If you’re a regular on our going green site, you will be aware that our Sandwell Homes Eco Champions love to ‘grow their own’.  Often there is just not enough room to grow everything they would like and that’s where Greenstack can help!  Greenstack are wall planters that allow you to grow all sorts of plants on any vertical surface; whether it’s an outside wall, a balcony or the side of a garden shed and there’s no shortage of what you can grow; from herbs and fruit to vegetables and flowers.

The planters are designed to retain moisture and are ethically produced as well as being 100% biodegradable.  Greenstack (www.greenstack.co.uk) kindly donated some of these innovative planters to our Eco Champions and what they grow in them will be shared, as usual on the Going Green website.

Win!  Sandwell Homes have three more of these fantastic planters to give away.  For a chance to win yourself one of these please send your name, address and a contact number using the Contact Us form or alternatively by FREEPOST to Eco Champions, Freepost RRAB-ZJRC-TZBU, Investment  Division, Sandwell Homes, 5-14 South Road, Smethwick, B67 7BN. NO STAMP REQUIRED.  All entries to be in no later than 31st January 2012.

Sandwell Homes has been named ‘Social Housing Provider of the Year’ for its achievements in sustainability after scooping a Corporate Sustainability Award at a prestigious awards ceremony in London.  

Sandwell Homes recently teamed up with school children in a bid to share eco-friendly messages with its workforce.  Children from Albert Pritchard Infant and Wood Green Junior schools, both based in Wednesbury, were asked by Sandwell Homes' Environmental Team to design posters on the theme of recycling and reducing waste, which will be used on screen savers and display boards throughout the company's offices.

In total,  175 children took part in the competition, helping the company to engage its employees.  Both schools were ideal as they have eco-committees made up of representatives from each class.  The youngsters plant trees, grow vegetables, garden, recycle and even commit to saving electricity before feeding back to class with a view to encouraging more pupils to get involved.

Rebecca Pearman, a teacher at Albert Pritchard Infant School, said:  "The eco-committee children have really enjoyed working with Sandwell Homes on their 'Going Green' campaign as they know they are making a real difference in the local community. 

The winning designers were presented with certificates from competition organiser Liz Thompson who sits on the company's Environmental Team.  Both eco-committees also received certificates for taking part. 

Cllr Simon Hackett, cabinet member for housing, said:  "I'm really impressed with the enthusiasm of the school children that got involved.  Their designs are colourful and send out a simple clear message about reducing waste and recycling more.  I know that Sandwell Homes is committed to reducing its carbon footprint, which is why they are using screen savers and display posters to remind employees of their duties.  It's also great to see good habits being taught at such a young age."

"Sandwell Council wholeheartedly supports the Love Food Hate Waste campaign which has the opportunity to benefit both individual residents and the local authority.  Residents will realise savings to their weekly shopping bills which in turn will reduce the amount of unwanted food having to be collected and disposed of by the Council.  It's a win-win opportunity for all".  Jan Britton - Interim Chief Executive of Sandwell MBC.  For more information and for great tips visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com.

The consumer Group Which? has warned that millions of people may be mis-sold gas and electricity when smart-meter technology is rolled out across the country.  The Government-sanctioned plan will see up to 53 million old gas and electricity meters swapped for devices that calculate and display for customers the amount and cost of energy being used.

Click on the link for more information – smart energy meters

Sandwell Homes has been shortlisted in the Social Housing provider of the year- corporate sustainability award category of The Sustainable Housing Awards 2011, organised by Inside Housing magazine and its sister publication Sustainable Housing.

This awards scheme focuses on the best “green” social housing projects constructed in the UK, and the organisations responsible for them. The trophies will be presented at a suitably “eco” awards ceremony at the Hilton Hotel in London’s Park Lane on Friday 21st October.

Nick Duxbury, Editor of the Sustainable Magazine said: ‘Now in their fourth year, the Sustainable Housing awards 2011 have, once again, been inundated with entries from the leading green organisations featuring the most innovative and impressive projects in the UK. It is a fantastic achievement for Sandwell Homes to be short listed in the face of such fierce competition. We are thrilled to be able to host the awards ceremony that recognises the work of the housing sector’s sustainable pioneers.’

