Feasibility Study for Landfill & Waste Reduction Strategies and Identification of new Landfill Sites for Ceredigion County Council

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1 Feasibility Study for Landfill & Waste Reduction Strategies and Identification of new Landfill Sites for Ceredigion County Council January - March 2007 Landfill and Waste Reduction Strategies plc Lyndhurst House, North Road, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 2EE Phone: , LWRSplc@googl .com

2 List of Authors i. Project Manager: Miss. Kirsti Marie Procter: ii. iii. iv. Research Manager: Miss. Bridget Gail Pitchers: Statistical Analyst: Mr. Sam William Gillson: ICT Technician: Miss. Sarah Louise Page: 2

3 Introduction Background to the Project Ceredigion County Council is under pressure from the Welsh Assembly Government, UK Government and environmental groups to get a handle on its sub-standard waste management. Moreover, Ceredigion needs a new landfill site. LWRS has been approached by the Council to research ways by which Ceredigion can cut its waste production by between 30 and 50%. LWRS has also been asked to find an appropriate location for a new landfill site in the area. Project Focus Feasibility study for new waste management strategies in Ceredigion and a new landfill site location. Project Structure This project is set out into four clear sections as outlined below: 1. Research this section outlines the existing waste management strategies for Ceredigion, Wales, England and Countries abroad. The section also outlines the legislation and policies which underpin waste management efforts on each of the scales set out above. Research is also conducted into the criteria underpinning landfill site locations and the opportunities for developing such a site in Ceredigion. 2. Recommendations this section outlines the recommendations proposed by LWRS; the recommendations are drawn from both the research undertaken in part 1 and LWRS innovation. 3. Feasibility this section outlines the feasibility of the recommendations proposed in part 2. The feasibility of the recommendations is drawn from LWRS evaluation of the proposals and the research undertaken in part Summary and conclusions this section draws together, in a concise manner, the research, recommendations and feasibility sections; taking into account what each section has contributed to the project and how LWRS proposes to improve waste management in Ceredigion. This section also summarises the options for landfill in Ceredigion. 3

4 Contents Contents Page Introduction 3 Part 1 Research.. i. Background to the County.. Geographic Area Borders Main towns: Population Infrastructure ii. Waste Management in Ceredigion Introduction Current Collections Current Contractual Arrangements Composting Arrangements Recycling and Waste Tonnages Budgetary Arrangements Community Awareness Summary and Conclusions iii. The University of Wales, Aberystwyth... Introduction Waste Management Strategy Recycling at UWA Finance Summary and Conclusions iv. Waste Management in Wales.. Introduction The County Councils Summary v. Waste Management in England Introduction English Councils Survey English Councils Case Studies vi. Global Waste Management.. Introduction Germany The Southern Hemisphere I.C.F. International Canada vii. Landfill... Introduction Discussion Summary viii. Legislation... Introduction The Legislation ix. Part 1 Summary and Conclusions

5 Contents Contents Page Part 2 Recommendations x. Waste Strategy Improvements.. Introduction Summary of Recommendations Recommendations Discussion Summary xi. Landfill Site Recommendations.. Discussion Summary xii. Waste Strategy Change..... xiii. Part 2 Summary and Conclusions Part 3 Feasibility Discussion xiv. Waste Strategy Improvements.... Introduction Recommendations Discussion xv. Landfill.... xvi. Part 3 Summary and Conclusions Part 4 Summary and Conclusions References Appendix 1.1 Ceredigion s Infrastructure Contractual Arrangements Council Leaflet UWA Health, Safety and Environmental Policy Statement. 1.5 UWA Recycling Point Locations Welsh County Council Websites. 1.7 Welsh County Council Comparison Tables 1.8 League Tables 1.9 WODC Report 1.10 English Councils Case Studies 1.11 Canadian & USA Recycling Waste Incineration Bring Site Signage

6 PART 1: Research Brief Contents Outline: i. Background to the County ii. Waste Management in Ceredigion iii. The University of Wales, Aberystwyth iv. Waste Management in Wales v. Waste Management in England vi. Global Waste Management vii. Landfill viii. Legislation ix. Part 1 Summary and Conclusions 6

7 Part 1 i. Background to the County i. Background to the County Introduction LWRS believes that it is important to include a brief outline to the County in this report in order to establish the scope of the task at hand. Thus aspects such as the geographical area, the population and the main towns have been researched and included here. Geographic Area Total land area of over 179,500 hectares (see figure 1.1 which outlines, in red, the area of Ceredigion) Figure 1.1 Ceredigion District Boundaries Borders North: Gwynedd South: Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire East: Powys Main towns Aberystwyth Lampeter / Llanbedr PS Cardigan/ Aberteifi Aberaeron Tregaron Llandysul 7

8 Part 1 i. Background to the County Population Currently the population is approximately 77,200 people but is projected to continue to rise in the coming years. Table 1.1 outlines the predicted populations for the next 8 years based upon three different sources of information. It is evident that there is a wide variation in these predictions and thus this may have implications for the new Waste Management Strategy. Currently the Welsh Office 1998 Base (highlighted in grey) appears to be the most accurate as it is most in line with the population figures for Year Welsh Office Welsh Office MWWR (1994 Base) (1998 Base) (1996 Base) , , , ,600 71,500 73, ,400 72,100 75, ,600 72,700 78, ,700 73,500 82,435 Table 1.1 Population Predictions (Ceredigion County Council) Infrastructure The county encompasses a fairly rugged, previously glaciated terrain and thus the transport networks are limited and often not very direct. The main roads are namely the A487, A482, A44, A486 these are single-lane, windy roads. One rail track operates in the County and terminates at Aberystwyth. The Infrastructure has been wellmapped by the Council; this map is displayed in appendix

9 Part 1 ii. Waste Management in Ceredigion ii. Current Waste Management Practices in Ceredigion Introduction Ceredigion has a fleet of seven waste trucks that work across the County five days a week. An additional two vehicles collect bulky waste at a charge of five pounds per collection, three days a week. There is also a service to remove waste from known and specified fly-tipped areas, a green waste collection service and road and beach cleaning. Five amenity sites, situated at specified locations across the County (areas between small villages), contain recycling bins, bulk storage bins and green waste storage and are emptied once every two weeks. There is no evidence to suggest this collection is insufficient for demand so it is assumed this service meets requirements ( A general break down of the main services is given below. Current Collections Household waste is collected weekly from the kerbside. The Council encourages the use of black bin liners or wheelie bins as waste receptacles. Bulky Household Items and Chargeable Household Collection: The Council provides a service which will take away any household items for a fee. These items are categorised under two main headings: i. Bulky Household Items encompassing such items as sofas, beds, chairs and tables ii. Chargeable Household Items encompassing larger items such as bathroom suits, kitchen units and greenhouses Some bulky household items may also be taken to the household waste sites. Household Waste Sites These sites take a range of materials which have come from domestic properties. Amongst the materials accepted are electrical items and small amounts of asbestos, paints, varnishes, batteries, thinner and fluorescent tubes. The Council will not allow for the mixing of domestic and commercial waste and for this reason, these sites will not accept commercial waste. There are five household waste sites in Ceredigion. Kerbside Recycling Collections The Kerbside Recycling practice has been in place since October 2003 and involves the collection of certain recyclables on a fortnightly basis, similar to a regular waste collection. The specified recyclables are paper, card, plastic and standard food cans. The scheme does not allow any food waste or glass to be added to the recyclables, in such an instance that these commodities are added, the recycling bags will not be taken away. Items are placed into a Council-provided clear plastic bag and left for collection. This information is expanded upon in greater detail in the kerbside recycling pamphlet that can be obtained from the local Council (see appendix 1.3). 9

10 Part 1 ii. Waste Management in Ceredigion Recycling is collected in Council-distributed clear plastic bags on the same day as household waste. Three recycling schemes operate in the area: The recycle in the bag scheme South The recycle in the bag scheme North The don t bin it-bag it scheme Lampeter / Llanbedr PS Figure 1.2 Recycling Wards in Ceredigion (Ceredigion County Council) The first recycling scheme was put to test in October 2003 and has been running since this time. Figure 1.2 maps the locations of the recycling areas in Ceredigion. Bring Site Recycling Collection Investigation into Aberystwyth s recycling and waste management efforts were examined in more detail as this Figure 1.3a (LWRS) Figure 1.3b (LWRS) Figure 1.3c (LWRS) 10

11 Part 1 ii. Waste Management in Ceredigion is one of the prominent towns in the County. Figure 3 is an example of Bring Banks that can be found in several areas around the town, 1.3(a) is an example of the larger banks, 1.3(b) the smaller sites and 1.3(c) the largest recycling banks available in Aberystwyth. Current Contractual Arrangements (based on information available from CCC Waste Management Strategy 2002) Several contracts have been put in place for the collection recyclable materials from both the Bring Banks and Household Waste Sites in Ceredigion. These were in place at the beginning of the last Waste Management Strategy for 2002 and may have been subject to change since this time. The contractors are listed in appendix 1.2. Composting Arrangements Currently residents must pay 25pence for a garden waste bag which can be collected from the County Council cash offices. Residents must telephone the Council to register their requests for a green collection at which point they are allocated a collection day corresponding with their area. Each time a resident wants their green waste collected, they must make a request. Green waste is collected in a separate vehicle to avoid contamination, and will only be collected in the bags bought from the Council. The Council will take a minimum of two bags and a maximum of fifty in any one visit. Garden waste may also be taken to any of the five household waste sites. Recycling and Waste Tonnages In 2000/2001 the total domestic waste received was 33,573 tonnes, of this 14.5% of the waste was recycled. Targets set in the Waste Strategy 2000 required 25% of household waste to be either recycled or composted by 2005, 30% by 2010, and 33% by Figures are not currently available to determine whether the 2005 targets were met (www2.ceredigion.gov.uk). However the Kerbside Recycling Scheme, in operation through out the County, appears to be well implemented and effective in achieving these targets. Budgetary Arrangements On investigation into the County s budget, the 2000/2001 Controllable Budget was 796,514. The budget is subdivided into Premises (including Tip Maintenance, Fuel and Light, and Rent and Rates) amassing to 82,180 and Supplies and Services (including Advertising and Telephones, Fees and Services, Recycling, and Other expenses) totalling 1,670,909, providing a total expenditure of 1,753,089. An income of 956,575 from weighbridge charges brought the budget to the above total. Waste Collection & Disposal ( 000 s) Gross Expenditure Income Grant Net Expenditure 2005/06 Budget Net Expenditure 000 s 5,718 1, ,960 3,814 N.B. The Promotions run by the Council also coincide with promotions run by Waste Awareness Wales; research into this organisation is presented in section vi. Waste Management in Wales Table 1.2 Waste Collection and Disposal Projected Budget (Ceredigion County Council) 11

12 Part 1 ii. Waste Management in Ceredigion Community Awareness Waste management and minimisation promotions do operate in Ceredigion but are very sporadic. LWRS has found that one bi-lingual recycling leaflet is currently in circulation and available for collection in Council receptions. The leaflet has been analysed in terms of its effectiveness in appendix 1.3; the findings are summarised below for convenience. Council Recycling Leaflet main findings: Positive Feedback Negative Feedback Bi-lingual Makes use of recycling slogan and mascot Provides information about Council waste achievements References important legislation Printed on recycled paper Unappealing to the eye Not a postal leaflet Lacks information regarding voluntary organisations that are contributing to the cause Out-of-date Summary and Conclusions At present the Council is operating an acceptable waste management strategy. The amount of waste diverted from landfill has exceeded the targets set for 2007 and recycling initiatives operate throughout the County, however there is room for improvement. LWRS research has shown that the promotion of recycling in the County is generally poor and thus there is scope for improvement in this area. 12

