Tag Archives: Cymru
By Accounting for Energy – (3 min read) As the year draws to a close, we take a look back on some of the blogs we have brought you this year… Spotlight On… Conwy Borough Council lead the way Plastics, plastics, plastics Coverage in Materials Recycling World Green Brexit Pledge
We started the year by showcasing some work we have done with a client who saw a 56 per cent increase in wind farm income following our audit. We also highlighted how as one of the biggest landowners in the country, this client is seeking to ‘green’ their organisation. We have had another great year of helping organisations to get the best deals on their land rent payments and we have more stories like this to share with you in 2019.
This forward-thinking Welsh council is the embodiment of excellent waste management, as they have bucked the trend with a scheme that increased recycling rates, made big saving and cut residual waste. Conwy’s recycling efforts are definitely a leading example for local authorities.
Plastics has been a buzzword this year with zero waste initiatives growing rapidly on both a micro and macro level. We sought to keep you up to date with all that was happening though articles like our Carrots and Sticks piece where we looked at worldwide incentives to help behavioural change around waste such as the Plastics Pact, as well as legislative efforts such as the ambitious targets set by the Scottish government. With this week’s announcement on the government’s Resources and Waste Strategy, and hopefully more clarity on Brexit, we will continue to keep you informed with developments within the Energy from Waste sector.
We were interviewed for this popular trade magazine back in the summer. It is the first piece of coverage we have had, and as the UK’s leading independent provider on land rent payments, we plan to build on this in 2019.
In the early Autumn, it looked like we were making firm progress with our departure from the EU, and this ‘Green Brexit’ pledge felt like a stepping stone towards certainty. In this article guest writer Paul Spackman outlined how the Agriculture Bill, and the Environment Bill which was announced this week as a draft, will help shape the UK’s agriculture and energy sectors after leaving the European Union and Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on 29 March 2019. However while we now have detail of what the government proposes, such as a new green watchdog with statutory powers after Brexit, we have no more clarity than we did when this article was published on the details of Brexit.
By Freccia Benn – (3 min read)
Higher wages and cuts of £1.4 billion to central government funding in England are taking a toll on local authorities. With so many services to manage, councils are generally committed to protecting areas like social care. However, with children’s centres, libraries and road maintenance at risk, many in the waste management industry fear a halt to the addition of new recycling services such as food waste or, at worst, a return to the dirty days of the eighties with services reduced to a minimum.
However, Conwy Borough Council has shown that an ambitious approach can reap dividends. In 2016, Conwy took the radical step of reducing residual waste collections. Trials took place throughout the borough to see whether three or four-weekly collections were viable. The goal was to increase recycling rates to meet the Welsh Government target of 70% by 2025, to save on landfill tax, and to maximise on the amount and value of household waste sent for recycling, in order to reinvest into council services. The two trials achieved significant results, with the four-weekly residual waste system resulting in a saving of £390,000.
The cuts in collections will have a major effect on Conwy’s annual budgets, but the move has also boosted recycling. Recycling collected as part of the three-weekly scheme rose by 5%, with a 20% decrease in residual waste; the four-weekly scheme saw recycling increase by 14%, with residual waste falling by 31%. At a time when many councils are looking to save money by investing in energy from waste and cutting back on new recycling services, the results are particularly relevant.
Interestingly, there has been no evidence to show any negative impact to fly-tipping in the area and, contrary to the views of any potential naysayers, there have also been no increase in requests for additional bins. In short, Conwy Borough Council has not been flooded with over-flowing bins, rodents or angry residents – the trial has proven so successful that the authority’s Task and Finish Group has recommended that the four-weekly scheme be rolled out across the county, as an “opportunity to provide a sustainable long-term solution to recycle more, waste less and increase savings”. Good luck Conwy!
For further information, please contact:
Freccia Benn
Co-Founder
0203 876 0324
By Freccia Benn – (2 min read)
Wales has been leading the way on recycling for some time now. The highest performer in the UK is also the second-best recycler in Europe, and determination and policy commitment has helped it soar from a recycling rate of just 4% to 64% in 20 years. This week, the CIWM, Welsh public sector and industry met at the CIWM Resource Conference to share best practice, debate current issues and consider future strategies.
As CIWM President David Wilson pointed out, waste management is the forgotten utility which underpins society. Although largely taken for granted in the UK, one third of the world’s population lack basic waste management services. As an industry, we are in a unique position to address both marine litter, and to help to meet the UN’s 12 Sustainable Development Goals.
Hannah Blythyn, Minister for Environment at the Welsh Government, outlined Wales’ ambitious strategy to do just that – both through a £7.5 million Collaborative Change Programme investment designed to support local authorities, and using drivers such as the Route Map for a Resource Efficient Wales. The map will highlight new areas for innovation, including the recycling of nappies, mattresses and carpet; food waste reduction target actions; and the creation of demand for plastics through public procurement exercises.
Throughout the day, there was more evidence of a market-led approach and bold strategies. For example, WRAP described its new voluntary agreement on plastics – delivered in conjunction with the Ellen McArthur Foundation, while Conwy Borough Council outlined its move to four-weekly residual collections, which will save the council £390,000 over one year. If recent trials are mirrored in the full-service change, recycling is likely to rise by 14%, with residual waste down by 31%.
Another local authority, Rhondda Cynon Taf, has plans for an ambitious eco park, based at its landfill site at Bryn Pica. The project has stalled due to funding issues, but the proposal is to house a number of businesses involved in paint, mattress and nappy recycling, with plastics recycling for manufacture into wheelie bins. The site would be fully powered by an existing AD plant.
Unsurprisingly, markets were high on the agenda. Mike Baxter from RPC pointed out that unless public sector procurement transforms tenders to demand greater recycled content, contracts will continue to supply the cheapest option and, in many cases, import products from abroad. According to Baxter, in the case of plastics, the technology is now available for the recycling of all types of plastics. Where processors have held back from investment due to lack of confidence in securing material, they are now guaranteed quantities of scrap thanks to China’s ban. All that is missing are the markets, and purchasing bodies that specify genuine, post-use recycled material in contracts.
For further information, please contact:
Freccia Benn
Co-Founder
0203 876 0324