Last year nearly 600 people attended the event, which was hosted by comedian Mark Watson, and in 2009 Jon Snow was the master of ceremonies. This year’s event will be hosted by comedian, actor and keen climate change campaigner Marcus Brigstocke.

Residents in Sandwell are reminded that they will receive a leaflet through their door next week (week commencing 20th June) with their new bin day and collection calendar. 

All your rubbish, recycling and garden waste will be collected on the same day of the week.

Rubbish collections will remain weekly.

Blue lid recycling and garden waste will remain fortnightly.

Please note, this bin day change does not affect residents living in flats, apartments, sheltered housing and other properties with communal bin stores.

A normal bin collection service will operate on Whitsun Bank Holiday Monday 30th May 2011.  If Monday is your usual collection day, leave your bin out and it will be collected as normal.

The summer has officially begun and although the British weather continues to be a little unpredictable, we know our residents are keen to do home improvements and work on their gardens.  The Household Recycle Centre on Shidas Lane in Oldbury is open for longer, helping you dispose of your extra waste and recycling.

Opening hours: 8am - 8pm Monday to Friday, 8am - 4pm at weekends.

Sandwell’s multi award winning campaign is back and this time Sandwell Council, Serco and Tipton Litterwatch will be working together to help make the borough a cleaner place.  More than 16,000 people have taken part in the campaign over the last four years including residents, local schools, community groups and businesses.  If you would like to get involved this year email bigspringclean.sandwell@serco.com

Little Foot has brought together a range of products that are either free* or low cost* and simple to install, that are designed to save energy and water in the home.  Using these products will help reduce your carbon footprint and save you money.  For more information on products available visit littlefoot.co.uk

*Certain products free are subject to eligibility

Are you worried about rising food costs?  Would you like to improve your health and help the environment?  If you have answered yes to both questions the Urban Food Growing course could be for you.  By attending the course you could learn some simple gardening techniques to help prepare your garden or allotment for the growing season.

Urban Food Growing is a 5 week course starting on Tuesday 3 May 2011, 6pm – 8pm.  It takes place at:  Ideal for All’s Malthouse Gardens, Independent Living Centre, 100 Oldbury Road, Smethwick, B66 1JE and costs £20 (concessions available).

For further details please contact Lucy Wilkins:  lwilkins@wea.org.uk / 07825 378783 or Richard Billingsley:  richard_billingsley@sandwell.gov.uk / 0121 558 5555.

Sandwell Council will be issuing a blue lid recycling bin to all households with kerbside access in Sandwell by the end of this month.  This is great news for residents who will be able to recycle more than ever before.  Your blue bin can be used for paper, glass, cans, plastics (including plastic bags), food/drink cartons, and card/cardboard.

The scheme will help boost recycling rates in Sandwell and decrease the waste sent to landfill.

If you live in a flat or apartment, rest assured you have not been forgotten, a full recycling service will be provided in early 2012. 

Street cleansing in Sandwell is a key priority of the Council.  Dedicated crews are busy cleaning town centres on a daily basis and other smaller shopping areas three times a week.  Residential areas are litter picked and mechanically swept every 5 weeks.

If you want to let the Council know about any ‘grot spots’ in your area please email contact@sandwell.gov.uk or call 0845 359 7501.

Sandwell Homes were recently showcased in January’s edition of The Environmentalist.  The company were praised for winning the category of large public administration organisation at the European Eco-Management & Audit Scheme (EMAS) awards in November 2010.   

This is what they had to say: 

Management Systems Pay Off – EMAS award winners reap the benefits of EMS

Social housing organisation, Sandwell Homes, based in West Midlands, provides housing management and repairs and maintenance services to almost 30, 000 council-owned properties.  The organisation is reducing energy consumption and the use of raw materials in the homes it manages, and uses solar panels and photovoltaic cells to generate some of its own energy.  Tenant engagement is encouraged through an eco-champion project and examples of good practice are shared on its green website.

Sandwell Homes’ entry impressed the judging panel with its mixture of initiatives to reduce material and energy consumption and the adoption of new technologies improving its overall resource efficiency.

