York Environment Centre

Friends of St Nicholas Fields run a community recycling scheme which aims to reduce the amount of domestic waste that goes into landfill from the local area. The scheme started in early 2001 and currently involves over 3400 households and we are planning to expand up to the total of 5000. At the moment this free weekly kerbside collection service operates in parts of Tang Hall, Lawrence Street, Hull Road, Heslington Road, Aldwark, Holmefield, St Peters Quarter, South Bank and Bishophill areas, using our zero emission electric vehicle (powered by wind and sun) and load bearing cycle trikes. We collect paper, glass, cans, clothes & shoes and green garden waste, plus plastic bottles but only in certain areas. Please see more details and collection dates. If you live in the area and would like to be part of the scheme, please let us know.

Typical contents of a household rubbish bin. Most of this could be recycled or reused. What's in your bin?

• It saves energy and resources. To make a can from recycled aluminium, for example, uses 95% less energy than making it from new - and that means much less greenhouse gasses. It can take as little as six weeks to turn the things you recycle into a new product.
• It will save you money. Each year York residents produce about 100,000 tonnes of rubbish. This figure is growing by about 3% a year. By 2025 it's estimated there will be twice as much waste to deal with. Most of that is recyclable but currently only about 15% actually is! Space in landfill sites is running out. Unless York reduces the amount of landfill, it will face big fines. Council tax bills would have to rise. Also, landfill sites are a huge environmental burden: they emit CO2 and methane - a greenhouse gas 200 times as powerful as CO2 - and produce toxic leachate that may seep into groundwater.
• It is free and easy! If you live in an area that we cover, we can provide you with a free service collecting from your doorstep every week. Just leave your recycling box out on the correct day by 8am.

REDUCE   *   REUSE   *    RECYCLE   *   RESPECT