Merton Council has just installed 70 new dual litter and recycling bins around Mitcham town centre in its latest effort to take recycling onto the streets.
AFC Wimbledon Mascot and face of Merton’s anti-litter campaign, Haydon the Womble, made a special appearance to mark the arrival of the new bins in Mitcham. Now everyone in the area has the chance to recycle on the move. Items such as newspapers, drinks cans, bottles and cartons can all be thrown in the half of the bin marked “Recycle”. The other half of the bin is labelled “Landfill” for non-recyclable rubbish.
Mitcham is the first area in Merton to receive these new dual litter and recycling bins as part of the council’s £2million street scene improvement programme.
By providing these new bins, the council expects to see a significant drop in waste collected from Merton’s streets ending up in landfill. Last year Merton recycled 30% of the waste generated by residents in the borough and this new service will help the borough achieve 33% by March 2010.
The installation of the dual litter bins comes after Merton council recently introduced recycling bins to Mitcham Eastfields station, Mitcham tram stop and Mitcham Junction tram stop.
Merton Council cabinet member for environment and leisure services Councillor David Simpson said: “The more we recycle, the less we have to send to landfill. This means fewer climate changing gases emitted into the atmosphere and more of taxpayers’ money being reinvested in providing a high quality waste and recycling service rather than going on landfill taxes. The images of recyclable materials and landfill on the bins should make people think about where their rubbish goes and encourage them to not only recycle on the move, but recycle at home and at work too.”
Backing Merton’s continuing anti-litter campaign, Haydon said: “As an ambassador for AFC Wimbledon, I am very proud of my associations with Merton and want to see it kept clean and tidy. My main message to people out and about is ‘Bin it, don’t sling it’. I fully support recycling and these bins will mean that everyone can do their bit to be greener and cut down on waste – in true Womble style!”
Residents and schools can visit http://www.merton.gov.uk/binit for litter fun and facts with Haydon. Haydon is calling on people to send in their photographs of litter picks, what they are recycling and any clean-ups they are involved with to press@merton.gov.uk
http://www.merton.gov.uk/litter.htm
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Notes to editors
The dual litter bins will be 102cm high, 91.5cm wide and 53.5cm deep.
The existing litter-bins will be replaced and reused around the borough and the outskirts of Mitcham.