These initiatives included the “Decent Homes programme”, which included improving the insulation and installing efficient heating systems into the housing stock managed by the organisation.  It also included the “Going Green” initiative, designed to encourage suppliers to reduce their environmental impact through adopting the BS 8555 phased approach to implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS).

Would you like to learn more about allotment gardening?  A new allotment gardening course is starting in Sandwell on 14 March 2011 at 6pm at Malthouse Gardens, in the grounds of The Independent Living Centre, Smethwick.

The course will last for 5 weeks and cost a very reasonable £20 in total.  Concessions will be available for people on means tested benefits such as JSA, Income Support, Housing Benefit (Disability Living Allowance is not included).

By signing up to this fantastic course you will be cover the following topics:  planning what to grow through propagation, plant care, soil care, composting, nutrients, soil testing, weed, pest and disease control, and organic techniques. 

If you are interested and would like more information please contact Richard Billingsley, Lead Officer for Therapeutic Horticulture and Learning on 0121 555 7959.

If you don’t have a garden or perhaps your garden is not big enough, have you considered renting an allotment? Allotments are small parcels of land rented out on a yearly basis from local authorities or associations, who administer sites on behalf of the local authority.

Over the last few decades the use of allotments has declined with there being lots of vacant plots across the country, but in the last 10-15 years there has been a new found interest from people wanting to grow their own food crops. This may be as a result of concerns around genetic modification, chemical pollution as well as food prices soaring and people being generally more aware of the financial, environmental and health benefits of growing their own food.  The decline has reversed so much so that empty plots are filling fast and waiting lists are beginning to appear.

Allotment gardening can also offer a great opportunity to meet other gardeners and provide a relaxing, sociable environment, creating new communities.  For more information about the allotment site available in Sandwell please visit: Sandwell Allotments

Sandwell Homes were recently audited by an external company, Bureau Veritas. The audit was based over two days (4th and 10th January 2011).  The outcome of the audit was that we are fully compliant with the standard and have therefore retained our accreditation.

From 4 January 2011 the congestion charges have had a number of significant changes. The scheme will revert back to its original boundaries following the Mayor’s decision to remove its western extension.

Also Congestion Charge Auto Pay accounts will be introduced that will mean drivers need never be fined again for forgetting to pay the charge. The introduction of a new, greener vehicle discount aims to encourage a switch to cleaner and greener cars. 

The congestion charge will also increase from £8 to £9 if paid using Auto Pay, or £10 if paid in advance (or on the day) using conventional means and £12 if paid the next charging day.

Richard Billingsley, Horticultural Therapist from Ideal for All’s Growing Opportunities project attended an Eco Champions meeting and shared details of the great work being carried out at Malthouse Garden and the Salop Drive Market Garden.

Growing Opportunities welcome local people, over 50’s, disabled people, schools and community groups to come and take part in a wide range of activities on offer:

• Learn about growing plants and vegetables with hands on experience, including a short course in allotment gardening
• Improve your health and well-being, reduce stress with our therapeutic gardening
• Join our monthly gentle health walk
• Slimwell support for healthy eating and weight loss
• Cooking courses and social activities
• Access our ‘bag your share’ vegetables freshly grown on our market garden
• Special healing garden project for those who have lost a loved one or experienced a crisis in their life.

For more information contact Richard Billingsley, Ideal for All, 100 Oldbury Road, Smethwick, B66 1JE.  Telephone:  0121 558 5555.

Funded Training for Organisations in the West Midlands

Groundwork are offering up to 2 spaces per organisation (while spaces are available) for a 1-day, CIEH Level 2 Award in Environmental Principles and Best Practice, available on Tuesday 15th February or 22nd February 2011.

This qualification will provide an awareness of key environmental concepts and an introduction to environmental management systems. It is designed for all members of staff whose activities could have a significant impact on the environment, or supervisors or managers who are being introduced to environmental issues for the first time.

• Environmental impacts and sustainability

• Understanding environmental aspects

• Principles of environmental law  

• Energy use and carbon management  

• Resource efficiency and waste minimisation  

• Water management  

• Pollution prevention and emergency planning  

• Environmental management system

For more information e-mail wmebs@groundwork.org.uk or contact Dipvandana Shah or Sarah Davies on 0121 530 5510.

