Recycling: Stockport rated Best in whole North West

Stockport is now Britain's 6th best recycling authority
Stockport is now Britain’s 6th best recycling authority

Stockport Council is thanking green-minded residents for helping the borough be the best for recycling rates in the whole of the North West.

Stockport also thrashes all London boroughs, recycling more than any other metropolitan authority in the country. In the league table of all of Britain’s 354 council’s, Stockport comes 6th.

The recycling success means that not only are Stockport residents doing their bit for the environment, they are helping keep council tax down and saving money that can be spent on other services.

The cost of landfill means it costs £246 more per tonne to dispose of waste from the black bin compared to the blue and brown bins.

The Council’s ‘Right Thing Right Bin’ campaign continues to help residents to make sure their recycling efforts aren’t wasted. Materials sent for recycling are checked at the depot and it only takes a few households to have put the wrong items in their recycling bins for a lorry load to be rejected and sent to landfill, causing unnecessary environmental damage and costs.

Japanese Knotweed Update

Ann Smith with an example of the Japanese Knotweed on Network Rail land
Ann Smith with an example of the Japanese Knotweed on Network Rail land

In the summer, Ann Smith wrote to residents in Davenport and Cale Green ward bordering Network Rail land after a Bridgehall resident had raised the issue of Japanese Knotweed.

If left untreated, the weed can cause damage to nearby property. One resident was refused a mortgage application because of knotweed growing on Network Rail land near his home.

Ann wrote to Network Rail asking for more to be done to manage the knotweed growing on their property, before it becomes a threat to neighbouring residents bordering their land.

Network Rail replied by saying that treatment can only be administered in the spring but that the sites Ann had referred to would now be “added to our noxious weeds database for treatment.” They wrote “we will spray this site as part of our Japanese Knotweed plan that begins in April”.

Ann is now asking residents to let her know if they have seen knotweed on Network Rail land near then so she can press for it to be included as part of Network Rail’s treatment plan.

Our awareness sheet about Japanese Knotweed can be found by clicking here.

Davenport Station Car Park Clear-up

Cleanup at Davenport station
Cleanup at Davenport station

Northern Rail has finally taken action following Ann Smith’s request for a clean-up of Davenport Station car park.

The state of the car park was raised by local residents in a Lib Dem Residents’ Survey. As well as litter and dog fouling, one resident reported criminal damage to a car. Ann asked Northern to do more to keep the site clean and look into better security with measures such as CCTV, as is used in similar facilities elsewhere.

Northern’s response read “Davenport has received some attention recently to improve security… Unfortunately there are no plans to extend CCTV.”

But trees were trimmed or removed and a large number of bushes were cut, and a general litter pick was undertaken.

Verging on a solution

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Ann Smith and John Reid are leading a campaign to improve some of the grass verges that are in need of repair.

Verges were first installed to make the area look greener. Although this helped in some situations, in many they have become places for cars to park, and have become bald and unsightly.

It was Ann’s work when she was a Councillor that led to wooden posts being fitted on some verges, stopping parking. Now Ann wants the Council to help with a long term solution to the verges on Garners Lane and Bird Hall Road.

“I want the Council to consider a more practical, long term solution,” said Ann. “That’s why I brought the an Executive Councillor to the site. He promised a survey would now be conducted.”

Ann & John will keep residents informed about any further developments.