Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites

Transcription

1 Final Summary Report Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites A summary report to guide local authorities that are considering segregating carpets and/or mattresses for recycling at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC). Project code: CFR Research date: December 2013 May 2014 Date: June 2015

2 WRAP s vision is a world in which resources are used sustainably. Our mission is to accelerate the move to a sustainable resource-efficient economy through re-inventing how we design, produce and sell products; re-thinking how we use and consume products; and re-defining what is possible through reuse recycling. Find out more at Document reference WRAP, 2015, Banbury, Carpet and Mattress Recycling: HWRC Summary Report, Prepared by LRS Consultancy] Written by: Laura Thompson & Hannah Dick, LRS Consultancy Front cover photography: Carpet collection at HWRC in Pembrokeshire, provided by Carpet Recycling UK. Mattress collection at an HWRC, provided by North Yorkshire County Council While we have tried to make sure this report is accurate, we cannot accept responsibility or be held legally responsible for any loss or damage arising out of or in connection with this information being inaccurate, incomplete or misleading. This material is copyrighted. You can copy it free of charge as long as the material is accurate and not used in a misleading context. You must identify the source of the material and acknowledge our copyright. You must not use material to endorse or suggest we have endorsed a commercial product or service. For more details please see our terms and conditions on our website at

3 Contents 1.0 Introduction About this guidance The scale of the opportunity Step-by-Step Guidance What are the main drivers? How are materials currently managed? What are the current arisings? What are the opportunities for recycling? What are the contractual considerations? What are the reprocessing options? Summary Appendix 1: Material Streams Appendix 2: Reprocessors Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites 3

4 Acknowledgements Sarah Barton, Service Manager, Wrexham County Borough Council Jo Blackie, Waste Management Project Manager, Durham County Council Victoria Burrell, Waste Strategy Team Manager, Durham County Council Gary Cliff, Changing Lives in Cheshire Janice Coglin-Hibbert, Waste Reduction Officer, Norfolk County Council Emmanuel Constantin, Project Assistant, Veolia Lynne Davies, Amgen Cymru Richard Featherstone, London Re-use Network Jane Gardner, Carpet Recycling UK / Axion Recycling Clare Haworth, Waste Management Project Officer, Hertfordshire County Council Steven Hawkins, Development Officer, Waste & Recycling Services, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council Alice Isherwood, Nottinghamshire County Council Daniella Jones, Cardiff Council James Kay, South Wales Regional Waste Coordinator Ian Kelly, Waste Contracts Manager, North Yorkshire County Council Mark Kirk, Contract Manager, Kier Gail Lewis, Bridgend Council Gareth Moreton, Operations Manager, Warwickshire County Council Kate Murrell, Norfolk County Council Nick Oettinger, Managing Director, The Furniture Recycling Group Josie Perry, Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council David Roman, Waste and Recycling Manager, British Heart Foundation Valerie Steel, Merthyr Tydfil CBC Matthew Stephenson, Divert More Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites 4