This training is funded by the European Social Fund

Electric Vehicle Charging Points

There are more drivers of electric vehicles in London than anywhere else in the U.K. London city wide electric vehicle charging network, Source London, will launch in Spring 2011. The scheme aims to deliver 1,300 public charging points across London by 2013. Source London will allow members to charge their vehicles at any one of the public charging points for no more than a £100 annual membership fee.

Portugal is rolling out a smart card scheme to enable electric vehicle drivers to charge their cars utilising the country's growing network of public charging points. Officials hope this could be developed across Europe.

Furniture
A survey by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has found that 50% of consumers had no idea that wood for sale in the UK can often be from illegal / unsustainable sources. They were unaware that they could be adding to deforestation and global warming when they buy furniture and paper on the high street. Legislation is due to come into force in 2012 placing a duty on companies to disclose information on the origin of the wood they have used.

The European EMAS Awards recognise outstanding environmental performance by companies and local authorities throughout the continent. Sandwell Homes has been selected to represent Britain in the ‘Public Administration’ category against companies from Belgium, France, Germany, Poland and Sweden.

This year the European Commission will acknowledge the achievements of those EMAS organisations which have excelled in issues concerning their resource efficiency. Taking into account such things as water consumption, energy consumption, waste generation, wastewater, and carbon emissions.

Sandwell Homes has made big strides to improve its carbon footprint in recent years by educating its supply chain into greener ways of working, tenant engagement through an ‘eco-champion’ project, and the use of green energy and recycled paper across its offices. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in the Comic Strip Center of Brussels, Belgium, on 25 November.

Councillor Simon Hackett, Cabinet Member for Housing said: “For Sandwell Homes to be acknowledged across Europe as a leader in eco-management is terrific news. It can only enhance people’s perception of Sandwell as a place committed to greener living, where future generations will hopefully benefit from the work being put in by the Council and its partners.”

Len Gibbs, Chair of the Sandwell Homes Board, said: “We have already been in the headlines this year after achieving a place on the Sunday Times Greenest Companies list for a second year running, whilst also receiving a commendation at the West Midlands Low Carbon Economy Awards. However, to be recognized on the European stage really demonstrates Sandwell Homes’ ambition."

Some good news for eco-champions everywhere. Here's a round up of the latest global good news stories:

New Energy Labels Proposed for Televisions
The European commission has proposed the first-ever energy label for televisions. From 2012, the new TV labels would feature an A-G scale, with new efficiency classes A+, A++, and A+++ being introduced in 2014, 2017, and 2020. It is anticipated that very few of the current televisions would meet the A class rating.

Revised Energy Labels for White Goods
The European commission has proposed that existing labelling of white goods be revised to reflect to reflect the improved efficiency of fridges, freezers, washings machines etc. The new A+++ class would apply to the most efficient fridges and freezers from 2014, and an A+ and A++ class would be introduced for dishwashers and washing machines.

Earth`s Ozone recovering
The protective ozone layer in the Earths upper atmosphere has stopped thinning and should largely be restored by mid-century thanks to a ban on harmful chemicals (substances that were used in refrigerators, aerosol sprays and some packaging foams) UN scientists say.

Carrier Bag use continues to fall
The total number of bags given out by the UK`s leading supermarkets has dropped 41% since figures were first recorded in 2006. This compares to a 35% reduction recorded in 2009. This is a reduction of 4.6 billion single-use bags per year saving 45,800 tonnes per year.

Otters back from the brink of extinction
Otters, which almost disappeared from England in the 1070`s due to the toxic effects of pesticides are found in every region of England (except Kent). The Environment Agency has predicted that the species will now fully recover across England in less than 20 years. This reflects that Rivers in England are the healthiest for over 20 years, and otters, salmon and other wildlife are returning to many rivers for the first time since the industrial revolution

The Household Waste Recycling Centre in Oldbury is set to close earlier from next month as the darker evenings draw in. The Shidas Lane site will close at 6pm weekdays from Friday 1 October until Thursday 31 March. A 4pm closing time on Saturdays and Sundays remains unchanged throughout the year.

