Recycling in Manx capital quadruples, council says

Recycling has seen a spike in the island's capital since black bin collections were reduced

Recycling in the Isle of Man's capital has quadrupled since black bin collections were cut to fortnightly a year ago, a councillor has said.

The scrapping of weekly collections in September last year was coupled with the introduction a garden waste service during the summer.

The reduction in services sparked anger among some residents.

Douglas councillor Falk Horning said the majority had now adjusted to the change.

The council said recycling rates had risen from a "static" 5% before the change - which affected about 12,000 homes - to 20% after a year in operation.

Douglas Council leader Clare Wells previously said rates had increased to 15% in the immediate aftermath of the collection reduction.

A kerbside collection service for many residents was first introduced in 2008.

Mr Horning, who is the chairman of the council's Environmental Services Committee, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the authority was "committed" to carrying out a review once a full year of data was available.

He reiterated the council's stance that the changes had "never been about cost" and were instead to "minimise environmental impact" and "promote responsible waste management".

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