Mid Sussex District Council has collected over 16 tonnes of broken electricals in just ten weeks.
A new kerbside collection service of small electrical items and household batteries was launched by Mid Sussex District Council (MSDC) in late November last year. Since the service launch over 16 tonnes of unwanted small electricals and a staggering 2.8 tonnes of batteries have been collected by contractors, Serco.
Councillor John Belsey, Cabinet Member for Environment and Service Delivery said: “MSDC is delighted that our residents are so engaged with this new kerbside collection service, which has enhanced our existing waste and recycling provision. Our huge thanks go to our contractors Serco, who have been extremely supportive of this new venture. We are enormously proud of our collection crews, who have worked tirelessly collecting unprecedented amounts of small electricals under very challenging circumstances. There has been a significantly increased demand on our existing rubbish and recycling services during this pandemic, and our collection crews have shown true dedication and professionalism throughout.”
The new service is for broken small electrical household items and used household batteries that can fit in a standard sized carrier bag. Most small electricals, items that have a plug, battery or lead, are accepted but some restrictions apply.
Serco Operations manager, Ian Tolley said: “Demand for the service is still exceedingly high at the moment. The storage cages on our collection vehicles are filling up fast, therefore if residents find their collection has been missed we are asking them to bear with us and store their items until their next scheduled rubbish collection or to wait a few weeks for demand to even out. Please remember ‘little and often’ so everyone can benefit.”