The site usually opens at 8am every day, but is currently open from 7am until further notice.

Cllr Derek Rowley, cabinet member for safer neighbourhoods, said:  "The site will close earlier on weekdays from October to April due to the darker evenings but weekend opening hours will remain the same. There is a great range of recycling facilities at the site and I would like to remind residents to recycle as much as they can.

"To make trips quicker residents should separate their recycling when they pack their vehicle and ask a member of staff if they are unsure which container to use."

Residents can check if the centre is busy before leaving home by calling 0845 352 0123, or viewing the web cam at http://sandwell.ectrecycling.co.uk:3000

For further information on recycling residents can sign up to the reduce, reuse, recycle for Sandwell e-newsletter by emailing ‘subscribe’ to recycleforsandwell@sandwell.gov.uk or go to www.sandwell.gov.uk/recycling,  email contact@sandwell.gov.uk or call Contact Sandwell on 0845 359 7501 (Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 8.30am to 1.30pm).

Eco-champions from Sandwell have been learning more about environmentally friendly living this month after attending The Prince of Wales’ ‘Garden Party to Make a Difference’ at his royal residence in London.

The event provided the eco-champions with a rare opportunity to visit the historic gardens at The Prince’s home, Clarence House, as well as an opportunity to experience musicians, comedians, environmental experts and some of Britain’s best known companies coming together to create a unique festival in the heart of London.

‘A Garden Party to Make a Difference’ is an imaginative part of The Prince of Wales’s ‘Start’ initiative launched in February. The event aimed to give people of all ages a fun day out while at the same time demonstrating the small steps that can, and are, being taken by everyone interested in building a more sustainable future.

The Prince of Wales said: "I am delighted to be able to welcome visitors into my gardens, and those of my immediate neighbours, for this exciting festival. We have a fantastic team of talented curators who are helping us create an event which will, I hope, be both fun and informative. This festival is just one way in which Start can help to demonstrate how we can all make a difference, however big or small the steps we take."

See all the photos from the day here.

Residents of Sandwell will be the first people in Europe to use a new domestic fridge freezer that automatically switches on and off to save carbon, in a project that could pave the way to make massive cuts in the UK’s CO2 emissions.

The new ‘smart fridges’ respond to signals from the national grid and shut down for short periods when energy demand is at its highest, so reducing the output of power stations, without any effect on performance or the freshness of food. 

If the trial proves successful, the technology has the potential to make sizable reductions to the nation’s carbon footprint. Government studies suggest that if every home in the UK was fitted with a smart fridge, CO2 emissions could be cut by two million tonnes each year.

A nationwide trial starts this week with the first being delivered to residents of Sandwell.

The smart fridges rollout is a joint project between social landlord Sandwell Homes, Worcester-based energy firm npower, white goods manufacturer, Indesit Company, and smart grid technology developer, RLtec.

Key to the smart fridges’ ‘intelligence’ is dynamic demand technology, which works by monitoring second-by-second changes to demand on the national grid and responding during times of peak energy use, such as mornings and evenings, or times like when the nation’s kettles are switched on at half time during World Cup matches. 

During these times the fridge freezer automatically adjusts the power it is drawing so the amount of carbon-emitting power generation typically needed to supply peak usage is no longer required. The fridges do this automatically without owners needing to take any action and users won’t even notice when they are active or not.

Andrew Howe, CEO of RLtec the company behind dynamic demand technology, said:  “A technology in the home that automatically helps to cope with peaks and demands in energy use is an exciting concept and could really help reduce demand on power stations, and see homeowners playing a big role in cutting the UK’s emissions.  The smart fridges are simply plugged in as you would with any normal fridge and the technology does the rest – when multiplied across several thousand or several million homes, the carbon saving potential is massive.” 

John Clayton, investment director at Sandwell Homes, added:  “Reducing carbon emissions is really important to us at Sandwell Homes and we’ve been very proactive in working with our tenants to share ideas on how to cut our carbon footprint.  The opportunity to be part of Europe’s first smart fridge trial is great news for us and for the region, and we hope the project helps to demonstrate what potential technology like this has in our homes.”