13 Part 1 iii. The University of Wales, Aberystwyth Introduction The University of Wales, Aberystwyth (UWA) recognises the importance of a sustainable waste management scheme and is currently working to improve its own contribution to waste management in Ceredigion. The University aims to ensure that waste is disposed of through the appropriate streams, including the safe disposal of hazardous waste and the sorting of reusable and recyclable materials. Aberystwyth People and Planet is a very active group which is campaigning to improve the state of waste management at UWA. This student-run group has set up meetings with the Vice Chancellor, conducted student opinion surveys and undertaken a great deal of promotional work to improve awareness and motivation for sustainable waste management. Waste Management Strategy Aim To develop bring sites around campus and residential areas which will take waste for both land fill and recycling. The health, safety and environmental policy statement provides a good indication of the aims of the University with regards to future waste management efforts. This statement can be viewed in full in appendix 1.4, the main points of interest have been listed below for convenience. UWA Health, Safety and Environmental Policy Statement Policy Statement: (UWA Handbook) The University of Wales, Aberystwyth recognises that the protection of the health and safety of our employees, students and others affected by our activities, and of the quality of the environment, are an integral part of the university s operation and a prime responsibility of management at every level. Summary of main aims relevant to waste management: Endeavour to improve our health, safety and environmental management systems so that environmental releases and production of waste are minimised, and energy is used efficiently. Require all our employees and students to work with due consideration for the environment Wherever reasonably practicable, apply the principles of sustainability when sourcing goods and services. Require contractors who work for us to accept the same standards of care for health, safety and the environment as the university itself 13

14 Part 1 iii. The University of Wales, Aberystwyth Recycling at UWA Residential Areas Green Recycling Bags can be collected from University receptions for the recycling of: Tins Cans Plastic bottles Paper Cardboard The Council asks that the green bags are left by the roadside, in residential areas, by 10am on Wednesday mornings for collection. Glass bottle banks are located at the bring banks Pentre Jane Morgan Reception will take: Printer cartridges Toner cartridges Mobile phones Not all halls of residence have recycling facilities. I.T. Equipment The University operates a central system which ensures that any re-useable IT equipment is refurbished. This system also ensures the safe disposal of any un-salvageable IT apparatus. Campus Recycling Currently there are facilities for the recycling of the following materials: Aluminium Cans Plastic bottles Paper Cardboard Printer cartridges Glass Computer parts Printer Cartridges Toner Cartridges Mobile Phones The University has drawn-up maps which show the recycling point locations around the UWA campus and support the information provided above; these maps are available to view in appendix 1.5. Finance The University has received some funding from the Welsh Assembly Government part of the public sector waste reduction programme. This money has been put towards the establishment of bring sites around campus. 14

15 Part 1 iii. The University of Wales, Aberystwyth Summary and Conclusions The University appears to be managing its waste to an acceptable standard. The campus plays host to various recycling points which take a wide range of commodities. UWA People and Planet is very active in helping to promote sustainable waste management and is doing its best to encourage fellow students to recycle. There are however a number of areas which have the potential to be improved, these are highlighted below: Not all halls of residence have recycling facilities There is no provision for food collections at UWA There is scope for recycling receptacles to be placed alongside regular litter bins throughout the campus and halls of residence, in order to maximise the amount of waste that is recycled There is scope for the placement of textiles and shoes receptacles at bring site locations around campus and halls of residence There is scope for much enhanced promotion of the reduce, re-use, recycle initiative both in halls of residence and around the campus 15

16 Part 1 iv. Waste Management in Wales Introduction Wales is subdivided into a number of County s each with individual waste management strategies. This section focuses upon the similarities and differences between these strategies in a bid to understand how well Ceredigion is performing relative to the rest of Wales. The County Councils There are 22 County Councils within Wales as shown in Fig Blaenau Gwent 2. Bridgend 3. Caerphilly 4. Cardiff 5. Carmarthenshire 6. Ceredigion 7. Conwy 8. Denbighshire 9. Flintshire 10. Gwynedd 11. Isle of Anglesey 12. Merthyr Tydfil 13. Monmouthshire 14. Neath Port Talbot 15. Newport 16. Pembrokeshire 17. Powys 18. Rhondda Cynon Taff 19. Swansea 20. Torfaen 21. Vale of Glamorgan 22. Wrexham Links to the Council websites can be found in appendix 1.6. Fig.1.4 Welsh County Boundaries (Wales Directory) Each of the Welsh Counties has independent recycling and waste management schemes. In order to assess how the councils manage their constituent waste, a table has been comprised which displays data regarding the recycling commodities taken, recycling and landfill sites and the effectiveness of the Council websites in conveying important information. This table acts as a key comparison tool and helps to show how waste management varies across the Welsh districts particularly with regards to recycling schemes, public awareness and refuse collections. The table can be viewed in full in appendix 1.7 and is summarised below for convenience. The following Councils run effective municipal sites, bring banks and kerbside collections: Carmarthenshire Conwy Denbighshire Flintshire 16

17 Part 1 iv. Waste Management in Wales Gwynedd Monmouthshire Neath Port Talbot Newport Pembrokeshire Powys Rhondda Cyon Taff Swansea Ceredigion and Powys come top in the Welsh Assembly Government and let s recycle.com league tables (see appendix 1.8) and with 30.39% and 19.62% respectively. This information raises questions regarding the waste management strategy in place for Ceredigion, the best performer in Wales, and how it will be possible to maximize this resource in the future. This is especially noted with concern to the economic and awareness aspects of the strategy; these two areas may be key to future success. Community Awareness Waste Awareness Wales Waste Awareness Wales, is a joint Welsh Local Government Association and Keep Wales Tidy project funded by the Welsh Assembly Government. This project has taken an approach similar to that of I.C.F. International (see Part 1 section vi) but on a smaller scale. This organisation has launched a new advertising campaign to highlight home composting as well as the already existing series of Welsh and English television and radio adverts. These adverts were launched in October and are designed to illustrate the ease and benefits of recycling in everyday life as well as encourage the general public to treat their waste in a more sustainable manner. The television adverts star young children and use the slogan, It s our future, please don t throw it away. This campaign has the potential to provoke a sympathetic response from adults whilst appealing to young children as a potential demographic to recycle. The radio adverts work in much the same way; using a narrative from a young boy to promote recycling and composting in Wales. Links to these advertisements can be found in table 1.3. A new campaign from Waste Awareness Wales has also been launched to encourage composting at home; the desired result from this is to reduce household waste by up to 30%. The campaign presents a series of podcasts aimed at making home composting easier. The information provided by the pod-casts explains the benefits of home composting, including compost use for gardening and reducing landfill; as well as highlighting the ideal constituents for composting and what materials not to put into a compost heap. The pod-casts made available so far can be found via the links in table 1.3 below. The campaign encourages composting as a family activity (figures 1.5 a & b) and once again includes all demographics in its recycling advertising. A term that is used, Getting nature to do the work for you is written in bold type and promotes the fact that very little work is done in composting encouraging even the most reluctant of recyclers. The information provided also states that biodegradable waste is a major contributor to global warming and emphasizes the importance of recycling. Waste Awareness Wales has also produced a bus advertisement campaign to increase public awareness of effective waste management. The bus back advertisements (figure 1.6) feature items of household waste and illustrate what they can be recycled into. 17

18 Part 1 iv. Waste Management in Wales Table 1.3 Links to Waste Awareness Wales Promotions Material Television Adverts Radio Adverts Pod-casts Home Composting Windows media Real Player Windows media Real player Why start Home Composting? Windows media Real Player Recycling Windows media Real player Windows media Real player Getting Started Home Composting Windows media Real Player Christmas Recycling How Home Windows media Windows media Windows media Composting works Real Player Real player Real Player If the links are incompatible with your PDF reader and do not work, use this link to view the adverts: and this link to listen to the pod-casts: Figures 1.5 a & b Composting (Waste Awareness Wales) Summary The questions posed in the latter part of this review and the promotions efforts presented in the former, indicate that there is great scope for improvement in Wales as a whole. It is evident that Waste Awareness Wales has made a good start, however the advertising is not going far enough. Ceredigion County Council is performing very well in comparison to the other councils in Wales, and should aim to remain top of the league by enhancing community awareness. Figure 1.6 Bus Back Promotions (Waste Awareness Wales) 18

19 Part 1 v. Waste Management in England Introduction LWRS has researched the waste management practices of councils in England for the benefit of Ceredigion County Council. This research helps to show where Ceredigion stands in the wider context within the UK and also helps to highlight successful initiatives which may be put into practice in Ceredigion. English Councils Survey In July 2006 West Oxfordshire District Council conducted a survey into the District s Bring Sites in order to ascertain how they could be improved. Part of this research was a survey which was sent out to the top 15 recycling councils in England, amongst others. LWRS feels that this survey is relevant to this project as it provides information regarding a number of aspects of the waste management strategies of these councils. A full analysis of the relevant aspects of this survey can be found in appendix 1.9; a summary of the main findings is written in brief below. Survey Findings Kerbside recycling commodities are commonly card, paper, plastics, glass and tins/cans Bring site recycling commodities are commonly paper, textiles, shoes, glass and tins/cans A very small percentage of the councils questioned collect food waste Fortnightly kerbside collections are more popular with councils than weekly collections Common problems with the bring sites are related to fly-tipping, litter, vandalism and container contamination Few of the councils have signs to their sites, of those that do, there were mixed views as to their significance The main promotional tactics are through school visits, stands at community events, postal leaflets and council websites Survey Conclusions This report has been included in the research by LWRS plc because it emphasises the importance of surveys in drawing up a waste management plan. The survey of the top-performing councils in England is a very good basis for comparison with the councils in Wales and specifically with Ceredigion County Council. There is a lot of relevant information in this survey, including both issues related to kerbside and bring site recycling initiatives and the promotion of these initiatives. Recommendations may now be made for the improvement of Ceredigion County Council s waste management strategy, based upon substantial research into what other top-performing councils are doing. English Councils Case Studies These studies are examples of waste reduction initiatives run by a selection of councils in England. This research is especially useful in supporting part three of this report which considers the feasibility of our recommendations. The case studies can be viewed in full in appendix

20 Part 1 vi. Global Waste Management Introduction LWRS recognises the importance of looking beyond the borders of our own backyards and has thus conducted a wide range of research into waste management practices abroad. This section highlights some of the best initiatives found to be operating within different corners of the globe including Germany, New Zealand and the USA. Germany Germany is one of the world s best performers at recycling in Europe and even worldwide. Similar to the UK, it produces 30 million tonnes of household waste annually yet has a far more effective system of recycling in place. Glass bottles or jars are often returnable or require a deposit payment before purchase. However, if this is not the case, the glass must be placed in a designated glass bank depending on its colour. There are a collection of these banks in every neighbourhood allowing easy access. All other recyclables are sorted at home into a series of bins and it is through this system that the true organisation of Germany s methods can be seen. Paper and card (in the form of packaging, newspapers and cardboard) are placed into green bins which are also located in every neighbourhood. Plastic, polystyrene, aluminium, tinplate and "composite" materials, (like beverage cartons) made of a mixture of materials, belong in the yellow bin. 50% of Germany s waste is biological, including food and garden waste. This biological waste is collected in brown bins. Households that do not posses a brown bin are allowed to dispose of biological waste in the grey bin which is reserved for anything else; this waste goes on to be incinerated. Hazardous material, such as acid and paint, must be taken to designated sites where it is disposed of in the appropriate manner; batteries can be placed in specified bins at local supermarkets. Any bulky items, such as furniture, are left outside at designated times where they are collected by the local council. Recycling methods such as these have encouraged waste minimisation and many households appear to now shop at local markets and re-use many items such as bags and cartons. One of Germany s most popular and effective schemes is the Green Dot system whereby manufactures must pay for a green dot on packaging the more packaging, the greater the fee. This has encouraged manufacturers to reduce packaging and has seen a decrease of 1 million tonnes in waste per year since it was first implemented. The green-dot program costs 1.9 billion Euros ( 1.3 billion) a year - 76 Euros ( 52) for a household of four consumers and, for some packaged products, costs have jumped 13 percent since the law took effect. The cost of recycling increased 20% but has indeed reduced the solid waste produced. While the UK and Wales may not be ready for such drastic measures it is certainly an effective way to reduce packaging. Germany s recycling rates are now above 70% for most households over double the current rates for Ceredigion and the UK. Both countries have a high GDP per capita and Germany has a higher population. The methods that have been implemented in Germany are indicative that effective recycling can occur on a very large scale and could potentially be employed in the UK. The Southern Hemisphere Recycling Operators in New Zealand (RONZ) established in 1992 to represent service providers, operators, and educators in the covered materials and recycling industry. The Packaging Accord approved by the New Zealand Government in 2004 reduces waste and increases the amount of packaging that can be recycled, therefore reducing the volume of waste from packaging that is disposed of at landfill sites (RONZ). 20