5 1.0 Introduction 1.1 About this guide This document has been produced to help local authorities to decide whether segregation of carpets and/or mattresses at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) for either re-use or recycling, is feasible, given local circumstances and objectives. A consortium of LRS Consultancy, Axion Consulting and London Re-use Ltd, was commissioned by WRAP to engage 12 areas 1 in England and Wales to encourage greater segregation of either mattresses or carpets, to allow for increased recycling. This report uses this research to provide guidance and to address some of the key questions and considerations you, as a local authority, should explore in order to understand the relevant opportunities and barriers to increasing the segregation at HWRC sites of household carpets and/or mattresses for reuse or recycling. 1.2 The scale of the opportunity It is estimated that 400,000 tonnes of waste carpets arise in the UK per year. Around 28% of the local authorities in the UK are now separating carpets received at HWRCs to avoid landfill. Figures show that 113,000 tonnes of waste carpet were re-used, recycled or recovered in the UK during 2014; an increase by 4.5% (5,000 tonnes) on the previous year; this represents an overall landfill diversion rate of 28%. Of the 169,000 tonnes of mattresses of various sizes discarded in 2012, only 25,000 tonnes of material was recovered. For 2013/14, 9,400 tonnes was recorded as going for re-use or recycling, out of an anticipated 76,000 tonnes collected at HWRCs 2 in England. Therefore the recovery rate of mattresses in England is approximately 12%. However, some authorities such as Durham County Council (HWRC Guide Case Study 6) strip mattresses on site, and therefore do not report mattresses for recycling. Instead the materials separated from the mattresses are deposited in the appropriate skips and the materials recorded via that recycling route. Therefore it is anticipated that this figure is an under-estimate, however, there is still a significant opportunity for greater recycling activity and landfill diversion. The National Bed Federation s End of Life Report for Mattresses calculates the UK mattress recycling rate for 2013 as 12.9% estimating the number of mattresses recycled to be 586,000 and the number of replacement mattresses bought that year to be 4,531,000. Comparison to 2012 figures (9.7% recycling rate) would suggest mattress recycling grew 30% in one year. 2.0 Step-by-Step Guidance The section takes you through a series of steps to help you to understand whether segregating carpets and/or mattresses is feasible, in relation to your authority s drivers and goals, and according to your specific circumstances. The aim is to help you to develop a business case for collecting these items for recycling. The process, illustrated in Figure 1, starts with outlining your drivers, taking stock of what you have in place currently and the quantities you are receiving, through to what opportunities and barriers there are to segregating and recycling these materials in terms of operational, capital and contractual implications. The steps apply to both carpets and mattresses, with material specific considerations detailed where relevant. 1 5 for carpets and 7 for mattresses 2 Based on assumption that mattresses are 1.93% of residual and recycling waste at HWRCs, excluding rubble and soils, WRAP Household Waste Recycling Centre Guide Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites 5

6 Figure 1: Local authority decision making process for understand whether segregating carpets and/or mattresses is feasible Section 2.1 Section 2.2 Section 2.3 Section 2.4 Section 2.5 Section What are the main drivers? In order for carpet and mattress recycling to become more widespread, the overall solution should offer a cost saving or be cost neutral, in comparison to the current disposal option. This has become the case in many instances due to the Landfill Tax 3. Some stakeholders may have other drivers which mean they can justify a slight increase in costs, such as challenging recycling targets, which increase the variety of materials which are considered for recycling. You should first consider why your authority is seeking to segregate carpets or mattresses as this may frame the business case. For example, if the driver is to increase your recycling rate then this may take precedent over any financial implications if the business case suggests recycling carpets or mattresses may be more costly than current disposal methods. The following questions should be considered: 1. What are the main drivers for recycling mattresses and/or carpets? 2. How would you rank these in order of priority? 3 Set at 80/tonne in 2014/15. Will no longer continue to rise at the rate of 8/tonne each year, as it has done in recent years, but with inflation. Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites 6

7 2.2 How are carpets and mattresses currently managed? Taking stock of how these items (carpet or mattress waste) are managed currently and the associated costs will allow for introducing segregation to be compared to existing provisions. The following questions should be considered: 1. How are carpets/mattresses collected and disposed of currently? 2. What are the costs associated with the current method of disposal, including gate fees, transport, and any other costs? 2.3 What are the current arisings? Understanding the current mattress and/or carpet waste arisings in terms of weight, composition and quality is vital to understanding the relative costs and opportunities for managing this waste stream differently, as well as enabling an effective cost benefit analysis. If you do not know how much carpet/mattress waste is taken to your HWRCs, it is recommended that a survey or a trial be carried out in order to determine the likely quantity and quality of carpets and/or mattresses arriving at HWRC sites. The following questions and key considerations should be explored: 1. What quantity of carpet/mattress waste arises at HWRCs on a weekly basis? 2. What is the quality of the carpet/mattress waste arisings? Key considerations: Carpet arisings & composition: carpet reprocessors charge a gate fee per tonne of carpet, therefore, estimating carpet waste arisings on a tonnage basis will enable comparison against existing disposal methods. It may also be useful to gather data relating to the composition of the carpets, as this may help identify a suitable reprocessor. See section 2.6 for more details on gate fees and reprocessors, and Appendix 1 for more details on composition. Mattress arisings & composition: gate fees for mattress reprocessing tend to be charged on a per mattress basis, sometimes depending on the size (between 2 and 6 a mattress), rather than on a tonnage basis. Therefore, it is important to understand not only how many mattresses, but also the types of mattresses, collected in a given time period, to enable a tonnage estimate to be made (see section 2.6 and Appendix 1 for further details). This will inform a cost benefit analysis, as current costs of management are most likely to be on a tonnage basis. Average weight data is available, but the assumption used will affect the number of mattresses per tonne (see Table 1 in section 2.6) and hence your cost benefit analysis. Quality: if the quality of carpet and/or mattresses is deemed to be high enough for reuse, re-use outlets can be explored. For most reprocessors, one of the conditions is that carpets and mattresses are unsoiled and dry, in order for high prices to be achieved for the fibres and textiles stripped from the carpets and mattresses respectively. Therefore, the quality of the mattresses should be investigated, in order to help identify the most suitable reprocessor (see section 2.6). However, measures to maintain quality whilst at the HWRCs and during transport to the reprocessor may also need to be considered (see section 2.4 for further details). Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites 7