Indesit has developed a number of models for the trial to assess the potential for different types of smart fridge.  Each model is designed so that temperatures do not rise or fall out of a set range so performance is maintained regardless of the level of demand on the grid.

Julie Brown,  a Sandwell resident who took delivery of one of the first smart fridges said:  “It’s very exciting to be taking part in this trial and being one of the first people in the world to use a smart fridge.  It looks just like a normal fridge freezer and we’ve been using it in just the same way so if it’s helping to cut the UK’s carbon footprint too, that’s great."

Sandwell residents can be in with a chance of winning an iPod shuffle, simply by recycling their old small electrical items at the borough's Household Recycling Centre.

Sandwell Council's 'Electric & Small, We Want More' campaign encourages residents to recycle their small electrical items when they visit the centre in Shidas Lane, Oldbury.

During National Recycle Week, 21-27 June, residents taking small electrical items for recycling at the centre can also enter a competition. A prize draw for an iPod shuffle will take place every day.

Entry forms are available from www.sandwell.gov.uk/recycling or at the centre. Download and take a form with you to the centre or ask for one when you arrive at the centre.

The competition is supported and funded by Repic, the Recycling Electrical Producers' Industry Consortium.

Councillor Derek Rowley, Sandwell Council's cabinet member for safer neighbourhoods, said: "Whether it's old mobile phones in a drawer, old power tools cluttering up the garage or a broken kettle or toaster gathering dust in the loft, recycling can help them have a new life. Unwanted electrical items can be dismantled into raw materials and put to new uses - a typical iron can produce enough steel to make 13 food cans.

"To keep up the momentum of the campaign after National Recycle Week we will hold a draw for an iPod Nano every month from July to October."

Entrants must be from within the Sandwell borough and only one iPod will be awarded per household.

Sandwell residents can sign up to the reduce, reuse, recycle for Sandwell e-newsletter by emailing 'subscribe' to recycleforsandwell@sandwell.gov.uk

Residents in Sandwell are set to get more time to recycle at the borough's Household Recycling Centre.

Summer opening times return to the Household Recycling Centre in Shidas Lane, Oldbury, at the start of next month, giving residents extra time to take their recycling or dispose of extra or bulky waste.

From Thursday April 1, the site will be open from 8am until 8pm from Monday to Friday as the evenings become lighter. Weekend opening hours remain the same from 8am to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Sandwell's cabinet member for neighbourhoods and housing, Cllr Mahboob Hussain, said: "We normally extend the centre's weekday opening hours from the beginning of April until the end of September to give residents more time to use it. The site is also open as usual over the Easter Bank Holidays - from 8am to 4pm at the weekend and 8am to 8pm on both Good Friday and Easter Monday. There is a great range of recycling facilities at the site and I would like to remind residents to recycle as much as they can. To make trips quicker residents should separate their recycling when they pack their vehicle and ask a member of staff if they are unsure which container to use."

Residents can check if the centre is busy before leaving home by calling 0845 352 0123, or viewing the web cam at http://sandwell.ectrecycling.co.uk

For further information on recycling residents can sign up to the reduce, reuse, recycle for Sandwell e-newsletter by emailing ‘subscribe’ to recycleforsandwell@sandwell.gov.uk or go to www.sandwell.gov.uk/recycling,  email contact@sandwell.gov.uk or call Contact Sandwell on 0845 359 7501 (Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 8.30am to 1.30pm).

The BRE Innovation Park is a world leading and ground breaking demonstration development designed to give a glimpse of how the future delivery of sustainable buildings and communities can be achieved not only in the UK but around the world.

It features seven of the world's most sustainable houses (built to the Code for sustainable homes), a health centre of the future and over 300 different construction innovations and emerging technologies as well as a state of the art community landscape design.

Collectively these projects demonstrate diverse and innovative approaches to sustainable design and construction. They each share the common goal of having a low impact on the environment but a high impact on the quality of life of building and community occupants and CO2 emissions reduction.

Sandwell Homes officers, eco-champions, and tenant environmental forum members visited the BRE (following on from previous visits to Worcester Bosch and the Centre for Alternative Technology) to look at the methods being developed to achieve zero-carbon homes by combining organic and technological approaches utilising modern methods of construction.