21 Part 1 vi. Global Waste Management Australia spends $25,000 (approx 10,000) per week burying waste in landfill. Levies imposed on landfill sites by the State Government currently stand at $1,000,000 (approx 406,000). However, plans to increase levies to $3,000,000 (approx 1,200,000) over the next five years will be instilled if current waste volumes increase. To the people of Australia this will mean tax increases to cover the rising cost per tonne of waste ($35 to $60 before inflation ( 14 to 24). Simply put, cities will run out of space at current landfill sites if annual garbage is not reduced, and the cost to provide a new landfill site will cost $5-6,000,000 (approx 2,400,000). The development of Recovery Resource Centres and Landfill sites is a new idea implemented at the Drysdale Resource Centre and Landfill and is the only landfill open to the public. The Resource Recovery Centre helps the environment and reduces waste deposited at landfill by diverting as much recyclable material as possible ( I.C.F. International Positive advertising and awareness is vital for the continued success and expansion of recycling worldwide as well as on a smaller local scale. I.C.F. International is a company which is passionate about recycling and has outlined successful promotion methods in Pennsylvania, USA. I.C.F. leans towards a multi-pronged approach aimed at businesses and the public including public relations, special promotions, development and distribution of educational and information materials. Amongst I.C.F. s strategies, the most intricate is that aimed at the public. The strategy for the residential portion of the campaign is to deliver a memorable recycling message to audiences by promoting a team of cartoon characters, representing the seven letters of RECYCLE and shaped like common recyclable items. ICF International purchased television spots, radio spots, a Recycle Team theme song, and Recycle Team costumes. ICF International also manages promotional events at baseball and hockey games where attendees are given recycled-content stadium cushions and exposed to promotional messages reinforcing the importance of recycling in programs, on field signs, on the scoreboard, and read by announcers throughout the games. These efforts also include radio and video play of Recycle Team spots and "live" character appearances to entertain the fans. Since businesses are mandated to recycle by Pennsylvania's Act 101, ICF International's task has been to inform and instruct these businesses of requirements and help make their compliance as easy as possible. Canada Canada and America are far larger countries and therefore work on a grander scale to the UK, Wales and in effect Ceredigion, and although one of the largest polluters of the global environment, the USA recycles at higher and more effective level than most countries within the EU. British Columbia effectively uses an online facility to allow people to exchange used goods that are not needed by themselves but could be extremely useful to others. Waste-Exchange operates on the same principles in Wales: Ceredigion could make this resource more publicly known, and also advertising CRAFT on a larger scale could also be extremely beneficial, items that are no longer needed can be taken to CRAFT or collected for a nominal fee: Resources already in place such as these should be used; the public and businesses should be encouraged to support both the online and physical resources. This research is presented in greater detail in appendix

22 Part 1 vii. Landfill Introduction Alongside the waste management research and recommendations, the Council asked that LWRS look into the possibility of locating a new landfill site in Ceredigion. This section first discusses the current situation with regards to landfill and then goes on to discuss the options available for future landfill. The Current Landfill Situation Ceredigion currently exports 37,200 tonnes of waste per year to the Bryn Posteg landfill site in Llanidloes, Powys. This is on top of the approximate 72,600 tonnes received from the county of Powys alone. The Bryn Posteg landfill site has been in operation since In 1997, maintenance of the site was handed over to a private company. Figure 1.7 Proximity of Aberystwyth to Llanidloes. Bryn Posteg is situated on an old lead mine which presents many serious issues. No one is entirely sure of the location of all mineshafts leading to concerns as to whether that site is sealed; the landfill site is situated between the River Severn and a Severn Tributary, all approximately 2 miles from Llanidloes. Unsurprisingly locals are concerned about the condition of the site at present, the lack of intervention by the council, lack of involvement in these issues by the company responsible for this site, and expansion of the site into another 30 acres of good pastureland over the next years (Source: Communities speak out on Waste). According to a report by Residents Against The Tip In Llanidloes (RATTIL) few of the criteria (Summary of Landfill Criteria, updated 2002) have been met. In recent years leachate leaks from the landfill site have been neither monitored nor treated, and Landfill gas accumulation and gas flare are monitored for dioxins annually rather than monthly (Communities Speak out on Waste). A report has yet to be conducted on these findings, although an investigation was carried out by the Department of Health (DH) into a similar situation in England. DH were asked to explore possibilities that 22

23 Part 1 vii. Landfill living close to landfill sites has detrimental effects upon unborn babies, asthma sufferers, and children as well as exploring other possibilities. Results were inconclusive (that is to say researchers found no correlation between low birth weight, asthma attacks and effects upon children) ( Possibilities for future landfill Extensive research was carried out into the possibility of locating a landfill site within Ceredigion to ease pressures on the Landfill site of Bryn Posteg, Llanidloes, Powys (Figure 1.7 LWRS). For a Landfill Site application to be considered it must first meet the following criteria: Location of landfills must consider geology, hydrogeology, agricultural and urban developments, flooding, subsidence, landslides, local nature protection areas etc Control rainwater entering land filled waste Prevent surface and groundwater entering landfill Measures for collecting and treating leachate Minimum standards for barriers, linings, and drainage layers Landfill gas collection, disposal and/or use Monitoring (Summary of Landfill Criteria, updated 2002). Summary Research has shown that there are not any suitable locations for a new landfill site in the Ceredigion County. It is equally evident that the landfill site at Powys will soon fill up and thus Ceredigion has added pressure to far exceed the recycling and composting targets set by the governing legislation. 23

24 Part 1 viii. Legislation Introduction LWRS recognises that there is a certain amount of legislation governing the waste management practices of the councils in Wales. This legislation plays a vital role in waste management strategies and cannot be ignored. This section outlines the amount of legislation which must be acknowledged and abided by in order to draw up a waste management plan. The Legislation Research into current legislation has found that there are a number of documents that the Council should be aware of and LWRS ensures that the recommendations made in this project have been considered with regards to these legally-binding documents. A list of the most important pieces of legislation and waste management policies is given below. Environmental Management Act: The EU Landfill Directive The Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002 Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme End of Life Vehicles Directive The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive The European Union Framework Directive European Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste National Waste Strategy for Wales Produced by the Welsh Assembly Government Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO) Unitary Development Plan for Ceredigion Wise About Waste Strategy (The Assembly) 24

25 Part 1 ix. Summary and Conclusions Whilst current recycling levels are above those set by the Waste Strategy 2000 and amongst the highest in the county, there is increasing pressure on the Ceredigion County Council to perform better. The Kerbside Recycling scheme has been effective in increasing household waste recycling but, as LWRS research has shown, there is ever-decreasing landfill space with no other suitable landfill locations in the county. This limited landfill resource, which is filling up fast, is leading to even greater pressures being placed on Ceredigion to boost recycling levels to those seen elsewhere in the world. Levels of recycling are relatively high compared to other councils in Wales but as has been discussed, there is limited advertising of local reduce-reuse-recycle schemes and, as a result, community awareness is suffering. LWRS has specifically highlighted this as one of the priorities for Ceredigion County Council. Participation of the public in waste recycling is steady and support is apparent in local schemes run by UWA People and Planet at the University of Aberystwyth. LWRS research has shown that the University is doing a great deal to ensure that an effective waste management plan is in place, however there remain noted areas for improvement, particularly with regards to student participation levels and the provision of recycling receptacles. 25

26 PART 2: Recommendations Brief Contents Outline: i. x. Waste Background Strategy to Improvements the County xi. Landfill Site Recommendations ii. Current Waste Management in Ceredigion xii. Waste Strategy Change iii. The University of Wales, Aberystwyth xiii. Part 2 Summary and Conclusions iv. Waste Management in Wales v. Waste Management in England vi. Global Waste Management vii. Landfill Opportunities in Ceredigion viii. Legislation ix. Summary and Conclusions 26

27 Part 2 x. Waste Strategy Improvements Introduction This section focuses upon the recommendations that LWRS is putting forwards in a bid to improve the waste management strategy of Ceredigion County Council. These recommendations are drawn from the research undertaken by LWRS, as discussed in part 1, and from the expertise that the team members bring to this project. The recommendations have been summarised below for ease of reference and are discussed in more detail in the subsequent sections in part 2 of this report. The recommendations that LWRS is proposing are as follows: Summary of Recommendations 1. Enhance Community Awareness Advertising The Green Bag Scheme Education Local Businesses Public Recycling Receptacles Waste Awareness Wales 2. Enhance the role of the University in Recycling Promotion in halls of residence The green bag scheme Local businesses Aberystwyth People and Planet 3. Work with local businesses promotion of businesses such as Craft and the Tree House green bag scheme packaging reductions 4. Introduce more robust waste receptacles wheelie bins to replace black bin bags wheelie bins and boxes to replace clear bags communal Bring sites for housing that cannot accommodate a box or a bin 5. Reduce waste through green bag promotion and junk mail reductions 6. Improve the Bring sites through better signage, monitoring and cleanliness 7. Look into introducing food waste collections from both domestic and trade sources 27

28 Part 2 x. Waste Strategy Improvements Recommendations Discussion 1. Enhance Community Awareness Advertising The Green Bag Scheme Education Local Businesses Public Recycling Receptacles Waste Awareness Wales Advertising There is a whole range of ways by which the Council can increase its advertising with regards to promoting its recycling and composting schemes. Included in this range is the use of the sides of the waste trucks, the promotion via postal leaflets and posters in public places including pubs, shops and schools. Waste Awareness Wales uses the backs of busses, however there do not appear to be any busses in the Aberystwyth area which carry these advertisements; this is one of the prime towns and home to a large number of students a key target generation for this sort of promotion. The Council should also be making use of the waste receptacles that it distributes to households; as discussed below, the clear plastic bags are a prime opportunity for promotion. Wheelie bins and plastic boxes, should the Council choose to take note of this recommendation, could also be used to advantage by branding the Council s recycling slogan and mascot on to them. Some of these key recommendations are discussed in further detail below. Ceredigion County Council Pamphlet This leaflet is in need of amendment for various reasons: Information on the leaflet is in need of updating; particulars about the Kerbside Recycling scheme start date are now in excess of 3 years out of date. Necessitates greater use of colour to construct a more vivid leaflet; this will allow a more prominent advertisement of the scheme. A greater utilization of Council emblems and recycling mascots to create an obvious association with the scheme is in demand. The inclusion of information about reuse-recycle facilities (such as CRAFT and voluntary recycle banks) will allow an increased array of options and promote greater rates of reuse and recycling. Easier access to the leaflet is also required; L.W.R.S. researchers were only able to obtain copies of the pamphlet after request to the Council. Council-provided recycling bags The absence of Council mascots and emblems on recycling bags creates a dissociation of the Council from the scheme. The use of a recognised symbol would allow a more comprehensive advertisement as well as engaging younger generation recyclers. This theme could then be carried forward to waste removal vehicles and generate ample advertising and connection to the scheme. Campaign identity The use of mascots and slogans could be exploited in local schools and nurseries. Education in every school with a similar mascot and identity would initiate an inclusive feel amongst youngsters and encourage recycling at an early age. This would be particularly effective if bring sites were set up at the schools (see education below). The Green Bag Scheme LWRS proposes that the Council sets up a publicity campaign which involves the distribution of green bags in a push to raise public awareness and begin to steer the general public towards using re-useable carrier bags. A 28

