Purbeck District Council, in conjunction with Tetra Pak Ltd and the carton industry body ACE UK (Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment), is launching a three-year trial scheme this week for the collection and recycling of beverage cartons in Purbeck, giving residents the opportunity to recycle more of their household rubbish.

Every year, UK beverage carton manufacturers produce approximately 60,000 tonnes of paper-based cartons for milk, juices and even wine.  That’s  around 2.3kg of cartons per household* which could be recycled instead of thrown in the bin.   Purbeck is now working with the carton industry to establish carton collection points at key residents’ recycling centres.

Although cartons still cannot be placed in household recycling bins in Purbeck, the new project means that used cartons can be placed in special orange-coloured recycling collection bins (taking paper-based cartons only) in the following locations:

Swanage North Beach Car Park; The D’Urberville Hall in  Wool; Bere Regis Car Park; The Upton Oil Site at Blandford Road North in Upton; and Purbeck District Council Offices in Wareham (the Wareham bank will be arriving in a few weeks). 

Once collected, the cartons are taken away to be recycled into various products, ranging from plasterboard liner to high-strength paper bags and envelopes.

Councillor Paul Johns, Waste Management Adviser for Purbeck,  said: “The residents of Purbeck have always responded well to the recycling schemes we’ve implemented, but we’ve still got tough targets to meet, locally and nationally.  We’re delighted that Tetra Pak and the carton industry are supporting us to increase carton recycling in Purbeck.  If the three year trial is successful, we’d like to see the project rolled out further.”

Richard Hands, Environment Manager at Tetra Pak Ltd and Chairman of ACE UK, added: “Whilst large volumes of cartons have been successfully recycled for many years in Europe, the UK still has a long way to go.  It’s therefore fantastic news that Purbeck District Council is taking a lead by adding cartons to its materials collected for recycling.  We, and our industry partners, are committed to increasing the level of carton recycling in the UK and aim to have a national collection network by the end of 2008.  Our work with Purbeck brings that one step closer.”

Since April last year, the UK carton industry has made £1.5million available to help local authorities interested in developing carton collection schemes.  There are over 300 districts already collecting cartons, which will result in a national network of coverage during the next 18 months. The carton industry continues to work with new paper mills to trial carton recycling to ensure the industry can cater for this increase in recycling.

Please remember: wash and squash your carton before recycling and only put paper-based liquid food and drinks cartons in the recycling bins, unless otherwise specified on the bin.  No plastic, card, cans, glass, plastic bags or foil.

For more information on recycling in Purbeck, call the Helpline on 01929 557279  or visit www.purbeck.gov.uk. 

For more information on beverage carton recycling, visit http://www.tetrapakrecycling.co.uk/.

* It is estimated that 54 cartons are used per person per annum in the UK, representing over 200 cartons a year for a typical family of four.

Following a 10-week detailed examination last year into the South West’s long term plan, the Independent Panel who ran the process has today published its long awaited report which will shape development in the region over the next 20 years.

The report into the draft Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS), sets out strategic policies on subjects including housing, employment and the environment and there are substantial implications recommended for the Purbeck District.  Notably, the increase in the level of housing provision from 2100 dwellings, proposed in the draft RSS supported by the District Council, to a proposed 5150 dwellings to be built by 2026.

The Panel has recommended that the majority of the additional housing (2750 dwellings) should be located in North East Purbeck, effectively to the west of Poole/Upton with implications for areas in and around Upton, Lytchett Matravers and Lytchett Minster (formerly known as the Western Sector).

This area is currently afforded protection by Green Belt policy. However, despite objections from the District Council and local residents, the Panel felt that, in terms of sustainability, an urban extension in the Green Belt adjacent to the conurbation was more sustainable than identifying land outside the Green Belt, which would necessitate commuting into Poole.

In addition to the Western Extension, the Panel has recommended that the Council find a further 2400 dwellings across the District (120 dwellings per annum) by 2026. This is an increase of 300 dwellings on the draft RSS figure of 2100 dwellings (105 dwellings per annum).

The Panel has also increased the targets for affordable housing from a minimum of 30% to 35%. However, the District Council will have the flexibility to provide between 35% and 60% of affordable housing for local people. This would mean targeting a minimum of 1800 affordable homes in the District by 2026.

Councillor Bill Trite, Leader of the Council, said

‘Purbeck District Council is extremely disappointed that, despite its best efforts to demonstrate that the District cannot accommodate major housing developments, the Panel’s report into the draft Regional Spatial Strategy is recommending that the District takes more than double its original housing numbers. 

It is of particular concern that the villages of Lytchett Matravers and Lytchett Minster will be swamped by a major new development and that a vast majority of Green Belt will be lost to concrete.  It is my view that the report does not demonstrate that the so-called “Western Extension” is viable, as there is still much work to do on transport infrastructure and nature conservation’.

Next Steps

Representations are not invited upon the Panel Report. The Secretary of State will consider the Panel report and representations previously submitted and aim to publish her proposed changes in Spring 2008. There will then be a 12 week period of public consultation, where representations from organisations and the public will be invited. Following consideration of these representations the Secretary of State is expecting to publish the final RSS in Autumn 2008.

Implications for District

Meanwhile the District Council will continue preparing its Core Strategy, which must  conform with the Regional Spatial Strategy. The current timetable for preparing Preferred Options for the Core Strategy, due for consultation in Spring 2008, has had to be delayed in order to fully explore all possible housing options through the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment work that is currently being carried out. This would have the benefit of allowing the Core Strategy to fall in line with the latter stages of the RSS. The District Council is expecting to re-submit a new Local Development Scheme setting out the revised consultation timetable in the Spring.