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Municipal Waste Management Strategy

Table of Contents

SUMMARY..................................................................................................................................................... 4

CURRENT SITUATION................................................................................................................................ 9

1 WREXHAM........................................................................................................................................... 9

1.1 GEOGRAPHY........................................................................................................................................ 91.2 INDUSTRY AND ECONOMY.................................................................................................................... 91.3 POPULATION...................................................................................................................................... 101.4 COUNCIL ORGANISATION.................................................................................................................... 10

2 REFUSE COLLECTION.................................................................................................................... 14

2.1 LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS.............................................................................................................. 142.2 REVIEW OF CURRENT SERVICE ARRANGEMENTS..................................................................................14

2.2.1 HOUSEHOLD WASTE................................................................................................................... 142.2.2 TRADE WASTE............................................................................................................................ 202.2.3 OTHER WASTE............................................................................................................................ 202.2.4 LITTER, FLY TIPPING AND ABANDONED VEHICLES..........................................................................222.2.5 WHAT HAPPENS TO WREXHAM’S RUBBISH?...................................................................................23

WASTE EDUCATION..................................................................................................................................... 242.4 WHAT’S IN OUR RUBBISH?................................................................................................................. 242.5 COMPARISON OF PERFORMANCE......................................................................................................... 25

FUTURE OBJECTIVES.............................................................................................................................. 28

3 WHY SHOULD WE CHANGE?........................................................................................................ 28

3.1 SUSTAINABILITY................................................................................................................................ 283.2 WASTE GENERATION......................................................................................................................... 283.3 ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC COSTS OF LANDFILL......................................................................293.4 LEGISLATION..................................................................................................................................... 313.5 PLANNING POLICY............................................................................................................................. 333.6 TARGETS........................................................................................................................................... 36

3.6.1 LANDFILL DIRECTIVE.................................................................................................................. 363.6.2 WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT POLICY.....................................................................................363.6.3 PACKAGING WASTE..................................................................................................................... 393.6.4 WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR WREXHAM COUNTY BOROUGH?........................................................39

3.7 BUDGETARY AND CONTRACTUAL CONSTRAINTS.................................................................................393.8 COMMUNITY ASPIRATIONS................................................................................................................. 41

3.8.1 COLLATED DATA FROM WASTE STRATEGY QUESTIONNAIRE “DEALING WITH OUR RUBBISH”......443.8.2 CITIZENS PANEL SURVEY 10 – AUGUST 2003............................................................................48

3.9 MARKET DEMAND............................................................................................................................. 50

4 WREXHAM COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL WASTE MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES..........52

4.1 WHAT’S BEEN ACHIEVED SO FAR?......................................................................................................524.2 WHAT STILL NEEDS TO BE ACHIEVED?................................................................................................524.3 WHAT’S A PRIORITY?......................................................................................................................... 524.4 WREXHAM COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL OBJECTIVES........................................................................534.5 WREXHAM COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL MUNICIPAL WASTE MANAGEMENT POLICIES.......................53

ACHIEVING OUR OBJECTIVES.............................................................................................................. 55

5 HOW CAN WE ACHIEVE OUR OBJECTIVES?.............................................................................55

5.1 WASTE REDUCTION............................................................................................................................ 555.1.1 WHAT ARE OUR OPTIONS FOR ACHIEVING WASTE REDUCTION?.......................................................565.1.2 OPTIONS APPRAISAL................................................................................................................... 57

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5.1.3 WHAT DO WE PROPOSE TO DO?...................................................................................................595.2 RECYCLING........................................................................................................................................ 61

5.2.1 WHAT ARE OUR OPTIONS FOR ACHIEVING OUR RECYCLING TARGETS?.............................................615.2.2 WHAT DO WE PROPOSE TO DO?...................................................................................................68

5.3 COMPOSTING..................................................................................................................................... 715.3.1 WHAT ARE OUR OPTIONS FOR ACHIEVING OUR COMPOSTING TARGETS?...........................................725.3.2 COMMUNITY COMPOSTING.......................................................................................................... 725.3.3 HOUSEHOLD RECYCLING CENTRES...............................................................................................735.3.4 KERBSIDE COLLECTION.............................................................................................................. 735.3.5 MARKETS.................................................................................................................................. 745.3.6 TYPES OF COMPOSTING.............................................................................................................. 755.3.7 WHAT DO WE PROPOSE TO DO?...................................................................................................76

5.4 RESIDUAL WASTE MANAGEMENT.......................................................................................................775.4.1 WHAT ARE OUR OPTIONS?........................................................................................................... 785.4.2 WHAT ARE WE PROPOSING TO DO?..............................................................................................84

5.5 OTHER HOUSEHOLD WASTES............................................................................................................. 845.5.1 WHAT ARE OUR OPTIONS AND WHAT CAN WE DO?.........................................................................85

5.6 OTHER MUNICIPAL WASTE.................................................................................................................. 875.6.1 WHAT ARE OUR OPTIONS AND WHAT CAN WE DO?.........................................................................87

MAKING IT HAPPEN................................................................................................................................. 91

6 WASTE AWARENESS....................................................................................................................... 91