29 Part 2 x. Waste Strategy Improvements number of Councils, including Oxfordshire County Council, have already adopted such a scheme and the success is seeing marked improvements already. This scheme would also open up further windows of opportunity for Council promotions. Education This encompasses both general community education and education in the local schools of Ceredigion. Educating young children and teenagers about the positive aspects of sustainable waste management and also educating them about how, what and where they can recycle can have a very positive impact on the amount of waste recycled in the County. LWRS proposes that the Council sets up bring banks in school locations with rewards incentives for using them to recycle and re-use materials. LWRS also proposes that the Council promotes sustainable waste management by use of posters in classrooms, school corridors and communal areas (including staff rooms). The Council should continue to make school visits and ensure that the children become actively involved in small projects during these visits. Local Businesses Research into local businesses in Ceredigion has found that there are a number of businesses which are doing their bit for sustainable waste management. LWRS proposes that businesses such as CRAFT are promoted as positively and widely as possible and are given the support they need to expand into other areas of the district. LWRS is also eager that the Council helps to cut down the amount of packaging that is consumed in the County, in a bid to promote the reduction of waste. This can be done through the promotion of local businesses, such as butchers and green grocers, over the larger supermarket chains. Public Recycling Receptacles It has come to the attention of LWRS researchers that the main streets of the main towns in Ceredigion play host to only bins that collect landfill waste. This is a missed opportunity in terms of the amount of recyclable commodities that may be being sent to landfill via these receptacles. LWRS proposes that the Council looks to improve the range of receptacles available to include those that take plastic bottles, glass and tins/cans on the main streets. Waste Awareness Wales Closer consultation and connection with Waste Awareness Wales would allow more effective and accurate promotion of local services and policies as well as nationwide schemes. A key example of this is the national composting month February This campaign chose February 2007 as the month in which it would promote composting, however it was only upon investigation into the activities of Waste Awareness Wales that this fact came to light. Thus it is evident that there is a great deal of scope for improvement particularly with regards to the promotion of the key aspects of the campaign. 29

30 Part 2 x. Waste Strategy Improvements 2. Enhance the role of the University in Recycling Promotion in halls of residence The green bag scheme Local businesses Aberystwyth People and Planet The University of Wales, Aberystwyth is a key part of the town of Aberystwyth. The university plays host to over 5,000 students and equally a large number of lecturers and support staff. The opportunity for improving recycling rates and encouraging reduction and reuse, is thus a large one, and one that should not remain unnoticed. Promotion in halls of residence Most of the halls of residence have some kind of recycling facility available to them. The most advanced halls site is Pentre Jane Morgan; the students on this site sort the recycling themselves and this is then picked up by the Council every Wednesday morning from the kerbside. Other halls of residence, however, simply have bring sites outside their halls where waste can be taken to be recycled. Aber People and Planet acknowledge that this is a good start but are doing their best to ensure that the recycling ethic is constantly improved upon. LWRS notes that the halls of residence are lacking in promotions materials and recycling receptacles in the student bedrooms and kitchens. We propose that the Council distributes posters advertising the need to recycle in every student study room and every shared kitchen. The kitchens should also be equipped with a reel of green recycling bags when the students first move into the halls of residence. A simple scheme such as this would help to catch the attention of the students and would be at a relatively low cost to the Council itself, particularly when compared to the potential increase in recycling overall. The green bag scheme Opening up this scheme, as discussed above, to students would be a very effective promotions method. The freshers fairs and re-freshers fairs, coupled with student union events, would prove to be of most benefit to the Council in terms of reaching out to a large proportion of its target audience. The distribution of re-useable green carrier bags at these events may help to increase the number of students using re-usable bags in place of plastic bags when shopping. Local businesses Promoting the use of local businesses, particularly with regards to the relative costs savings made, could have a positive effect both upon the student population and the local populations. Not only would such a campaign help to reduce the amount of food packaging consumed, it might also help to integrate the students into the local community. Aberystwyth People and Planet The Council has a very good asset in the form of Aberystwyth People and Planet and LWRS recommends that the Waste Officers make contact with this group and work with the members to help promote reducing, re-using and recycling and in and around the university. 30

31 Part 2 x. Waste Strategy Improvements 3. Work with local businesses promotion of businesses such as Craft and the Tree House green bag scheme packaging reductions These recommendations have been covered in 1 and 2 above. 4. Introduce more robust waste receptacles wheelie bins to replace black bin bags wheelie bins and boxes to replace clear bags communal Bring sites for housing that cannot accommodate a box or a bin Research into what other councils have done in England, Wales and elsewhere has showed that many councils have provided wheelie bins and boxes. Ceredigion currently distributes clear plastic bags to residents and green plastic bags to students, thus increasing the amount of waste generated each week (in the form of the plastic bags). The council will also be incurring relatively high costs in providing these bags when the introduction of wheelie bins could pay for itself. LWRS proposes that the Council introduces wheelie bins in place of both landfill and recyclable waste receptacles. Where wheelie bins are not an option, the Council should consider communal bring sites or plastic, stackable boxes, with lock-down lids. 5. Reduce waste through green bag promotion and junk mail reductions The green bag scheme has been discussed in the sections above. With regards to junk mail, this has the potential to reduce the amount of waste generated and thus is a much better step than recycling which is lower down the waste management hierarchy. The mailing preference service is promoted on the Council website but this information does not appear to be distributed in any other form and thus a large percentage of the population (such as that which does not regularly look at the Council website) is not being reached. We propose that the Council takes a more pro-active role in minimising the amount of waste generated by promoting services such as that mentioned above. 6. Improve the Bring sites through better signage, monitoring and cleanliness The research conducted into the bring banks in Ceredigion indicates that there is a great deal of room for improvement. There does not appear to be any uniformity to these sites in that the range of receptacles varies greatly between sites. The sites are very often over-flowing and littered. There is also a distinct lack of signage both to and at the sites. This is an issue as the Council is missing a key opportunity to promote re-use and recycling in the county, new people or holiday visitors to the area will not know that the sites are there and there is also the issue related to the lack of ownership of the sites. Signage at the sites which clearly states what the sites are for (domestic recycling) and who they belong to (Ceredigion County Council) may help to reduce commercial use of the sites, but will also help to integrate the Council into the local community. A good example of the depth of research into, monitoring of and recommendations for the improvement of bring sites can be found in the 2006 report undertaken for West Oxfordshire District Council by an LWRS consultant. Here the main recommendations were as follows: Improve signage both to and at the bring sites Improve security at the bring sites by ensuring that they are well-lit Improve security and deter against fly-tipping and commercial waste dumping by installing CCTV warning signs, and eventually cameras if the situation does not improve When replacing the waste receptacles in the future, ensure that the colours co-ordinate with the national recycling colours Implement an adopt-a-bank scheme (see case-study of London Borough of Sutton Council appendix 1.10) Incorporate bring bank management into the WODC Green Gym Scheme Implement a monitoring scheme to ensure that the banks are regularly emptied and tidied 31

32 Part 2 x. Waste Strategy Improvements Ensure that the receptacles are cleaned at least once annually 7. Look into introducing food waste collections from both domestic and trade sources Somerset Council (see case study in appendix 1.10) has introduced a food waste collection in order to ensure that food waste does not go into landfill sites and contaminate soils and subsequently water sources. It has been suggested that this scheme has aided in reducing the amount of packaging that is now consumed in the County as consumers are realising how much food is thrown away each day and thus buy less to begin with. This could have very positive implications for Ceredigion and is worth while looking into. LWRS recommends the piloting of a food collections scheme as this would help to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, it may reduce the amount of packaging that is bought and subsequently disposed of and it will help to ensure that the Council remains in the top of the league. LWRS also recommends collaboration with neighbouring councils in Wales in order to share the costs of such a scheme and to help ensure that Wales is doing all that it can to achieve sustainable waste management. Summary The recommendations discussed above have been designed to help improve Ceredigion s waste management strategy. LWRS has looked at options ranging from simple promotions improvements to larger-scale bring site monitoring and restoration. These recommendations are based upon well-grounded research into what other councils are doing around the world. 32

33 Part 2 xi. Landfill Discussion Given the criteria set out in part 1, (Summary of Landfill Criteria, updated 2002) the location of a new landfill site in Ceredigion is not possible. Many streams flow across Ceredigion, the county has many disused and abandoned mine shafts, much of the land is polluted with heavy metals from mining, and low laying land is protected as wetland reserves. Any suitable areas were examined in more depth and found to be of an unsuitable geology (bedrock has to be non porous to prevent leaching into the water table); three such sites are analysed below in order to demonstrate the issues faced with regards to landfill locations in Ceredigion. Location 1. (figure 2.1) North of Aberaeron. Large area, good road access. The area lies too close to habitation, is situated on porous bedrock, and is close to streams, rivers and tributaries. Verdict: Not suitable. Figure 2.1 Possible Landfill Site Location.no.1. North of Aberaeron (LWRS Analysis) Location 2 (figure 2.2) Geufron. Good road access, close proximity to Bryn Posteg. However, elevated, forested land, close to streams/rivers/tributaries, porous bedrock in places, situated close to the opening of an old mine shaft (instability, and leachate possibilities). Verdict: Not suitable. Location 3. (figure 2.3) Tregaron. Easy road access, flat land, large area. However: close to habitation, campsites, streams/rivers/tributaries. Will have huge negative effects upon the wetland to the north and north-west. Soils contain large volumes of heavy metal deposits any leachate will have profound negative impacts upon water sources and the water table. Verdict: Not suitable. These are just three examples of landfill proposals that have been put forward. Other sites provided the same verdict - not suitable. Impacts upon the local area are too great, and the costs to create and maintain and landfill are too high for the meagre budget the council has at its disposal. Therefore, alternatives must be sought from LWRS proposals if Ceredigion County Council is to comply with and achieve Government targets. 33

34 Part 2 xi. Landfill Figure 2.2 Possible Landfill Site Location, no. 2. Geufron (LWRS analysis) Figure 2.3 Possible Landfill Site Location, no. 3. Tregaron (LWRS analysis Summary It is clear that there are no suitable sites for landfill in Ceredigion and thus LWRS proposes that the Council places emphasis on reduce-reuse-recycle schemes. The information in the research section (part 1) indicates that there are plenty of ideas for reducing waste and encouraging recycling within Ceredigion, which could be implemented. Very little, however, seems to have been implemented yet. Emphasis must therefore be placed upon household efforts to reduce, re-use and recycle as much as possible before waste is finally removed to landfill. LWRS also encourages the Council to consider the innovative idea proposed, which is to look into the possibility of setting up a waste incinerator. This option would be the most effective and cost-efficient in redirecting waste from landfill. 34

