From litter fines to recycling pines!

Date published: 13/12/2006

Visitors to Rochdale can find out all they need to know about recycling this week, at a roadshow in Rochdale town centre on Thursday 14 December.

At the same time, staff from Rochdale Council's Street Services teams will be explaining how to dispose of litter properly and the penalties for failing to do so.

Anyone dropping litter, including cigarette butts and chewing gum, in Rochdale borough is risking a £75 Fixed Penalty Notice. Staff will hand out hundreds of boxes to help smokers dispose of their butts responsibly. Rochdale town centre also has special bins for chewing gum.

Amongst the recycling information will be details of how residents can recycle their real Christmas trees in the new year. There will also be information about the kerbside collection scheme for paper, glass and tins.

In the Pennines area of the borough, a successful pilot scheme has extended kerbside collection to include plastic bottles and cardboard. In 2007, it is expected that this scheme will be rolled out across the whole borough, greatly increasing the tonnages of waste recycled and kept out of landfill.

Cabinet Member for Environment amp; Sustainability, Councillor Wera Hobhouse said: "Everyone need to be aware of the penalty for littering and that they have a  responsibility for keeping their town clean and tidy. We all need to recycle more, which will save us al money and protect our environment. The roadshow gives people of all ages the information they need in an entertaining way."