SUSTAINABLE DARTFORD
by Sophie Colton - Local Student
From the Kyoto Protocol (1997) to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, there is a constant reminder that we need to protect the environment. With recycling and reducing landfill waste being a goal that everyone can reach, it has become the focus of the Borough’s targets. Whilst Dartford only recycles 25.2% of rubbish, which makes it the worst Borough in Kent for recycling, less than 1% of waste in Dartford actually ends up in landfill sites. Rather than waste being left to rot on the ground, it is sent to Pepperhill to be sorted and then, it is either incinerated to create energy, recycled or sent to landfill. This system enables households to not feel pressured to recycle yet be sustainable in the process. However, the topic of recycling and waste has led to disagreements between the Labour and Conservative parties. The leader of the Conservative party, Jeremy Kite, says that his approach to waste and recycling comes from “asking people what they want to do” through The Big Bin Vote which happens every 3 or 4 years. In this vote, the people of Dartford can have their say in how they want their waste to be collected. They can decide whether or not they want to keep weekly waste collections and fortnightly recycling collections. Moreover, on the Dartford Borough Council website, there are more options with regards to waste collections. Households can request a 240 litre garden waste bin if they need it with an annual price of £40 and a one-off payment of £42. If not request a garden waste bin, all garden waste can be taken to Dartford Household Waste Recycling Centre. On the contrary, the leader of the Labour party, Jonathon Hawkes, argues that collections for “recycling should be collected every week.” In addition to this, he says “there should be a weekly collection of food waste.” This will leave residual waste not needing to be collected so frequently as the majority of waste will be food or recycling. Furthermore, he argues that the council should promote recycling, through awareness campaigns, in order to create a culture that takes recycling seriously. As a consequence of this, Dartford will become more sustainable due to more recycling.
for more ways to make it more sustainable. Currently, the council are taking the decision to get rid of single-use plastic and replace them with paper cups or canisters. Moreover, they are communicating with local businesses in order to reduce and reuse packaging. Through spreading awareness, the Borough will become more sustainable and will protect the environment.
NEWS Weekly bin collections to continue as Dartford Council appoints a new waste contractor. Dartford Council has confirmed it will not be following other councils in cutting the frequency of bin collections as it announces that the town will have a new waste collection partner when a fresh contract goes live in July. Council Leader Jeremy Kite says local people can look forward to a number of service enhancements as well as the retention of weekly collections.
Whilst Dartford is not the most sustainable Borough for recycling, the council, as a collective, are currently looking 14
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