Two neighbourhoods on the iconic Byker Estate in Newcastle upon Tyne have seen a dramatic reduction in litter and fly tipping, thanks to Karbon’s investment in a new waste management system.
New communal bin stores have been installed at the Dunn and Headlam Green neighbourhoods.
Paired with a campaign to help educate and change residents’ behaviours towards recycling, delivered in collaboration with Newcastle City Council, the work has resulted in significant improvements to recycling contamination levels in the two areas.
In the first four weeks of the new bin stores being open, over 30,000 litres of uncontaminated recycling was collected, compared to before where recycling levels were virtually non-existent.
Dunn Terrace resident Heidi has welcomed the move from individual bins to communal bins. She said: “Before the communal area, the bins were a big problem. My neighbours and I have always kept our bins clean and tidy, but the general look of the area was terrible and I was often embarrassed walking through to my home.
“I was sceptical when it was announced about the introduction of the new communal bins, however I have been pleasantly surprised by the impact. The area around my home is looking a lot cleaner and people are using the bins appropriately.
Prior to the launch of the bin areas, customers received an information pack including a new recycling bag to keep their recyclables in and transport them, a letter update, an FAQ leaflet and a map detailing where all the new bin stores are located.
Heidi added: “The pack we received was great – it had everything in it that we could possibly need and answered any questions I had. There was plenty of images alongside the information so everyone can clearly understand what we can and can’t recycle. I’ve always recycled but it was great to see how much information was available for those who haven’t before.”
The project was born from feedback from residents, collected through a series of consultation events with Karbon to discuss their experiences living on the estate and their priorities for its improvement.
Waste management and historic issues with litter and fly tipping came out as one of their main concerns.
Mark Whittaker, Planned Investment Contracts Manager at Karbon Homes said: “Listening to our customers is an integral part of deciding how we invest in the estate. We want to create meaningful, sustainable changes for the community that will have a lasting impact.
“Residents in these two neighbourhoods had told us that waste management in the areas was a big concern, and by consulting with our customers, we were able to bring them along on this journey with us and ensured their voices are heard.
“We’ve had some great feedback so far and we’ve been able to improve further on the investments we’ve made.
Karbon partnered with Metrostor, a leader in the field of bin storage and waste management solutions, to carry out the installation. Working with local architects JDDK and Glenkemp, Metrostor led on the design, tailoring the capacity of each bin store to meet the needs of the area surrounding their location.
Metrostor also provided a research and communications plan to deliver alongside the installation works, to help with understanding existing behaviours surrounding waste management and recycling.
This guided the wider education and behaviour change work, to help ensure residents would effectively using the new stores.
Amos Deacon, Pre-Construction Manager at Metrostor said: ‘From sharing our experience in designing the bin areas through to assisting with a follow-through behaviour change programme with our partners Sustainable Sidekicks, it’s been very rewarding to see the difference the project has made to the feel of the iconic and unique neighbourhoods around the Byker Estate.’
Research and behaviours monitoring has continued in the months after the initial installations, with the need for more recycling identified. This has resulted in an increase in recycling points to meet demand, resulting in over 313,000 litres of uncontaminated recycling being collected since the project began.
Rebecca Wilson, Local Services and Waste Management Operations Manager, said: “A huge thank you to all the residents separating their waste and recycling in Byker from the team here at Newcastle City Council.
“We have seen a dramatic increase in quality of materials and much lower levels of contamination with the new bin schemes. We couldn’t have done this without their help. Thank you for helping Newcastle recycle more and waste less.”
Two neighbourhoods on the iconic Byker Estate in Newcastle upon Tyne have seen a dramatic reduction in litter and fly tipping, thanks to Karbon’s investment in a new waste management system.
New communal bin stores have been installed at the Dunn and Headlam Green neighbourhoods.
Paired with a campaign to help educate and change residents’ behaviours towards recycling, delivered in collaboration with Newcastle City Council, the work has resulted in significant improvements to recycling contamination levels in the two areas.
In the first four weeks of the new bin stores being open, over 30,000 litres of uncontaminated recycling was collected, compared to before where recycling levels were virtually non-existent.
Dunn Terrace resident Heidi has welcomed the move from individual bins to communal bins. She said: “Before the communal area, the bins were a big problem. My neighbours and I have always kept our bins clean and tidy, but the general look of the area was terrible and I was often embarrassed walking through to my home.
“I was sceptical when it was announced about the introduction of the new communal bins, however I have been pleasantly surprised by the impact. The area around my home is looking a lot cleaner and people are using the bins appropriately.
Prior to the launch of the bin areas, customers received an information pack including a new recycling bag to keep their recyclables in and transport them, a letter update, an FAQ leaflet and a map detailing where all the new bin stores are located.
Heidi added: “The pack we received was great – it had everything in it that we could possibly need and answered any questions I had. There was plenty of images alongside the information so everyone can clearly understand what we can and can’t recycle. I’ve always recycled but it was great to see how much information was available for those who haven’t before.”
The project was born from feedback from residents, collected through a series of consultation events with Karbon to discuss their experiences living on the estate and their priorities for its improvement.
Waste management and historic issues with litter and fly tipping came out as one of their main concerns.
Mark Whittaker, Planned Investment Contracts Manager at Karbon Homes said: “Listening to our customers is an integral part of deciding how we invest in the estate. We want to create meaningful, sustainable changes for the community that will have a lasting impact.
“Residents in these two neighbourhoods had told us that waste management in the areas was a big concern, and by consulting with our customers, we were able to bring them along on this journey with us and ensured their voices are heard.
“We’ve had some great feedback so far and we’ve been able to improve further on the investments we’ve made.
Karbon partnered with Metrostor, a leader in the field of bin storage and waste management solutions, to carry out the installation. Working with local architects JDDK and Glenkemp, Metrostor led on the design, tailoring the capacity of each bin store to meet the needs of the area surrounding their location.
Metrostor also provided a research and communications plan to deliver alongside the installation works, to help with understanding existing behaviours surrounding waste management and recycling.
This guided the wider education and behaviour change work, to help ensure residents would effectively using the new stores.
Amos Deacon, Pre-Construction Manager at Metrostor said: ‘From sharing our experience in designing the bin areas through to assisting with a follow-through behaviour change programme with our partners Sustainable Sidekicks, it’s been very rewarding to see the difference the project has made to the feel of the iconic and unique neighbourhoods around the Byker Estate.’
Research and behaviours monitoring has continued in the months after the initial installations, with the need for more recycling identified. This has resulted in an increase in recycling points to meet demand, resulting in over 313,000 litres of uncontaminated recycling being collected since the project began.
Rebecca Wilson, Local Services and Waste Management Operations Manager, said: “A huge thank you to all the residents separating their waste and recycling in Byker from the team here at Newcastle City Council.
“We have seen a dramatic increase in quality of materials and much lower levels of contamination with the new bin schemes. We couldn’t have done this without their help. Thank you for helping Newcastle recycle more and waste less.”
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