35 Part 2 xii. Waste Strategy Change Introduction LWRS researchers came up with the idea of incineration as an innovative and different waste management option, and have thus conducted some research into this area. Incineration would replace most current recycling contracts and would also divert almost all of the County s waste from landfill. Waste incinerators have great energy production potentials and the emissions from the plants are minimal, especially in comparison to current fossil-fuelled power plants. The research which has been carried out into this area can be found in appendix 1.12; the main aspects are summarised below for convenience. Legislation The legislation in place in England and Wales allows for an incinerator that would burn municipal waste; converting much of the energy from this heat into power for the county of Ceredigion. The carbon released seems to be minimal by comparison to the current collection, transportation and storage of waste sent to the landfill site in Powys and also in comparison to the recycling scheme currently in place. This is an alternative that Ceredigion should pay more head to; recycling, although good, can still be perfected through other waste management strategies. A new EU Directive on Incineration of Waste came into force on 28 December This sets EU wide permitted emission levels for incinerators, and covers all incineration and co-incineration plants, except those burning the following materials: vegetable waste from agriculture and forestry vegetable waste from the food processing industry, if the heat generated is recovered fibrous vegetable waste from virgin pulp production and from production of paper from pulp, if it is co-incinerated at the place of production and the heat generated is recovered wood waste with the exception of wood waste which may contain halogenated organic compounds or heavy metals as a result of treatment with wood-preservatives or coating, and which includes in particular such wood waste originating from construction and demolition waste, cork waste radioactive waste animal carcasses as regulated by Directive 90/667/EEC without prejudice to its future amendments waste resulting from the exploration for, and the exploitation of, oil and gas resources from off-shore installations and incinerated on board the installation A much more in-depth study of this legislation can be found in appendix Pollution Issues Pollutants emitted during the process of incineration can have health implications, depending on the concentrations present, but concentrations have been declining and will decline further as the new Incineration Directive takes effect. Incineration is undoubtedly getting safer, as more stringent emissions controls have been put in place. It is likely that, as with any process of this nature, there will be some negative impacts. An NSCA report on incineration lists the following possible negative environmental impacts: Emissions of toxic substances to air Emissions from transport Production of hazardous waste (fly ash) Contaminated wastewater Combustion produces carbon dioxide, a green house gas. 35

36 Part 2 xii. Waste Strategy Change Odors and possible vermin at waste storage prior to incineration LWRS notes, however, that emissions from transport of waste, together with odors and other associated problems, are issues that affect all waste management facilities to a lesser or greater degree. In a study taken buy the Öko-Institut Darmstadt, on behalf of ITAD (a German waste incineration company), results have shown that incineration may provide a reliable and safe method of waste disposal; more efficient and cleaner than landfill options or even recycling. Waste incineration also contributes to energy production where heat is used to generate electricity for conventional use. The results of the study came to 3 distinct conclusions about waste incineration: 1. Waste incineration plants provide a worthy contribution to climate protection 2. They contribute less to the acidification of eco-systems than, for example, power plants 3. They protect natural resources e.g. fossil fuels Lessons learnt from existing schemes Waste Incineration - Amsterdam AEB has achieved success and good standing in the community through great community relations. The company accomplished this through a solid public awareness scheme: Allowing sufficient time for the community relations programme (6 years) Establishing a dialogue among equals Acting in a totally open manner Communicating in understandable language Working on common ground with protest groups Involving the citizen in each step of the project LWRS recommendation LWRS recommends that Ceredigion County Council carefully considers incineration as a solution to its waste management problems. Whilst the current waste management practices are very successful, the implications surrounding the issue of finding a new landfill site are putting increased strain on the Council to act fast in order to find a new, viable solution to landfill. LWRS recognises that the recommendations, which have been made in order to increase reuse and recycling rates, will have an impact upon the amount of waste sent to landfill, but will not reduce it completely. The establishment of an incinerator would save the Council money in the long-run, would be a cleaner option than recycling and landfill and would also generate power which could be sold to the national grid. LWRS also notes that incineration of 100% of the waste produced in Ceredigion is not a viable option as not all waste can be incinerated and for this reason the Council may wish to consider running a smaller-scale reduce-reuse-recycle scheme. Evidently, community awareness is a major part of both the previous recommendations and the establishment of a waste incineration scheme and thus LWRS recommends that the Council tailors the previous recommendations to promote either of the angles it chooses to take. 36

37 Part 2 xiii. Summary and Conclusions The recommendations made in this section are based upon the research that LWRS has conducted and outlined in part 1 of this report and also of LWRS innovation. The recommendations are designed to help Ceredigion County Council increase the proportion of waste that is recycled and composted in the area in order to ensure that the County is doing its part for sustainable living. The main recommendations made are related to community awareness and education, as well as improving the Council s image by refurbishing and looking after the bring sites. LWRS has proposed that the Council strongly considers installing a waste incinerator in the County as the primary method of all waste disposal. This would remove the greater need for landfill and would thus remove strain on resources whilst also creating jobs and providing clean power for the Council to sell on. The recommendations related to waste reduction, recycling and landfill are discussed in terms of their feasibility in part 3 of this report. 37

38 PART 3: Feasibility Brief Contents Outline: x. xiv. Background Waste Strategy to Improvements the County xv. Landfill xi. Current Waste Management in Ceredigion xii. xvi. The Part University 2 Summary and of Wales, Conclusions Aberystwyth xiii. Waste Management in Wales xiv. Waste Management in England xv. Global Waste Management xvi. Landfill Opportunities in Ceredigion xvii. Legislation xviii. Summary and Conclusions 38

39 Part 3 xiv. Waste Strategy Improvements Introduction This section discusses the feasibility of those recommendations set out in part 2 and thus adopts the same format as part 2 for ease of reference. Discussion of Recommendations 1. Enhance Community Awareness Advertising The Green Bag Scheme Education Local Businesses Public Recycling Receptacles Waste Awareness Wales Campaign identity is an advertisement option that is easily feasible. Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, Luton Council and Hampshire County Council all have brightly coloured refuse vehicles that use a recurring messages and promotions (see below). These themes can also be seen on signage and leaflets around the respective local communities. If such accomplishments can be achieved in other areas, this idea could easily be carried forward into Ceredigion to allow a greater association with the Kerbside Recycling scheme. Recycling information leaflets have been produced in order to promote local schemes in every county across the UK. However, from researched examples, several Councils produce brightly coloured pamphlets that include all the necessary information. Amongst these are East Sussex County Council, Exeter County Council, Northampton Council, Peterborough Council (figures 3.1and 3.2) and West Wiltshire County Council. If other councils can produce leaflets of such quality as those seen below from Peterborough, there is no reason why Ceredigion County Council cannot create an information pamphlet that is as eye-catching and informing. A promotional scheme by Waste Awareness Wales and the Ceredigion County Council combination is not unrealistic. The Worcestershire County Council employed a Recycle Now recycling bus with interactive features designed for all ages. This bus advertised local Kerbside Recycling schemes as well as the nationwide Recycle Now campaign. Such an idea from Waste Awareness Wales and the Ceredigion Council is therefore not unachievable. The use of a special local branded recycle bag is an idea that has been employed by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Specially branded hand-held bags were provided for those with large amounts of recycling and used bright colours and the Recycle Now branding and the It s so easy slogan. Equally bright polythene sacks were also available and it is these bright, branded sacks that are a requirement for Ceredigion. With the Council emblem and recycling mascot, a clear message could be passed to the community about the recycling in the local area. With such a scheme and idea utilized elsewhere in the country, it is a wholly realistic and reliable option for Ceredigion. These schemes that have been employed in other council districts, such as branded recycling bags, brighter and more informative leaflets and localised vehicles have all been achievable. Such ideas, even on a smaller scale, could be implemented in Ceredigion. 39

40 Part 3 xiv. Waste Strategy Improvements Figure 3.1 Peterborough County Council Promotions Figure 3.2 Peterborough County Council Promotions 40

41 Part 3 xiv. Waste Strategy Improvements 2. Enhance the role of the University in Recycling Promotion in halls of residence The green bag scheme Local businesses Aberystwyth People and Planet As discussed in part 2, the University has the potential to be a very good resource to the Council, particularly in the form of Aberystwyth People and Planet which is already doing its best to be actively involved in promoting sustainable living. This existing student action group can act as a good basis for communication between the University and the Council. The action group may also assist in promotions activities such as ensuring that posters are put up in every study room and communal kitchen area; this is a valuable resource and helps to make the promotions scheme much more feasible as labour costs to the Council would be kept to a minimum. The green bag scheme has been discussed above; the distribution of these bags during events such as freshers fairs would not pose a major burden to the Council staff as they already attend these such events. 3. Work with local businesses promotion of businesses such as Craft and the Tree House green bag scheme packaging reductions British Columbia effectively uses an online facility to allow people to exchange used goods that are not needed by themselves but could be extremely useful to others. Waste-Exchange operates on the same principles in Wales; users can sell, trade or give away items that are no longer needed by the individual or company for objects from elsewhere for cash or simply to free up space. Ceredigion could make this resource more publicly known, and also advertising CRAFT on a larger scale could be extremely beneficial. Items that are no longer needed can be taken to CRAFT or collected for a nominal fee, these are then re-distributed to people who need the items, meaning they are not sent straight to landfill and prevent more unnecessary items being sold from stores. Encorp is a company in British Columbia, Canada; that takes juice boxes, bottles & drink cartons, reuses or recycles them. There is a price included in all drink bottles from stores that can be returned to Encorp, you can collect this back when you return the packaging. Like a recycling deposit, the value of which may be anywhere from $0.05 to $0.50 (2pence-22pence), this incentive encourages people to return goods instead of throwing them out. 41

42 Part 3 xiv. Waste Strategy Improvements 4. Introduce more robust waste receptacles wheelie bins to replace black bin bags wheelie bins and boxes to replace clear bags communal Bring sites for housing that cannot accommodate a box or a bin Applying a scheme to Ceredigion such as that underway in Alnwick District Council (see appendix 1.10) could well be successful. A one-off cost provided by the council to purchase x amount of each receptacle (according to demand and/or number of properties) would provide a long-term solution to reducing landfill waste. For such a project to have a high success rate a piloting scheme would be advisable. It can be seen (using Alnwick as the example) that such an idea is feasible and does indeed work with a high success rate. Implementing the idea on a smaller suggested town scale first would be more cost effective. Budget spending could be made in accordance with receptacle demand (over a set time scale) to reduce wastage and the entire project would suit current waste collection procedures. With regards to the communal bring sites, LWRS suggests a similar approach in that a small number of these types of sites are set up and that they use the same waste receptacles as those given to houses so that they can be collected by the same vehicles thus reducing the costs. If this scheme was monitored and feedback obtained from residents in order to ascertain whether it is successful, the Council would have good grounding to expand the scheme, or remove it from the campaign. 5. Reduce waste through green bag promotion and junk mail reductions The green bag scheme has been formerly discussed. The junk mail reductions may be easily incorporated into the promotions campaign and thus costs for raising awareness about this scheme would be kept to a very bare minimum. 6. Improve the Bring sites through better signage, monitoring and cleanliness The recommendations for the bring sites improvements are much larger-scale and may require some greater financial support. New signage coupled with extra demands upon officer time may have cost implications but the image that the Council projects and the amount of recyclable waste which may be recovered as a result of these changes would far outweigh the costs involved. Typically, new signage may cost in the realms of around 200 per sign, however LWRS recommends the manufacture of signage that is easily amendable should the information which is given need to be changed in the future. A very basic example of this type of signage is displayed in appendix Look into introducing food waste collections from both domestic and trade sources The introduction of food waste collections has been done already and with marked success by Somerset County Council. The success of this scheme speaks volumes for itself and LWRS recommends a piloting scheme is set up by the Council in order to ascertain the actual scale of what such a scheme may involve. 42

