Douglas recycling at all time high, council says

The council changed bin collections to fortnightly alongside recycling every two weeks

Recycling in the Isle of Man's capital is at an "all time high" resulting in the need for a larger refuse vehicle, the city council has said.

The local authority in Douglas said there was a "significant rise" in the rate to 28% last year.

A new "kerbsider" vehicle has replaced the council's refuse collection truck, and it is set to collect up to five different types of waste.

A council spokesman said the rise in people taking up recycling reflected a "growing community-wide commitment to sustainability".

The new vehicle, set to manage the rise in material collected "more efficiently", will also "help divert more waste from the Energy from Waste plant", he explained.

The new vehicle can take five different types of recycling

Douglas Council moved refuse collections to once every two weeks in 2022, alongside a fortnightly kerbside collection service.

The authority reported in 2023 that the change to fortnightly meant recycling rates went from 5% to 20% - a figure that has now risen to 28%.

Councillor Falk Horning said the new vehicle would help them to "better service the community's increasing recycling efforts".

He said it was a "vital step in our ongoing mission to reduce residual waste, lower disposal costs and capture more valuable materials that can be recycled".

The new vehicle, already in operation in the council's fleet, is expected to "make a noticeable impact", he added.