Click here to view pictures from the visit

Householders in Sandwell are advised to look out for their new garden waste collection calendar this month. Fortnightly collections of garden waste wheeled bins will restart from 1 March after the winter break.

Garden waste produced during the winter break can be taken to the Household Recycling Centre in Shidas Lane, Oldbury.

Real Christmas trees can also be taken to the Household Recycling Centre or chopped up and placed in wheeled bins ready for March collections.

Residents with internet access can check their garden waste collection day online and also download a copy of their collection calendar by logging on to www.sandwell.gov.uk/recycling and following the link via the garden waste page.

Alternatively, residents can check their collection day by emailing their address details to contact@sandwell.gov.uk or by calling Contact Sandwell on 0845 359 7501 (Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 8.30am to 1.30pm).

Residents can sign up to the reduce, reuse, recycle for Sandwell e-newsletter by emailing ‘subscribe’ to recycleforsandwell@sandwell.gov.uk

Sandwell residents with real trees brightening their homes throughout the festive season are being urged to recycle them once the festivities are over. There are several easy ways to recycle real trees in Sandwell.

1. They can be broken up and placed in green garden waste wheeled bins ready for the start of garden waste collections in March.

2. For an earlier collection residents can arrange for their tree to be picked up in January by calling Contact Sandwell on 0845 359 7501. Bookings will be taken between Monday, January 4 and Friday, January 29, only. Trees will be collected during the week after the bookings are made.

3. Real trees can also be taken to the Household Recycling Centre, Shidas Lane, Oldbury and placed in the garden waste containers for recycling into compost.

Residents are reminded to remove all decorations from their tree before it goes out for recycling.

Residents who are disposing of artificial trees after this Christmas are urged to think about extending its life by giving it to a local community group or charity shop to help keep waste out of landfill.

Artificial Christmas trees cannot be recycled and should not be placed out in garden waste wheeled bins.

Sandwell residents are being urged to step up their recycling in the New Year.

Each person in England throws away an average of 50 kilos of rubbish over the festivities, of which up to 70 per cent could be recycled.

More than 80 per cent of households in Sandwell are serviced by recycling collections from home for paper, newspapers, magazines, brochures, catalogues, envelopes, telephone directories, drinks cans, food cans, biscuit tins, chocolate tins, clean aluminium foil and aerosols.

Residents who have a green box or a blue lidded bin for recycling can also place glass bottles and jars into their recycling container. Those with a green bag collection can take glass bottles and jars to a local recycling centre. Residents with blue lidded bin collections can put an even wider range of materials out for recycling, including plastic bottles and card. In addition, there are more than 70 recycling centres across the borough, many conveniently located on supermarket and public house car parks.

Sandwell Council's cabinet member for neighbourhoods and housing Cllr Mahboob Hussain said:

"We have seen a massive increase in recycling and it has only been possible because people have really embraced it in huge numbers and I want to thank them for that. The more money we save, the more we can reinvest in keeping areas clean and I hope people are seeing those improvements.

"Local recycling centres are useful for residents who do not yet have a recycling collection from their home, or who have lots of recyclables. I encourage residents to get into the recycling habit, particularly at a time when so much waste is produced. Everything that is recycled reduces the amount of rubbish that has to go to landfill, it is better for the environment and means that we then have more money for frontline services like street cleaning."

To find your local recycling centre, or for more information about opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle in Sandwell go to www.sandwell.gov.uk/recycling, email contact@sandwell.gov.uk or call Contact Sandwell on 0845 359 7501 (Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 8.30am to 1.30pm).

Residents can sign up to the reduce, reuse, recycle for Sandwell e-newsletter by emailing ‘subscribe’ to recycleforsandwell@sandwell.gov.uk

The Savewells may not be Sandwell’s answer to the Simpsons but they certainly have their finger on the pulse when it comes to saving money.

The Savewell family will be out and about in Sandwell encouraging people of all ages to make small changes to their lifestyles that will result in big savings to their pockets and give the environment a helping hand too.

