Revert to Separated Recycling in the Vale, at last!

The Vale Council has consulted on limiting black-bag numbers to two per household, but the change to the waste collection system is much more significant.

   Their switch to co-mingled recycling in 2011 is now shown wrong.  Waste Officer Cliff Parish knew then about future legislation on separate collection - deadline January 2015 - but he was coming up to retirement and left the problem for others.   Now the Vale has to comply with the TEEP legislation to qualify for Welsh Government grants needed for the intended re-cycling centre on the Atlantic Trading Estate. 

10. It was always known that the legislative revisions would have an impact on the Council's kerbside collection methods and that it was likely that the Council would have to revert to its previous pre 2011 collection system of source separated recycling and adopt the WG’s ‘Collections Blueprint’ methodology.… the collection of recycling from households via kerbside sort to ensure compliance to the revisions of the WFD and to ensure high rates of high quality recycling, cost savings and improved sustainable development outcomes.

  The present co-mingled collection breaks up glass and contaminates paper and plastics with glass shards. Merthyr Council uses separate collection and is able to sell its paper to UK re-processors whereas most of the Vale's waste paper is contaminated (by glass) and sent abroad.  No figures are given, but the Vale probably pays for disposal of its paper, while Merthyr gets revenue.

  The Council proposes to establish a recycling separation and bulking centre at Atlantic Trading Estate.  This recalls the proposal of Brian Mayne when Recycling Officer over a decade ago, which included a "recycling village" for companies re-processing and using some of the separated waste - real implementation of dealing with our own wastes and building a circular economy for material use.  The current proposal would save vehicle and transport costs ("a burden to the service") with most wastes going on congested roads into Cardiff.  It depends on the estimated £2.5-3 million project getting grants from the Welsh Government.
  The WRAP study annexed to the main report gives some details in its options analysis, that we have to pay £60 per tonne to the Viridor incinerator (Welsh govt pays £20/t on top) and almost as much for using Lamby Way to separate co-mingled recyclables.  The Vale pays them £34/t to take garden waste (compare £25/t on farm in the Vale) and £44/t to take food waste (figures from 2016).  The drop in residual (back-bag) waste from the new limit is estimated as about 20%, with people recycling more and disposing of their own rubble.