Green sacks ‘see no rise in recycling’ in Hackney

The big green sacks put through your letterbox haven’t helped the borough’s recycling efforts, new figures show.

Recycling rates have remained at 25 per cent since 2009, despite a new recycling scheme launched last year.

Hackney’s new “commingling” system enables residents to put all dry packaging in green sacks, a move which it was hoped would make recycling easier for residents as the Town Hall aimed to reach a 34pc rate by 2020.

Cllr Feryal Demirci, the cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: “We are currently completing a participation survey so we can find out about the levels of recycling in different parts of the borough.

‘‘We will use this information to target communications to encourage people to waste less and recycle more.”

The council claim the green sacks “make recycling easier” and have encouraged residents to leave theirs outside daily before 7.30am to be sent to a sorting office in Bow.