Residents are given a blue plastic box for the recyclables such as glass, plastic bottles, paper, card and cans, which is collected by staff using a special recycling vehicle. Mini recycling centres are used where access is difficult, for example in blocks of flats. T he Council has provided home composting units to nearly one third of its households so that garden waste and vegetable peelings can be turned into useful compost instead of being thrown away. A number of community recycling schemes recover and re-use waste such as the Adur Furniture Network, which finds new homes for old furniture, and the Alchemist Scrapstore which rescues offcuts and 'ends of lines' from businesses for use by schools and community groups. Groups and individuals regularly visit for tours, presentations and use of the library.
Staff frequently give talks to schools and groups on recycling, the environment and sustainability.
A ll the initiatives mean that Adur District Council has amongst the most comprehensive recycling facilities in Britain. In fact, for the last two years the government's Audit Commission has named Adur the top recycling authority in the UK for recycling one quarter of its household waste. Adur Quality of Life uses 'focus groups' to explore residents' perceptions of what is good and bad about their local environment and involves them in taking action to make improvements for the present and the future. The Council is helping to make sure that quality of life is not only better now, but that it stands an improved chance of being better, in social, economic and environmental terms, a long way into the future.