Opening a new recycling facility at two separate locations in Keswick and planting 250 trees are the latest initiatives being put forward by the town council’s climate emergency working group.
Councillors Alexandra Boardman and Sally Lansbury revealed that a new collection facility where people can leave discarded drinks cartons could soon be available at Keswick’s Otley Road recycling centre.
“After much research and a few dead ends, we have a provisional offer from ACE UK Recycling to collect drinks cartons in Keswick for recycling,” Mrs Lansbury said.
Allerdale Borough Council, which runs the Otley Road site, will need to provide space for the recycling bank which will be emptied once a month initially but more frequently if demand is high. There is no cost to Allerdale for providing the service.
Currently, if cartons go into general waste, they are burned as an industrial fuel source, so there will be a reduction in CO2 emissions by opening the new facility.
“Residents are becoming more and more aware of the need to reduce waste and to recycle as much disposable waste as possible, and we feel a Tetra Pak recycling bank will be well supported,” said Mrs Lansbury.
The collected cartons will be recycled, with strong fibres retrieved and made into cores for a range of industrial applications. The working group is asking the town council to write to Allerdale asking for its support.
Trees — mostly willow and alder — are to be planted in Fitz Park from next month after successful talks were held with the Woodland Trust, parks trustees and Suskes, the sustainable Keswick group.
Local schoolchildren were to have been involved when the work begins on 25th November around National Tree Planting Week, but the coronavirus rule of six has prevented that.
Instead, the planting will be carried out by members of the organising groups.
“There is the possibility of involving schools and young children via the Woodland Trust Forest Schools initiatives in the future,” said Mrs Boardman.
