A new chute that could revolutionise recycling in high-rise flats has been unveiled by Westminster City Council. A refuse collection chute at the high-rise Hallfield estate in Paddington has successfully been converted to take recyclable material, rather then residual rubbish. The design – which is believed to be the first of its kind in the capital – has already seen recycling rates triple on the estate since installation in November.

Westminster City Council has recently won the local authority recycling initiative for 2007 for the scheme. Judges considered that this was a simple but cost-effective solution and while it may not applicable to all such blocks, was an initiative that could be widely copied. It was also supported by strong and ongoing communications and had seen recycling on the sites rise from 10% to 41%.

The new chutes take all recyclable materials collected by Westminster council including paper, card, cans, glass and plastic bottles. These then fall into a sound-proof bin, designed to reduce the noise of smashing glass.

The Council's recycling team came up with the solution after it was found that those living in high-rise apartments were less inclined to recycle. Westminster City Council is now considering introducing the scheme across the borough, as 85% of our residents live in flats. Last year, residents across Westminster generated 80,000 tonnes of household waste, 18% of which was recycled. However, recycling rates are increasing and so far this year 21% of household waste has been recycled.