8 2.4 What are the opportunities for recycling? In order to understand whether there are opportunities for recycling of carpets or mattresses, an assessment of current HWRCs should be undertaken. Periods of reinvestment or re-organisation of HWRCs may offer opportunities to investigate the potential to segregate carpets or mattresses for recycling. The following questions and key considerations should be explored: 1. Is there space at all HWRCs to accommodate additional skips for carpets and/or mattresses? 2. At which HWRCs is there space for additional skips? 3. Are the staff at some HWRCs more likely to engage with the scheme than at other HWRCs? 4. Is there a bulking facility where carpet or mattresses can be bulked before onward transport to the reprocessor? 5. Are there opportunities, such as change of contract, capital investment programmes, grants or subsidies, which can be taken advantage of to improve conditions related to carpet and/or mattress waste collections? 6. Can the quality of carpet/mattresses received be maintained through some capital investment or operational changes? Key considerations: Space provisions: additional space is a requirement at HWRCs in order to segregate carpets or mattresses from the residual waste stream. To introduce carpet or mattress segregation at HWRCs, there needs to be a separate container for residents to put their carpets/mattresses into, rather than just putting them in the residual waste skip. Therefore, there needs to be the space for these containers. A mapping and feasibility exercise may be required, in order to be able to determine which HWRCs can accommodate additional containers. Maintaining quality: appropriate storage at HWRCs and bulking points is an important factor in maintaining quality, predominantly whether the skip is under cover or exposed to weather conditions. If the skip cannot be placed undercover, cheap but robust tarpaulin can be utilised, ensuring that in bad weather and at the end of the shifts, skips can be covered. However, a balance is required, as skips are required to be open to allow members of the public to be able to dispose of their mattresses in them. How the quality may be affected through the transfer, bulking and storage operations should also be considered e.g. mattresses should be handled with care and not compacted or misshapen with machinery, to ensure the best possible value can be obtained for their constituent materials. Bulking: costs for both carpets and mattresses can be reduced if they are bulked at one location before onward transport to the reprocessor. This is because one of the common issues shared regarding the financial viability of collecting both waste mattresses and carpets, is the cost of transport. Primarily this is due to the distance to a reprocessing facility (see section 2.6 for further transportation considerations), however ensuring full loads will also make this more economic. Some reprocessors will collect directly from each HWRC e.g. from Norfolk County Council (HWRC Guide Case Study 6). The options should be discussed with the reprocessors identified. Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites 8

