill is open daily for the disposal of household and garden refuse. The site however, is not licensed to accept trade or commercial waste.
You may also recycle glass containers, paper, aluminium cans, ferrous metal, oil, car batteries and textiles.
Open Weekdays
Nov - March 8.00am - 6.00pm
April - October 8.00am - 8.00pm
Open weekends
8.00am - 4.30pm
[Last admission is 15 minutes before closing]
The Site is also open on all Bank Holidays with the exception of Christmas, Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.

Environmental Advice
Environmental Advice and information can be obtained from the Green Scheme on 0121 704 6874. The Scheme works closely with local schools, community groups, businesses and individuals on all sorts of environmental projects. Support may be in the form of advice and information or loan of tools and equipment. Projects supported include recycling schemes, community litter picks and school nature area creation. In addition to supporting community based environmental improvement projects, the Green Scheme also co-ordinates local involvement in events such as National Spring Clean Week and Solihull Environment Week