6.1 NATIONAL CAMPAIGNS....................................................................................................................... 916.1.1 ECO-SCHOOLS........................................................................................................................... 93

6.2 LOCAL CAMPAIGNS............................................................................................................................ 946.2.1 EDUCATION OFFICERS............................................................................................................... 946.2.2 RECYCLE WITH MICHAEL!........................................................................................................... 956.2.3 ENFORCEMENT.......................................................................................................................... 95

6.3 ACTION PLAN.................................................................................................................................... 95

7 INFRASTRUCTURE........................................................................................................................... 97

7.1 NEED FOR NEW FACILITIES................................................................................................................. 977.1.1 WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT.................................................................................................97

7.2 PLANNED PROVISION OF NEW FACILITIES.............................................................................................987.2.1 NEIGHBOURHOOD RECYCLING CENTRES....................................................................................977.2.2 HOUSEHOLD RECYCLING CENTRES..............................................................................................987.2.3 WASTE TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL...............................................................................................99

7.3 REGULATION AND WASTE FACILITIES..................................................................................................997.4 RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITARY DEVELOPMENT PLAN....................................................................997.5 TRANSPORTATION OF WASTE............................................................................................................ 100

8 WALES PROGRAMME FOR IMPROVEMENT (BEST VALUE)................................................102

8.1 BEST VALUE PERFORMANCE TARGETS..............................................................................................102

9 RESOURCES..................................................................................................................................... 104

9.1 CAPITAL.......................................................................................................................................... 1049.2 RUNNING COSTS.............................................................................................................................. 1049.3 COUNCIL STAFF TIME...................................................................................................................... 1069.4 WHO WILL PAY FOR IT?.................................................................................................................... 106

9.4.1 WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT...............................................................................................1069.4.2 COUNCIL TAX.......................................................................................................................... 1069.4.3 DIRECT CHARGING FOR WASTE COLLECTION...............................................................................107

10 RECYCLING PLAN.......................................................................................................................... 108

10.1 RECYCLING STRATEGY................................................................................................................ 10810.1.1 REVIEW................................................................................................................................... 10910.1.2 ESSENTIAL LEGAL REQUIREMENTS.............................................................................................109

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11 LITTER PLAN.................................................................................................................................. 112

11.1 APPRAISAL.................................................................................................................................. 11211.2 OPERATIONS................................................................................................................................ 11411.3 EDUCATION................................................................................................................................. 115

12 CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................................. 116

SUPPORTING INFORMATION............................................................................................................... 117

13 REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................. 117

13.1 EUROPEAN LEGISLATION............................................................................................................. 11713.1.1 DIRECTIVES REFERRED TO IN APPENDIX D.................................................................................117

13.2 UK LEGISLATION........................................................................................................................ 11713.3 WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS............................................................................11813.4 GENERAL.................................................................................................................................... 11813.5 BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................................................ 118

14 CONTACTS....................................................................................................................................... 120

14.1 WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT................................................................................................12014.2 UK GOVERNMENT....................................................................................................................... 12014.3 GOVERNMENT AGENCIES............................................................................................................. 12014.4 CHARITIES, COMMUNITY GROUPS AND ORGANISATIONS...............................................................120

15 ABBREVIATIONS............................................................................................................................ 123

15.1 GLOSSARY................................................................................................................................... 124

APPENDICES............................................................................................................................................. 135

APPENDIX A: Current Situation: Wrexham Statistics.

APPENDIX B: Independent Litter Survey

APPENDIX C: Options Appraisal – Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities

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SUMMARY

What is municipal waste?

Waste is rubbish – everything we throw away – we think of the rubbish we throw away as a waste of resources. Municipal waste is the waste collected by or on behalf of the Authority-Wrexham County Borough Council. Municipal waste is the rubbish that an Authority is responsible for managing including, household bins; street sweepings and litter; some commercial and trade waste; parks and gardens waste; schools waste; fly tipping; and abandoned cars.

We produced over 83 THOUSAND tonnes of waste in the Borough during the Financial Year 2002/2003, that’s over tonne and a half per household in just one year. Currently, the amount we are producing increases by around 3% a year; that means by 2050 we’ll have double the amount of waste we do today!

Why do we need a waste strategy?

Around 90% of the waste we produce is disposed of in a hole in the ground; this is no longer considered to be a viable waste management option. The way we manage our waste therefore needs to change; there are a number of reasons for this.

We need to become more sustainable. Sustainability is about meeting our needs without preventing future generations from meeting theirs. Dumping waste in the ground is not sustainable because we are running out of suitable sites for landfills and we are wasting valuable resources, which could be reprocessed.

The amount of waste we throw away is growing. Nationally, the waste we produce is growing by about 3% a year. This rate of growth cannot continue due to the economic and environmental costs associated with its management.

Environmental and economic costs of landfill. The cost of landfilling waste is set to rise steeply in the next 10 years; this is due in part, to the environmental Landfill Tax imposed by the government. Landfills pose a threat to the environment through the release of liquids (leachate) and gases, mostly methane produced as our waste rots.