9 Onsite stripping of mattresses: onsite stripping is another option to overcome the transport issue. This means that the metal is transported along with other metal wastes, and the fabric/foam along with other textiles and/or carpets. This could be considered a viable option, particularly if the nearest mattress reprocessor is too far away to make transport of whole mattresses economically viable. The steel springs can be sent for recycling, but it may mean that the most likely outlet for the fabric/foam will be energy from waste, rather than recycling. Whilst this negates the need for additional containers at the HWRC, the solution still requires space, preferably undercover. Durham County Council s HWRC contractor, Kier, does onsite stripping (HWRC Guide Case Study 6). Operational costs: some operational changes, may incur additional costs, such as staff, or vehicle leasing costs for transfer to a bulking station. Operations should be considered at: HWRC (segregation and storage); bulking station storage; loading for onward transport either from HWRC or bulking station. Capital costs: additional capital costs should be built into a business case and depreciated over at least a five year period. Costs could include: infrastructure requirements at HWRCs, such as containers or bays; additional vehicles for transport onto reprocessor; or new bulking facilities. Staff training and resident engagement: it is important that signage is clear (see HWRC Guide Case Study 7 Warwickshire County Council) and staff are trained to ensure that they carry out any new operational requirements correctly. At some HWRCs, this is done through incentives schemes, such as giving the operatives a share of the surplus from the sale of recovered materials. Specific training for operatives at HWRCs may include how they engage with site users and direct them to the correct container; ensuring other materials are not put into the carpet and/or mattress skip incorrectly; and covering the skip at the end of the day or in bad weather conditions. 2.5 What are the contractual considerations? The contractual arrangements in place with your service provider (if applicable) may incentivise them to carry out additional recycling, but also may have financial implications for you as an authority. It depends what arrangements are in place as to whether it works out as financially beneficially for both parties. For example, if a contractor is paid an incentive payment for recycling either specific materials, or over and above a specified target, the contractor is likely to be incentivised to recycle additional materials, providing that the cost of doing so is less than the additional payment they will receive. However, in some cases, this could prove more expensive for the authority, depending on the contractual arrangements. For example, if the incentive payment is in addition to the contractor s fee, and it can be an additional cost, rather than an opportunity to make a cost saving. The following questions and key considerations should be explored: 1. Are there contractual implications to implementing carpet and/or mattress recycling? 2. Do these implications restrict recycling of additional materials? 3. Are there any cost implications for the authority or the contractor? 2.6 What are the reprocessing options? There are a limited number of carpet and mattress reprocessing facilities in England and Wales, and some reprocessors may only accept materials of a certain quality or composition. The following questions and key considerations should be explored: Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites 9

10 1. What is the location of the reprocessors and distance from the site(s) where separation for recycling will be introduced? 2. What is the gate fee? 3. Is a collection service offered? (remember to include the cost of transport in this instance) 4. What does the reprocessor do with the carpets and/or mattresses? 5. Do they have specifications for carpets and/or mattresses they can process? Key considerations: Reprocessor proximity: proximity to a reprocessor is a key factor. Some authorities may find that transportation costs from some sites is affordable, due to proximity, but that others are too far away to justify the additional expense. Due to the shortage of end markets, the distance to travel to the reprocessor can be further than other disposal routes, meaning it may be less economic to recycle due to the cost of transportation. See Appendix 2 for a list of reprocessors. Gate fees: in most cases, the gate fee cost itself is not a limiting factor. However, as a component of the overall cost it is an important feature, particularly in its conversion to cost per tonne, which is required to compare to the current cost of disposal. o Carpet reprocessors charge a gate fee per tonne of carpet, which has ranged between 50 and 80 per tonne (March 2014) 4, depending on the specification requirements. o Mattress reprocessors charge a gate fee per mattress, which has ranged between 2 and 6 per mattress. Only one reprocessor seems to charge a different gate fee depending on the number of each size of mattress (see Norfolk County Council HWRC Guide Case Study 6). When carrying out cost comparisons, it is important that the correct assumption is used in determining whether recycling is comparable or not, as the weight of a mattress will vary depending on its composition and size (see o Table 4, Table 5 and Table 5 in Appendix 1). Table 1 shows how the gate fee calculated per tonne of mattresses can vary significantly depending on the assumed weight of a mattress, based on a fixed cost per mattress; this could have a significant impact on the economic assessment of the recycling solution. Table 1: Comparison of costs using different assumptions for weight of mattresses Mattress weight assumption (kg) Number of mattresses per tonne Equivalent gate fee per tonne (assuming gate fee of 3.50/mattress) It should also be noted that mattresses that have been segregated for recycling are likely to be lighter, as they are required to be stored separately and generally kept dry and clean. 4 From research carried out as part of wider project Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites 10