43 Part 3 xv. Landfill Examples of the Southern Hemisphere efforts to reduce waste seem relatively straightforward to introduce in Wales. A year long Piloting Scheme of the selected practice would be the most obvious place to start. A year will provide sufficient data to explore effectiveness, costs, benefits, and to note places for improvements. Although start-up costs of any idea are initially high, it is expected that such costs will fall when the plan is in motion. This will mean a one-off cost to bring the project into action, spending to be made on advertising (television, leaflets, posters etc), and changes to current landfill procedures. Changing of the landfill procedures may provide a problem in that it requires spending and co-operation by the private company that maintains the landfill at Bryn Posteg. This may be addressed with funding or subsidies from the County Council and/or local Government. However, observing foreign success of such scheme s hints towards possible success in Ceredigion. Research has provided several up-to-date, working examples of waste reduction strategies that could be enforced in Ceredigion as rapidly as in the next five years. It has been understood that funding may be an issue, but this selection of relatively low-cost, working methods may provide the solution to Ceredigion s waste issues. 43

44 Part 3 xvi. Summary and Conclusions This section has discussed the recommendations as proposed by LWRS. It is evident that the recommendations made are well-grounded in terms of their feasibility; most of the recommendations are based upon schemes carried out successfully in other County s in Wales, England and elsewhere in the world. LWRS now proposes that the Council takes on board those recommendations made in order to develop the existing waste management strategy for Ceredigion so that it significantly increases the proportion of waste that is recycled and composted in the area. 44

45 PART 4: Summary and Conclusions 45

46 Part 4 Summary and Conclusions This report has approached the task set by the Council in the form of three distinct sections. The first focused upon researching as much as possible about waste management strategies in Ceredigion, Wales, England and the rest of the world. This research has proved to be extremely valuable in terms of helping to identify successful schemes that could be implemented in Ceredigion and also as support for the feasibility study which forms the third section of this report. The recommendations are geared towards improving community awareness within the county and educating the general public about the benefits of recycling. This has been highlighted by LWRS as a key goal for the Council and one which, once achieved, will help to significantly increase the proportion of waste which is recycled and composted in Ceredigion. LWRS has included a feasibility study in order to highlight the benefits of the recommendations proposed and also to indicate the success rate of such schemes in other corners of the globe. With regards to the possibility of locating a landfill site within Ceredigion County, LWRS has conducted the relevant research and shown that there are no suitable landfill sites in this area. With this in mind, LWRS has made recommendations for reducing the amount of waste that is sent to landfill in order to ensure that the Council does its best to work towards a more sustainable society. As a dramatic, yet effective, alternative to sending waste for recycling and landfill, LWRS has recommended that the Council considers installing a waste incinerator in the county. This would divert a huge amount of waste from the fast-filling-up landfill site in Powys and would also reduce the amount of waste that would need to be sent for recycling. LWRS firmly believes that this is an environmentally-friendly option and one which would be quite feasible for the Council to implement; this assertion is also supported by the success of such schemes that have been running in other countries for years. This report has therefore addressed both of the issues, outlined by the Council, as being in want of immediate attention. 46

47 References American Women's Club of Cologne (2006) All About Recycling. How To Germany online. Available at: [Access date: 8 Feb 07] BBC (2007) Welsh News: Counties Top Green League Tables. BBC News online. Available [Access date: 10 Feb 07] Ceredigion County Council (2007) Ceredigion County Council web-site. Available at: [Access date: 8 Feb 07] Ceredigion County Council (2007) Budget 06/07. Ceredigion County Council web-site. Available at: [Access date: 20 Feb 07] Ceredigion County Council (2007) Recycling and Refuse Map. Ceredigion County Council web-site. Available at: [Access date: 9 Feb 07] Ceredigion County Council (2007) Unitary Development Plan for Ceredigion. Ceredigion County Council web-site. Available at: [Access date: 11 Feb 07] Ceredigion County Council (2002) Waste Management Strategy. Ceredigion County Council web-site. Available at: [Access date: 13 Feb 07] DEFRA (2005) Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme. DEFRA (online). Available at: [Access date: 12 Feb 07] Department of Health (2007) Health Effects from Landfills. Department of Health (online). Available at: SC= dh_site&z=1 [Access date: 15 Feb 07] European Commission (2007) The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. European Commission (online). Available at: [Access date: 11 Feb 07] European Parliament and Council (1994) European Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste. Eur-Lex (online). Available at: uichett [Access date: 11 Feb 07] European Parliament and Council (2000) End of Life Vehcile Directive. Eur-Lex (online). Available at: [Access date: 14 Feb 07] European Parliament and Council (2002) Framework Directive. Eur-Lex (online). Available at: [Access date: 13 Feb 07] European Union (1999) EU Landfill Directive. Eur-Lex (online). Available at: _force=no&an_doc=1999&nu_doc=31&type_doc=directive [Access date: 20 Feb 07] European Union (2000) EU Waste Incineration Directive, EN Official Journal of the European Communities L 332/91 DIRECTIVE 2000/76/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 4 December 2000 on the incineration of waste FICHTNER (2006) Review of EUNOMIA Report Climate Change and incineration Climate Change and Incineration Commentary on EUNOMIA Report 47

48 References Friends of the Earth (2002) Communities Speak Out on Waste. Friends of the Earth online. Available at: [Access date: 21 Feb 07] Geelong Australia (2006) Recycle and Waste. Geelong Australia online. Available at: [Access date: 24 Feb 07] ICF International (2007) Strategic Planning, Market Research, Materials Development, & More - Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). ICF International online. Available at: [Access date: 25 Feb 07] Office of Public Sector Information (2002) Landfill (England & Wales) Regulations Office of Public Sector Information (online). Available at: [Access date: 21 Feb 07] Photos of recycling bring banks and map of Aberystwyth-Llaniloes proximity courtesy of K. Procter. Recycling Operators of New Zealand Inc. (2007) RONZ web-site. Available at: [Access date: 22 Feb 07] Scarlett, N. (1994) Recycling rubbish - Germany's recycling program. Reason (online). Available at: [Access date: 11 Feb 07] Statutes and Regulations of British Columbia (No date) Environmental Management Act. British Columbia (online). Available at: [Access date: 14 Feb 07] The Waste Incineration (England and Wales) Regulations (2002) No ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, ENGLAND AND WALES University of Wales Aberystwyth (2006) UWA Procedures and Practices: Waste Management and Recycling. UWA online. Available at: [Access date: 9 Feb 07] Waste Awareness Wales (2007) Home Compost Webcasts. Available at: [Access date: 12 Feb 07] Welsh Assembly Government & Welsh Local Government Association (2002) Guidance on Municipal Waste Strategies in Wales. Welsh Local Government Association web-site. Available at: [Access date: 10 Feb 07] Welsh Assembly Government (2002) The National Waste Strategy for Wales. Environment, Planning & Countryside (online). Available at: [Access date: 11 Feb 07] Welsh Directory (2005) Map of the County Boundaries of Wales. Welsh Directory web-site. Available at [Access date: 12 Feb 07] West Oxfordshire District Council (2007) Refuse and Recycling. West Oxfordshire District County Council web-site. Available at: [Access date: 13 Feb 07] 48

49 APPENDICES 49

50 1.1 Infrastructure within Ceredigion Infrastructure, Area and County borders for Ceredigion (CCC Waste Management Strategy 2002) 50

51 Glass: Carmarthenshire County Council Ceredigion Recycling Duo Skip Hire West Coast Recycling N Turnbull LAS Waste Limited D I Evans Paper: Aberystwyth Recycling Centre Shanks Waste Services West Coast Recycling LAS Waste Limited Vehicle Oils: Ceredigion County Council Cans: Aberystwyth Recycling Centre LAS Waste Limited Toucan Recycling N Turnbull 1.2 Ceredigion County Council Contractual Arrangements Textiles: Salvation Army and Imperial Cancer Research Furniture: CRAFT 51

52 1.3 Council Leaflet The Council pamphlet (the only leaflet available to advertise Kerbside Recycling) has been produced in both Welsh and English in identical formats on either side of a single A4 sheet of paper. For ease of analysis only the English version of this article and has been included and examined (Figure 1). The pamphlet is very effective in highlighting the current performance of the County which makes it one of the best performers in Wales. This opening positive image is very important and with inclusive language, such as us and your, it is very effective in producing a group feel and response. When first observing the pamphlet, it is not very striking or eye catching and uses a limted colour pallet of mainly greens. This limited pallet can be seen on Figure 1 as Point 6. While the green represents the recycling effectively, the leaflet would not stand out when placed in a display. The section explaining items unable to be recycled would be more effective if shown in a red or similar colour as opposed to the current grey background which is very discreet. The kerbside recycling scheme as been in place for many months yet the pamphlet clearly states that this scheme Starts in your area very soon (Figure 1, Point 3). This error needs urgently updating as this could cause much confusion for those members of the public who are new to the system and unaware of its operation. The pamphlet is very effective in conveying important information concerning times of collection (Figure 1, Point 7) and recyclable materials that can and cannot be recycled. Point 5, Figure 1 shows that the leaflet contains important information with mention of Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the phrase read this leaflet carefully. This emphasizes the significance of the information within. Importantly, the leaflet is printed on recycled paper (Figure 1, Point 4) showing that the Council, despite being only small, is also playing its own part in being more sustainable. This kind of detail, which is very strategically placed, creates a positive image for the Council and the campaign no doubt gathered more support because of it. Finally the leaflet makes effective use of a recycling mascot and a slogan (recurring features throughout the campaign). These can be seen in Figure 1, Point 1 as well Point 2 which is the Council Recycling emblem. Whilst the mascot is not very colourful, it helps to target the campaign at the younger generations and distinguishes the pamphlet. The slogan itself posses an inclusive feel together we can help our environment and encourages a sympathetic response from the public towards the environment. This campaign identity is also present on the timetable sheet that outlines the dates of recycling collections (Figure 2) and possesses the same slogan, mascot and emblem (Figure 2, Points 8 & 9) thus creating coherence across Council promotions. The collection days are easily identifiable due to the emphasis on the dates and thus leave little room for confusion. 52

53 53

54 1.4 UWA Health, Safety and Environmental Policy Statement This statement highlights the Universities dedication to environmental issues. Those that are deemed relevant to the University s waste management practices are highlighted for convenience. Policy Statement: The University of Wales, Aberystwyth recognises that the protection of the health and safety of our employees, students and others affected by our activities, and of the quality of the environment, are an integral part of the university s operation and a prime responsibility of management at every level. Specifically UWA will: Comply, as a minimum, with legislation and associated codes of practice and improve on the performance standards they specify where it is reasonably practicable to do so. Conduct our activities safely and in an environmentally responsible manner. Endeavour to improve continually our health, safety and environmental management systems so that work related ill health and accidents, environmental releases and production of waste are minimised, and energy is used efficiently. Require all our employees and students to work safely and with due consideration for the health and safety of others and for the environment, and provide whatever training and supervision are necessary. Involve and consult employees, where appropriate through their representatives by recognising our fundamental role in higher education, aim to include health & safety and risk management topics in our taught courses of study as appropriate. Wherever reasonably practicable, apply the principles of sustainability when sourcing goods and services. Require contractors who work for us to accept the same standards of care for health, safety and the environment as the university itself UWA will make available appropriate resources to implement the policy. The university will take all necessary steps, including measuring performance and auditing compliance, to ensure that the policy is understood and is being implemented and maintained at all levels. The policy will be reviewed annually, updated when necessary and any revisions brought to the attention of all employees and those others who may be affected. (Version 2. June Approved by University Senate and Council). Policy Taken from UWA Handbook: 54

55 1.5 UWA Recycling Point Locations The University of Wales, Aberystwyth Campus Recycling Points Source: UWA Health, Safety and Environment Web Page Recycling Points on Penglais Campus - Central Area Paper Cardboard Aluminium cans Glass Plastics Printer cartridges Toner cartridges Mobile phones 2 - Aberystwyth Arts Centre Behind the bar, shared with Union Behind the bar, shared with Union Behind the bar, shared with Union Behind the bar, shared with Union 15 - Penbryn Halls Computer rooms Branwens Reception 16 - Cwrt Mawr Halls 55