Part of the campaign will go on tour to schools in the borough with a focus on recycling through an interactive game pupils can play.

The ‘Recycle with the Savewells’ game, has gone down a storm with pupils from Tipton Green Junior School who were the first to get a glimpse of the game.

Iqra Zanib, age 10 said: "It’s fun, clever and new. I would recommend it."

Teacher, David Wilkes said: "The interactive challenge is a welcome resource when it comes to teaching children about the environment. The children have really enjoyed using it as it associates learning with fun. Children will make the connection between this and recycling in their home."

For money saving tips and information about the campaign visit www.sandwell.gov.uk/savewell

If you have a tip not included on the site why not share it by emailing it to savewell@sandwell.gov.uk and they will kick start your saving by sending you a Big Spring Clean bag for life and an energy saving light bulb*.

*While stocks last

Click here to see what the Savewells suggest

Sandwell Homes' environmental team has joined board members and eco-champion tenants in a visit to the Worcester Bosch plant to find out more about renewable technologies.

The visit included a trip to the Worcester Bosch 'eco-house'. Here the group was shown ground source heat pumps, which use natural energy stored in the ground to heat water for use in the home. They were also introduced to solar panels, which are fitted to the roof of homes and use the power in both direct and diffused sunlight, converting the energy into heat to produce hot water. The technology could provide up to 60% of a home's hot water requirements, significantly reducing gas bills and making the home more self-sufficient.

A walk-a-round the factory floor to see how the Worcester Bosch boilers are assembled gave an insight into the efficiency and quality control required to produce up to 1500 boilers a day. Figures shown to the group revealed that Germany currently leads the way in using solar energy with Britain lagging behind . However, with energy companies now providing grants to support the use of renewables, and with new legislation restricting the use of gas boilers from 2014, these figures are likely to change in the near future.

See pictures from the visit here

One of the council’s biggest green initiatives has now taken a significant step forward. The borough's Cabinet of senior councillors has selected two companies for further talks on putting Sandwell’s Waste Improvement Plan into action.

See details of the plan in this month's 'Recycle for Sandwell' newsletter. Also in this month's edition: Christmas recycling hints and tips, and how to make friends with your freezer!

Click here for more information

Cabinet member for neighbourhoods and housing Cllr Mahboob Hussain said: "The garden waste collection service stops temporarily during the winter, as it is a slow growing period in the garden, when generally only a small quantity of garden waste is produced.

"I’d like to thank all those residents who have helped the council collect and compost almost 12,500 tonnes of garden waste from wheeled bins so far this year, an increase of almost 8 per cent on the previous year."

Garden waste produced during the winter break can be taken to the household recycling centre in Shidas Lane, Oldbury, which is open every day apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Real Christmas trees can also be taken to the household recycling centre, or chopped up and placed in wheeled bins for March collections, or a tree collection can be arranged during January only by calling Contact Sandwell on 0845 359 7501. For further information on reducing, reusing and recycling in Sandwell, or to check your garden waste collection dates, please go to www.sandwell.gov.uk/recycling, email contact@sandwell.gov.uk or call Contact Sandwell on 0845 359 7501.

With the nights starting to draw in, the opening hours at the Household Recycling Centre in Shidas Lane, Oldbury, have changed.

Residents are reminded that from October 1 until March 31, the site closes at 6pm weekdays Monday to Friday due to the darker evenings. Between April and the end of September the centre is open from 8am to 8pm.

Weekend opening hours of 8am to 4pm remain unchanged throughout the year.

Sandwell's Cabinet member for neighbourhoods and housing Cllr Mahboob Hussain said: "It is normal for the site to close earlier on weekdays from October to April due to the darker evenings, however, weekend opening hours remain the same.

"I would urge residents to ensure that they are making the best use of the wide range of recycling facilities in Sandwell, such as local recycling centres and recycling collections from homes".

To check if the Household Recycling Centre is busy before leaving your home you can call 0845 352 0123.

To find your local recycling centre, or for more information about opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle in Sandwell see www.sandwell.gov.uk/recycling or email contact@sandwell.gov.uk or call contact Sandwell on 0845 359 7501 (Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 8.30am to 1.30pm).