11 Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites 11

12 Transportation options: generally there are three options for transporting the carpets and/or mattresses to the reprocessor: o o o Local authority or contractor delivers; Reprocessor collects (most reprocessors offer collection); or Third party delivers: e.g. haulage company. Some reprocessors make use of haulage companies, including using back haulage opportunities, which can mean more flexibility with regard to load size, and cheaper transport. Reprocessor requirements (carpets): in order for carpet reprocessors to be economically sustainable, they are reliant on their outputs being of the highest quality possible. For this reason, some reprocessors have a specification of the types and/or condition of the carpets that they will accept, depending on the type of reprocessing they carry out, and often they will have a limit on the amount of acceptable contamination (see Warwickshire County Council HWRC Guide Case Study 7). For example if they produce very specific product outputs then they are likely to have a more demanding specification, compared to those who send a large proportion of material to energy from waste. Reprocessor requirements (mattresses): if the reprocessor demands a higher quality specification of mattresses, there is a higher risk for local authorities and their contractors that the mattresses they send may be rejected by the reprocessors. It is also likely that, the less onerous the specification requirements, the higher the gate fee will be, as the reprocessor will be able to make less money from the outputs of the process if the quality of the incoming mattresses is lower. Therefore, stakeholders need to strike the right balance between gate fee and specification requirements, but also evaluate whether the mattresses collected are likely to be of sufficient quality to meet the requirements. 3.0 Summary Once these six steps have been assessed and you have addressed the questions for each of them, you should be in a good position to understand whether carpet and/or mattress recycling will be feasible from your HWRCs. You should always revisit your drivers when making the final decision, to ensure that any solutions which have been devised, meet these objectives. For example, if the most cost effective solution is to send to a reprocessor who sends a significant proportion to energy recovery, this would not align with an objective to increase recycling. However if the main driver is to divert waste from landfill, then this solution could meet that criteria. It is likely that the distance to a reprocessor, and the associated transport costs, will be the limiting factor to recycling carpets and/or mattreses for a lot of authorities. Given the limited number of reprocessors, it is unlikely that there will be several different outlets available to you (however, the market is constantly changing and worth revisiting regularly). It will be important to ensure compatibility with the type and quality of items collected at your HWRCs and the specification required by the reprocessor. For example, if higher quality is required, it will be important to look at measures (both operational and infrastructure requirements) to maintain the quality of the items collected, to ensure that significant quantities are not later rejected. Working with the reprocessor and your HWRC contractor (where applicable), and carrying out a trial is highly recommended. The viability of mattress collections from HWRCs has been shown to be feasible, but depends on a number of factors including: Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites 12

13 Overall costs, including gate fees and transport costs; Space for containers at the HWRC; Operational costs and feasibility; Contractual arrangements and obligations; and Buy-in of staff. You should consider all of these factors, as per this guide, to work out whether it is feasible, and if so, whether the solution meets your objectives and specific circumstances. Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites 13

14 Appendix 1: Material Streams Carpet waste stream composition Table 2 shows the estimated breakdown of the post-consumer waste carpet mix. The type of carpet influences the various methods of recycling due to the outlets for the products produced. Synthetic carpets typically are recycled for equestrian surfaces and polypropylene recovery, whereas wool carpet may be recycled for non-woven products or compost and growing media. Table 2: Post-consumer waste carpet mix, Material Average carpet composition (%) Mixed synthetic nylon, 60% polypropylene & polyester Wool rich 26% Nylon & bitumen based carpet 14% tiles Total 100% Mattress waste stream composition A typical mattress is a 0.65 cubic metre assembly of a combination of steel, wood, textile, and foam. Due to this wide range of materials, mattresses typically have proven a difficult product to recycle, and many local authorities still do not offer separate mattress collection and/or disposal. The main types of mattresses are: Individually wrapped spring coils (pocket springs) Individually placed spring coils (Bonell springs) LFK (LeichFederKern) springs (cylindrical springs) Springs embedded in rubberized foam A core of endless-wire springs 5 Textile Flows and Market Development Opportunities in the UK, WRAP, September 2012 Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites 14