56 3 - Parry Williams Building Offices First floor Reception Computer rooms Car Park Community Centre Reception First floor Reception 4 - Hugh Owen Building Library + 're-use' boxes A Trefloyne Halls Car Park 18 - Rosser Halls Car Park adjacent to Rosser D Bar and Car Park adjacent to Rosser D 5 - Llandinam Building Computer Rooms Refectory 19 - Pantycelyn By main lounge Kitchen Reception 6 - Cledwyn Building Computer Rooms Beneath Cledwyn 'bridge' Beneath Cledwyn 'bridge' Beneath Cledwyn 'bridge' By G Physical Sciences Building Offices 56

57 Recycling Points on Penglais Campus - Eastern Area Paper Cardboard Aluminium cans Glass Plastics Printer cartridges Toner cartridges Mobile phones 8 - Edward Llwyd Building Offices Reception 9 - Sports Centre Offices Offices Front door 12 - Students Union Various Various Various Various Various 24 - International Politics Level 0 Outside, under metal staircase Level 0 Outside, under metal staircase Level 1 Photocopy Room 57

58 Recycling Points on Llanbadarn Campus Paper Cardboard Aluminium cans Glass Plastics Printer cartridges Toner cartridges Mobile phones 31 - Stapledon Building - Institute of Rural Sciences Between main building and greenhouses Between main building and greenhouses Between main building and greenhouses 33 - Padarn building Ground Floor Ground Floor Reception Between main building and greenhouses 32 - Thomas Parry Library Library Library 58

59 Recycling at Pentre Jane Morgan Paper Cardboard Aluminium cans Glass Plastics Printer cartridges Toner cartridges Mobile phones 20 - Pentre Jane Morgan Green bag scheme Green bag scheme Green bag scheme Various Reception 59

60 1.6 List of Councils in Wales and Links to their Websites Blaenau Gwent Bridgend Municipal Waste Management Strategy Kerbside Collection Recycling Scheme Caerphilly Cardiff _id=&language=&sortkey= Carmarthenshire Conwy Denbighshire e930036d4b9!OpenDocument Flintshire Gwynedd Isle of Anglesey Merthyr Tydfil Monmouthshire Refuse/ Neath Port Talbot Newport Pembrokeshire Powys Rhondda Cynon Taff 60

61 084 Swansea Torfaen Vale of Glamorgan Wrexham Keep Wales Tidy Sustainable Wales 61

62 1.7 Comparison of Councils in Wales County Council Recycling Collected Garbage Collected Recycling Sites Landfill Sites Satisfactory Information Disclosed on Council Website Blaenau Gwent Recycling sites available but not collected from home Garbage collected, not stated how frequently No information provided Silent Valley No, very little information about refuse or recycling Bridgend Waste paper, glass and textiles Frequency not stated Weekly 14 Recycling sites, taking Paper, Glass, Textiles & Books Not Stated Extremely Helpful Caerphilly 1/3 Areas in County not collected from Cardiff Collected in Clear Plastic bags provided every fortnight. Carmarthenshire Blue Box Scheme - you own box, placed out with your garbage, takes, Paper, Cardboard, Mixed Plastics, Mixed Cans & Glass Blue Bag Scheme Weekly 33 Recycling sites, taking Glass, Cans, Paper, Textiles, Oil Scrap, Cardboard, Batteries, Green, Plastic, Shoes Not Stated Detailed Weekly 3 Recycling sites Not Stated Helpful Garbage collected, not stated how frequently 4 Recycling sites, taking, Paper, Glass, Cans, Cardboard, Oil, Electrical Goods, Fridges Not Stated Helpful

63 Conwy Denbighshire Flintshire County Council Recycling Collected Green Box and Bag Scheme Collected fortnightly Blue Box Scheme, takes, Cans, Glass, Paper and Textiles Blue Box and Bag Scheme Garbage Collected Garbage collected, not stated how frequently Garbage collected, not stated how frequently Garbage collected, not stated how frequently Gwynedd Blue Box Scheme Garbage collected, not stated how frequently Isle of Anglesey Not Stated Garbage collected, not stated how Recycling Sites 2 recycling sites, taking, Glass, Plastic, Metal, Garden Waster, Oil, Electrical Goods, Rubble, Furniture, Textiles, Asbestos, Fluorescent Tubes 27 recycling sites Options not stated 36 recycling sites webcont/newrealweb.nsf/vwa_ docref/devs6f3j99 Landfill Sites Not Stated Not Stated Not Stated Detailed Helpful Satisfactory Information Disclosed on Council Website Extremely Helpful Not Stated Not Stated No, very little information about refuse or recycling Not Stated Not Stated No, very little information about refuse or recycling frequently Merthyr Tydfil Not Stated Weekly Not Stated Not Stated No, very little information about refuse or recycling Monmouthshire Black Box, takes Paper, Glass, Cans and Textiles. WormTech collect Garden Waste, Cardboard, Wood Waste, Hay and Sawdust Weekly Not Stated Not Stated Extremely Helpful 63

64 County Council Neath Port Talbot Newport Pembrokeshire Recycling Collected Box and Bags scheme, taking Cans, Glass, Paper and Textiles, collected on the same day as garbage Orange Bin scheme, taking Garden Waste & Cardboard Waste Savers Green and Blue Boxes Orange Bag Scheme, taking Paper, Plastic, Cans, and Cardboard, collected on the same day as garbage Garbage Collected Garbage collected, not stated how frequently Fortnightly Weekly Recycling Sites 7 recycling sites, taking Glass, Plastic, Metal, Garden Waster, Oil, Electrical Goods, Rubble, Furniture, Textiles, Asbestos, Fluorescent Tubes 16 recycling sites, taking Glass, Plastic, Metal, Garden Waster, Oil, Electrical Goods, Rubble, Furniture, Textiles, Asbestos, Fluorescent Tubes 82 recycling sites, taking Glass, Plastic, Metal, Garden Waster, Oil, Electrical Goods, Rubble, Furniture, Textiles, Catalogues Landfill Sites Not Stated Not Stated Not Stated Nappy Network also in place Satisfactory Information Disclosed on Council Website Extremely Helpful Helpful Extremely Helpful Powys Red and Black Bag Weekly Recycling Sites available Bryn Posteg Detailed Rhondda Cynon Taff Bag Scheme, taking Paper, Cardboard, Glass, Tins, Plastic, Tetrapaks, Garden waste, collected on the same day as garbage Garbage collected, not stated how frequently 5 recycling sites (expanding) taking Plastic, Metal, Garden Waster, Oil, Electrical Goods, Rubble, Furniture, Textiles, Cardboard, Gas Cylinders Not Stated Helpful 64

65 County Council Swansea Torfaen Vale of Glamorgan Wrexham Recycling Collected Green Bag Scheme, taking Glass, paper and cans are collected on a fortnightly Black Box and Twin Bin Schemes Black Box Scheme, but also just separating materials in regular plastic bags, taking Paper, Plastic, Cans, and Cardboard Green Box/Sack & Green Waste Bin, collected weekly Weekly Garbage Collected Garbage collected, not stated how frequently Garbage collected, not stated how frequently Garbage collected, not stated how frequently Recycling Sites 24 recycling sites, each site will take different materials Landfill Sites Not Stated Satisfactory Information Disclosed on Council Website Helpful Recycling Sites available Not Stated No, very little information about refuse or recycling 42 recycling sites, each site Not Stated Helpful will take different materials Recycling Sites available Not Stated Detailed 65

66 1.8 Let s Recycle.com League Tables Let s Recycle.com League Table /2004: Rank Local authorities Recycling (%) Composting (%) Total (%) 1 Powys Ceredigion Vale of Glamorgan Swansea Newport Caerphilly Conwy Gwynedd Flintshire Monmouthshire Torfaen Pembrokeshire Bridgend Cardiff Blaenau Gwent Carmarthen Merthyr Denbigh Isle of Anglesey Wrexham Rhondda Cynon Taff Neath Port Talbot

67 2004/2005: Rank Local authorities Recycling (%) Composting (%) Total (%) 1 Powys Ceredigion Caerphilly Newport Monmouthshire Vale of Glamorgan Swansea Gwynedd Carmarthen Flintshire Conwy Blaenau Gwent Bridgend Pembrokeshire Neath Port Talbot Merthyr Tydfil Denbigh Isle of Anglesey Torfaen Wrexham Rhondda Cynon Taff Cardiff

68 1.9 WODC Bring Site Report Results In July 2006, West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) conducted a survey of the let s recycle.com top 15 recycling Councils in England, Oxfordshire District Councils and The Daventry Group Councils (Page, S. 2006). The aim of this survey was to identify where WODC stood in relation to these three groups of Councils. The results of this survey are very useful in determining the state of recycling in England, compared to that of Wales. The Councils which were contacted are listed as follows: The letsrecycle.com top 15: combined recycling and composting performances for District and Borough Councils 2004/05 St Edmundsbury Forest Heath South Cambridgeshire Lichfield Harborough Rushcliffe Daventry Tamworth Cherwell Vale Royal North Kesteven Broadland Melton Mowbray Horsham Babergh The Daventry Group Councils: Babergh District Council Braintree District Council Corby Borough Council Daventry District Council Hambleton District Council Harborough District Council Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council Kennet District Council Mid Bedfordshire District Council North Kesteven District Council North Wiltshire District Council Selby District Council South Cambridgeshire District Council South Holland District Council South Northamptonshire Council Stratford on Avon District Council Tewkesbury Borough Council Uttlesford District Council Oxfordshire District Councils: Oxford City Council South Oxfordshire District Council The Vale of White Horse District Council Cherwell District Council In total, 30 Councils were contacted via and asked to fill out the survey; of these, 18 responded (those which responded are highlighted above). The Survey asked questions related to frequency of kerbside collections, the number of commodities taken at both the kerbside and bring banks and issues facing the state of the bring banks, particularly with regards to cleanliness, signage and fly-tipping. Thus the overview of the survey results will take on a similar structure. Due to the relatively 68

69 high number of questions asked in this survey, those which are deemed most relevant to this study have been analysed below. i. Kerbside Recycling: Questions asked: Do you collect recycling waste at the kerbside? If so, what do you collect? (list of options) How often do you collect recycling materials from the kerbside? (list of options) 1. Figure 1.91 shows the results of Question 1. The results show that the two main commodities collected are paper and tins / cans; cardboard, plastics and glass are also collected in some districts, but not all. Percentage of Commodites Collected at the Kerbside % Cardboard Paper Plastics Textiles Shoes Books Food Glass Tins / Cans Other Figure 1.91 Commodity 2. Figure 1.92 shows the results of Question 2. The results show that fortnightly collections of recyclable materials are the most popular time-scales for those Councils which responded. Frequency of Kerbside Recycling Collections 24% 76% Weekly Fortnightly Monthly Not at all Other Figure 1.92 ii. Bring Bank Recycling: Questions asked: What is collected at the Bring Sites? (list of options) How many Bring Sites do you have in your District? (list of options) Do you experience problems with your Bring Sites and if so, what are the most common problems and how frequently do they occur? (list of options) How often are the sites monitored? (list of options) What areas do you focus on when assessing the sites? (list of options) Do you have signs (list of options) To your knowledge, have these signs had an impact upon the use of your sites? (list of options) If yes, what sort of an impact have they had? (list of options) Are there any other ways by which the public can find out where the sites are? (list of options) 69

