January is usually a fairly quiet month as there is no full Parish Council meeting. Further to last month’s newsletter article I would like to confirm that the full Parish Council meetings scheduled to be held in Mayfield from February 2016 onwards will take place in Mayfield Memorial Hall in Tunbridge Wells Road, TN20 6PJ. Council committee meetings will continue to be held in the Parish Council office in Mayfield High Street. The meetings for February 2016 are shown at the bottom of this article and the 2016 Meeting Schedule can be found online at www.mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk where you can also find the minutes of the meetings.

Queen’s 90^th Birthday Celebration

Just a reminder that we are organising a celebration of the Queen’s official 90^th birthday on Sunday 12^th June. We will hold a village picnic on Court Meadow where local organisations and societies are welcome to attend for fundraising to add to the enjoyment of the event. Please contact the Parish Council office if you would like to take part.

Litter Picker

We are very happy to announce that a local resident has agreed to work as litter picker for the Parish Council. Litter is everyone’s problem, not just the Parish Council’s and we know that many residents pick litter up when they come across it. If you find an area that is in particular need of tidying please contact the office and the information can be passed on to the litter picker. We always ask that litter is disposed of responsibly in the bins provided or take it home. On another note, Wealden District Council has been informed of the litter problem along the bypass so hopefully they will arrange for that to be cleared soon.

Bag it up

There have been complaints of increased amounts of dog excrement around the village which is disappointing and a health concern. This is a disregard of the rules, exercised by a minority that causes grief to all residents. So please bag it up. Once you’ve picked up after your dog what do you do with the bag? Do not leave it by the pathway to slowly decompose and create another mess and do not add to the strange phenomenon of trees and hedges sprouting ready filled dog poo bags. Please walk to a dog bin or carry the bag home where it can be disposed of safely.

PCSO Surgery

PCSO Julie Pearce-Martin will be holding her next surgery on Wednesday 24 February 2016 at 11am in the Parish Council office. Please come along to see her if you have any police related concerns that you wish to discuss.

Understanding our recycling

Since Wealden District Council’s Joint Waste Contract has been introduced there have been many enquiries concerning glass recycling and why it is sometimes mixed with the other recycling materials when collected from the kerbside. The following information has been provided:

On most vehicles, but not all, there is a separate pod for the collection of glass which is why residents are asked to separate the glass from the other materials. Glass collected like this is weighed before being taken to a specialist plant where is can be separated by colour and reprocessed as new glass. Glass separated by colour is awarded a higher price for the contractor.

In narrow streets and country lanes Kier has to use smaller vehicles that do not have a separate glass pod. Glass then has to be mixed with the other recycling. Mixed recycling is taken to a Waste Transfer Station where it is weighed and then taken to a Material Recycling Facility (MRF). Here the different materials are sorted by a number of mechanical and manual stages. Glass collected this way is recycled but cannot be separated by colour so it is normally used for things like road aggregate and white lines.

Sometimes, particularly during the Christmas period, the glass pods can get full before the end of a round. Rather than return to the depot to empty the pod, which is an expensive option in time and cost, glass is put in with the general recycling which is separated at the MRF. Glass recycled in this way earns a lower price. Recycling income is retained by Kier so it is in their interest to keep the glass separate from other recycling materials.

The current recycling rate for Wealden is approximately 47% with the balance going to the incinerator in Newhaven where it generates electricity to fuel 20.000 homes.

Supporting People With Long Term Health Conditions

East Sussex Better Together would like to hear about the experiences of those who live with a long-term health condition such as diabetes, stroke, heart failure and respiratory conditions, or any kind of physical condition that has an impact on how someone lives their life. The information they receive will help them to plan future services so that people can be empowered to manage their conditions.

Their online survey is available until 28 February 2016 at:

https://consultation.eastsussex.gov.uk/adult-social-care/longtermconditions or for hard copies please phone 01273 481 565 or email Policy&StrategyAdmin@eastsussex.gov.uk

Health Help Now

East Sussex Better Together have an innovative new website and mobile phone app to help people in East Sussex to understand where they should go for treatment, especially when they are not sure what to do or who to contact. The Health Help Now web app can be found online at healthhelpnow-nhs.net and is free to everyone who lives and works in East Sussex. It functions like a mobile phone app and helps people check their symptoms and find the best place for treatment – showing which services near them are open. It will help people to know when to go to A&E, and when not to.

Health Help Now has been developed with input from local GPs, hospital doctors, paramedics and other health professionals. It is thought to be the most detailed and sophisticated local NHS web app in the country. After clicking on age, symptoms and location, people are presented with a list of suggestions for treatment. The most suitable choice for most people is listed first and the other suggestions follow in order. It shows the nearest services and is time sensitive so details whether services are open or closed and provides a map of their location. Anyone without internet access is advised to dial NHS 111 for urgent healthcare advice 24 hours a day.