15 Table 3 shows the average composition of the mattresses sold in the UK, in For comparison, Table 4 shows the composition of mattresses which were recovered at a reprocessing facility in the same year. There are some significant differences, the most notable being the steel proportion and PUR foam, between the mattresses being sent for reprocessing and those being bought. This suggests that foam mattresses are becoming more popular, leading to the disposal of older, metal spring mattresses. Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites 15

16 Table 3: Average composition of mattresses sold in the UK, Material Average mattress composition (kg) Average mattress composition (%) Steel % PUR foam % Cotton, non-woven % Natural fibres (e.g. coconut, sisal, jute) 1.6 7% Felt 1.6 7% Cotton, woven 1.4 6% Wool 0.8 4% Polyester, non-woven 0.8 4% Latex foam 0.6 3% Total % Table 4: Average composition of mattresses recovered at one reprocessing site, Material Average mattress composition (%) Steel 50% PUR foam 5% Cotton, non-woven 10% Polyester 5% Mixed cover textiles 10% Flock 10% Other (coir, wood, wool, poly film 10% packaging, rigid plastic items) Total 100% There are also significantly varying data regarding the weight of an average mattress. 6 A Business Case for Mattress Recycling in Scotland, Zero Waste Scotland, Textile Flows and Market Development Opportunities in the UK, WRAP, September 2012 Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites 16

17 Table 3 suggests that the average mattress weighs 21.4kg; however communication from Veolia s experience is that the average is between 25-27kg, and London Re-use Ltd suggests that is higher at 31.25kg. Data from the Furniture Re-use Network is presented in Table 5 below. Table 5: Average weights of mattresses 8 Mattress Type Average weight (kg) % of mattresses collected at HWRC Weighted average Single Mattress 21 50% 10.5 Double Mattress 40 43% 17.2 King Size Mattress 50 7% 3.5 Average weight of mattress collected at HWRC 31.2 It has also been proposed that mattresses not segregated for recycling (i.e. are in the residual waste stream for disposal) are likely to be heavier, as they absorb moisture from the rest of the residual waste stream. However, if they are segregated for recycling, they are likely to be lighter, as they are required to be stored separately and generally kept dry and clean. 8 Furniture Re-Use Network, Average weights list, 2009 Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites 17

18 Appendix 2: Reprocessors The following carpet and mattress recyclers were operational on 14 th March Carpet Reprocessors There is a network of 24 facilities for the re-use and recycling of carpets. CRUK provides up to date information regarding operational reprocessors: Mattress Reprocessors Figure 2 shows the mattress reprocessors known to be operational within England and Wales (not necessarily a complete list). This shows that there are relatively few facilities, and that some regions are not serviced by mattress reprocessing facilities. Figure 2: Mattress reprocessing facilities in England and Wales 9 Table 6: Mattress reprocessing facilities shown in Figure 2 Map Ref Reprocessor Address Telephone A The Furniture Recycling Group Ikleston, Derbyshire B Changing Lives in Cheshire (CliC) Cheshire, CW7 3QL C Exsel CIC Lancashire, WN8 9SX D The Furniture Recycling Group Preston, Lancashire E WOW Contract Beds Bradford, BD4 9RT F Divert More Northumberland, NE65 9XG G CAD Recycling Conwy, LL31 9RA H Amgen Cymru Rhondda Cynon Taff, CF44 0BX I Envik Recycling Bridgend, CF31 4RY J Matt UK Deptford, London K The Furniture Recycling Group Brislington, Bristol, BS4 5PS L Salhouse Recyclers Norfolk 9 Note that this does not guarantee to include all mattress reprocessors, and some locations may not be entirely accurate. It is based on the best available information available at March Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites 18

19 M Carpet Recycling Group Grantham, NG32 3PY N RMD Mattress Collection Romford, Essex Carpet and Mattress Recycling at HWRC Sites 19

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