70 What security measures do you have in place at the sites? (list of options) Are you aware of any public demand for additional recycling containers? (list of options) If yes, what containers are in demand? (list of options) If you have any advice which you feel may be relevant and helpful, please could you write it below, thank you. 3. Figure 1.93 displays the results of question 3. The results show that the most popular commodities taken at the sites are glass, tins/cans paper and textiles. Compared to the results from question 1, however, it is evident that Percentage of Commodities Collected at the Bring Sites % Cardboard Paper Plastics Textiles Shoes Books Food Glass Tins / Cans Other Commodity shoes and books are collected more often at bring sites than at the kerbside (figure 1.94). Comparision of Percentage of Commodities Collected at the Kerbside and Bring Sites % Kerbside Bring Site 0 Figure 1.93 Cardboard Paper Plastics Textiles Shoes Books Commodity Food Glass Tins / Cans Other 5. Figure 1.95 shows the results of question 5. This question was concerned with problems experienced at the site and their frequency of occurrence. The main problems are associated with fly-tipping, litter, over-flowing and contaminated containers. Figure

71 Frequency of Problems with Bring Sites % of Occurrence 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% Never Yearly Monthly Weekly Daily 0% Poor Signage Commercial fly-tipping Household fly-tipping Vandalism Over-flowing containers Improper use of containers Litter Noise complaints Figure 1.95 Problem 8,9,10. The questions about signage helped to ascertain whether or not Councils in England have signs to and at their bring sites and whether the Council s felt that these signs made a difference. Of the 18 respondents, 5/18 had signs to their sites and 12/18 had signs at their sites. There was a 50/50 divide between those who thought the signs had an impact and those that thought they had no impact. 11. Question 11 was aimed at ascertaining how information is made available to the general public about recycling. All of the respondents use their websites as a source of information but public notices and postal leaflets are not nearly as widely used. Some Councils noted that community events, school visits and general in-person promotion is used to promote recycling in the districts. Summary and Conclusions: This report has been included in the research by LWRS plc because it emphasises the importance of surveys in drawing up a waste management plan. The survey of the top-performing Councils in England is a very good basis for comparison with the Councils in Wales and specifically with Ceredigion County Council. There is a lot of relevant information in this survey, including both issues related to kerbside and bring site recycling initiatives and the promotion of these initiatives. Recommendations may now be made for the improvement of Ceredigion County Council s waste management strategy, based upon substantial research into what other top-performing Councils are doing. 71

72 1.10 English Council Case Studies Alnwick District Council Observing waste reduction schemes closer to home, Alnwick Kerbside Collection Scheme provide wheelie bins for which owners pay 25 per year for a newly rented bin, and 23 per year for a bin retained from the previous year, covering the cost of collection. Biodegradable sacks are also available to be bought for a small fee and subsequent collection is free. Various waste receptacles are available 240 litre bin for green waste, re-usable sacks (costing 12 per sack, per year), and biodegradable sacks. Alnwick County Council ask for the submission of a form to be made containing the quantity of each receptacle desired and the total cost, and the order is delivered, by the Council, to the recipient s address. London Borough of Sutton District Council This is a scheme which was set up in 1989 by the London Borough of Sutton as a way of ensuring regular monitoring of the Bring Sites and also promoting recycling within the community. The paragraphs below contain an explanation of the scheme from Penny Spirling at the London Borough of Sutton (this research is taken from the WODC Bring Bank report written by Sarah Page, an LWRS team member and as such, Ms. Spirling was not contacted again for the purpose of this specific report). Our Adopt-a-Bank Scheme began in the summer of 1989 and started with around 12 groups. To find these initial groups, letters were sent out to all Scouts and Guides Groups, Boys Brigade, Round Table/Rotary, specific local charities known to the Council etc. Contact lists I believe were obtained from our Youth Services and Social Services departments and from a fledgling environmental group, the Centre for Environmental Invormation (now the Centre for Environmental Initiatives) who were working with several other smaller action groups in the borough on environmental issues. The scheme proved very popular and as the recycling centres expanded we soon had over 150 groups; some of these in small blocks of flats where the residents just looked after their own banks and encourages their residents to use them. Groups adopting public sites e.g. in car parks, have a more difficult time of it because they suffer fly tipping and spillages etc. We ask the groups to tidy up, stack litter etc. by the litter bins ready for us to collect and to contact us if collections have been missed or the bins damaged. We pay the groups 6.50 for every tonne of glass or paper that they get in their banks. This means if they persuade their members to continue using their banks rather than their kerbside collection, they will earn more money for their funds. This was particularly relevant before we had such a comprehensive kerbside collection in wheeled bins that we have now. We do have a daily cleansing service that visits our main recycling centres but it is good to have the group reps ringing us as well as sometimes our cleansing crews are diverted elsewhere and we would be unaware of any problems otherwise. Incidentally, we record the tonnages in the banks by sight on a record sheet. So the collection crew will record whether the bank is full, half quarter or empty. This also allows us over a period of time to see whether a site needs more banks of a particular type or less. We now provide many of our blocks of flats with recycling services and we have now reduced the number of adopted sites to about 40. In time, as our services expand even more, I would predict that we would reduce that number to about 10 keeping groups at our most busy sites. If you would like to come to Sutton, I could arrange for you to speak directly to one of our group reps. Somerset County Council Food waste forms 28% of the average Somerset householder s bin waste by weight and can make a significant difference in increasing the level of recycling. Food waste can be composted but unlike garden waste, food waste must be specially treated and therefore it is collected separately. Residents on the SORT IT! scheme have been provided with two food waste containers one for a weekly food waste collection and a smaller kitchen caddy to collect food waste each day and transfer to the collection container when convenient. Food waste containers can be easily locked. The lid is secure when the handle is positioned at the front of the container. To open the lid, push the handle to the rear of the container. Residents are asked to lock the lid when presenting the food waste container on collection day When is it collected? The food waste container is collected weekly on the same day as the kerbside recycling box. As with the kerbside recycling boxes, householders are requested that they place their box out by 7.00am on collection day. Please leave your food waste container by the edge of your property near the pavement, where it can easily be seen by the collector. What can I put in my food waste container? 72

73 YES PLEASE Cooked & uncooked food Fruit & vegetables Meat & fish Cooked food leftovers Bread, pasta & cereals Tea bags & coffee grounds Dairy products & egg shells Small Bones NO THANKS Plastic (including plastic bags even if made form biodegradable plastic) Metal & glass Garden waste Any other household waste It is important that only the items requested are placed in the food waste container to ensure quality compost. Contaminated food containers may not be emptied How can I keep my food waste container clean? You can use newspaper to line the caddies or you may wish to purchase approved compostable liners for your containers which are available through local shops - Please do not line your container with plastic bags, even if they are biodegradable as these do not rot down in the composting process and we will be unable to collect your food waste. All of the above information has been taken directly from the Mendip District Council Website( ; Mendip is one of the Districts in Somerset which operates the food collection scheme. 73

74 1.11 Canada and USA Canada Recycling in Canada is effective, popular and widely regarded as the bare minimum a person can contribute to a sustainable and environmentally healthy lifestyle; this view does not appear to be shared by residents and visitors to Ceredigion. There is not the same pride and awareness of the financial and environmental benefits waste management holds. The Canadian governmental infrastructure closely resembles the American State system. Each Province has country and its own provinces legislations and regulations. Country wide legislation: Canadian Environment Commission: The Provinces are: 74

75 B.C. is more proactive about recycling and waste management, the Litter Act was enacted in 1970, British Columbia became the first jurisdiction in North America to establish a mandatory deposit-refund system for soft drink and beer containers as a litter control initiative now, although this is referring to litter, that initiative is extremely valid, it gives a monetary value to waste, and most people do not see the value of picking up litter or sorting their recycling from their garbage even at this stage in the day of environmental crises. The success of that initiative was recognised and other jurisdictions across Canada and the USA have followed suit. B.C. government decided that too many reusable materials were entering its landfill sites so there is legislation that any in this case beverage manufacture and distributor had to have a recall centre within the province where all containers could be returned for a price, these are then refilled or recycled. B.C. went beyond purely recycling goods that were deposited but to add legislative infrastructure to ensure people and companies abided by the facilities provided to save them money! Environmental Management Act: Vancouver, B.C. has its own Waste Management consultancy company, the Recycling Council of BC: Offering services and advise to residents and businesses on what they can do with used goods and recycliate, how to dispose of these items and what it will cost. Vancouver Reuses: People can sell trade or give away items they no longer need online, like an ebay but only for recycliate and used goods. Encorp: Is a company that takes juice boxes, bottles & drink cartons, reuses or recycles them. There is a price included in all drink bottles from stores that can be returned to Encorp, you can collect this back when you return the packaging. Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention Sustainable Consumption: Alberta s government are very active on waste reduction and recycling; Alberta offers drop off and kerbside recycling to its residents; but also employs Waste Reduction the broad term given to the reduction of waste through source reduction, waste diversion and recycling ; activities. Also refereed to as waste minimisation, waste reduction encompasses the traditional 4 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle and recover). These methods essentially prevent the generation of waste in the first place or divert them through processed other than landfill or incineration. Alberta is also the first province to introduce E-Recycling The scheme collects televisions, computers and related equipment that were going to landfill, these are collected for a fee and reused, recycling and turned into new products. In 2004 more than 190,000 televisions and 90,000 computers were thrown out of Alberta households. Imagine this figure applied to the UK, and even individually to Ceredigion! To recycle a desktop computer, with keyboard, mouse, speakers and monitor etc; is $22! The breakdown of this is; Collection - $4 Transportation $9 Processing $6 Operation $3 Total : $22 This system has been implemented by Alberta Recycling Management Authority: Set up in 1992, the Alberta Recycling Management Authority is a not-for-profit association responsible for managing Alberta s tyre and electronics recycling programs. 75

76 Saskatchewan also has E-Recycling programs and municipal waste management recycling schemes. Waste Management reviewed within the province: Newfoundland Puppy retrieving Pepsi Bottles from a lake in the province: PDF on Recycling Policies: xt?query=recycling&pr=provincial&prox=page&rorder=500&rprox=750&rdfreq=250&rwfreq=500&rlead=500&sufs= 2&order=r&cq=&id=431f722d11 New Brunswick waste action plan PDF: Nova Scotia has E-recycle, Beverage container, Paint product consumer programs, Newsprint and other programs, as well as kerbside collection, drop off depots and legislation and incentives to motivate residents and commercial operations. 76

77 As one of the worst polluters on the planet the USA is not known for its green stance, although its recycling programs and involvement are vastly superior to Ceredigion. USA In 1999, recycling and composting activities prevented about 64 million tons of material from ending up in landfills and incinerators. Today, this country recycles 32 percent of its waste, a rate that has almost doubled during the past 15 years. Twenty years ago, only one kerbside recycling program existed in the United States, which collected several materials at the kerb. By 2005, almost 9,000 kerbside programs had sprouted up across the nation. As of 2005, about 500 materials recovery facilities had been established to process the collected materials. The USA governmental infrastructure closely resembles the Canadian Province system. Each State has country and its own state legislations and regulations. USA Government, Conservation & Recycling: Environmental Protection Agency: The States are: 77

78 1.12 Waste Incineration European Waste Disposal (with emphasis on incineration): Figure 1 examines the methods of waste disposal across Europe and the percentage of waste disposed of by Incineration, Landfill and other. Figure 1. Waste disposal methods across Europe ( A new EU Directive (European Union 2002) on Incineration of Waste came into force on 28 December This sets EU wide permitted emission levels for incinerators (Figure 2), and covers all incineration and co-incineration plants, except those burning the following materials: vegetable waste from agriculture and forestry vegetable waste from the food processing industry, if the heat generated is recovered fibrous vegetable waste from virgin pulp production and from production of paper from pulp, if it is co-incinerated at the place of production and the heat generated is recovered wood waste with the exception of wood waste which may contain halogenated organic compounds or heavy metals as a result of treatment with wood-preservatives or coating, and which includes in particular such wood waste originating from construction and demolition waste cork waste radioactive waste animal carcasses as regulated by Directive 90/667/EEC without prejudice to its future amendments waste resulting from the exploration for, and the exploitation of, oil and gas resources from off-shore installations and incinerated on board the installation 78