New and pending legislation. European and national legislation is changing to make us manage waste more sustainably. A major piece of legislation is the Landfill Directive, implemented in 2002 it will already have a major affect on the way we manage our waste.

Planning policy. National, Regional and Local planning policy is now aimed at more sustainable waste management. Policies have been derived at all levels which ask us to consider and analyse a number of factors when we plan how to manage our waste,

o the Best Practicable Environmental Option;

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o Sustainable Waste Management Options;

o Life Cycle Assessment;

o the Proximity Principle;

o Health Impacts;

o The Waste Hierarchy.

Attainment of Government targets. In order to comply with legislation and make waste management more sustainable, the Welsh Assembly Government has set a number of challenging targets to be met by local authorities. Since the summer of 2002Wrexham has made significant inroads towards attaining these targets, however, there is still need for improvement as illustrated below.

Tonnes of our waste to be recycled or composted in order to meet Government targets.

Given all of the above, we need to REDUCE the amount of waste we produce; REUSE waste whenever we can; RECYCLE or COMPOST as much waste as possible; and RECOVER as much value as we can from the waste that is left over before finally disposing of it. The purpose of this Strategy is to examine how best to achieve this.

In order to find successful waste management solutions to the issues associated with its priority components of municipal waste management, the Authority has identified a number of key objectives:

1. To adhere to the principles of the Waste Hierarchy and sustainable waste management, and to use the Proximity Principle and Best Practical Environmental Option (BPEO) when planning new systems and facilities for handling waste.

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2. To comply with current and pending waste management and environmental legislation, and to strive to meet all national and local targets.

3. To continue to offer the best customer service possible and to continue to improve and deliver Best Value to the residents of Wrexham County Borough.

4. To offer enhanced opportunities for residents to participate in sustainable waste management.

How can we achieve our objectives?

The question remains as to how, using the resources available, we can best achieve more sustainable waste management in Wrexham County Borough.

There is no one solution to the problem of waste management. Every area has unique attributes, both current and historic, and so each area has to consider a series of waste management options that are best suited to the needs and aspirations of that area. This document examines the options available to us, exploring

ways of encouraging the public to rethink the way they manage their rubbish;

different ways of collecting waste in order to increase the amount of waste we recycle and compost;

Alternative ways of treating and disposing of our wastes.

These options are considered in terms of environmental effects, practicality, customer preference and costs, as well as in terms of Regional and National Government Policy.

What have we done so far and what are we going to do?

We have already started working on improving the way we manage our waste in Wrexham. The Waste Plan produced in 1996, Waste Management Plan 1996/2000, set the foundation. Vital funding from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Sustainable Waste Management Fund has allowed us to make considerable progress. The Recycle with Michael project commenced in July 2002.

We have employed two Recycling and Education Officers to promote waste reduction and recycling and composting in the County Borough.

We have been offering home composting units at cost price and to date, have sold some 2,500 bins (to Winter 2004).

We have carried out a very successful trial of 6,000 households collecting recyclables and green waste directly from householders. This maximises convenience to householders thereby encouraging participation in more sustainable waste management.

We have initiated a scheme to install 30 Neighbourhood Recycling Centres across the district. These are designed to complement the kerbside scheme and provide facilities for recycling glass and other bulky materials close to residences.

We have begun a programme to improve our Household Recycling Centres (Civic Amenity Sites), offering more opportunities to separate waste for recycling.

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These measures have helped us nearly double our recycling/composting rate, we must still do better than this in order to achieve the targets set by the Welsh Assembly Government and in order to comply with European legislation. To this end the Authority intends to:

Continue to actively promote waste reduction, including maintaining sales of home composting units at cost price.

Roll out our kerbside recycling / composting scheme to serve 50% of the County Borough by the end of the Financial Year 2005.

Continue to improve the convenience of bring recycling and composting to householders through provision of additional Neighbourhood Recycling Centres and continue to upgrade Household Waste Centres.

Household Waste Sites will be designed to maximise recycling; this will include provision for separate collection and recycling where possible, of hazardous household wastes such as paint, oils, fluorescent tubes and batteries.

The Authority is currently in negotiations with a private sector contractor who is looking to provide an integrated waste management facility in the County Borough. We believe that this will give us a more sustainable option for the management of wastes, which are left over after recycling and composting, have been optimised.

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What can you do?

REDUCE✔ Compost your kitchen and garden waste at home

✔ Register with the Mailing Preference Service and reduce junk mail

✔ Buy products with less packaging

✔ Buy only the amount you need

✔ Choose reusable rather than disposable goods

REUSE✔ Repair broken goods instead of throwing them away

✔ Give unwanted goods to charity shops or jumble sales.

✔ Donate unwanted furniture and white goods to local community groups

RECYCLE✔ Participate in recycling schemes in your area

✔ Close the loop! Buy goods that are recycled and recyclable

✔ Challenge yourself to recycle more each week

✔ Encourage your family, friends, neighbours and work colleagues to participate in recycling.

Before disposal!

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CURRENT SITUATION

Wrexham

Wrexham County Borough is situated in the north east region of Wales, bounded by the Clwydian Hills to the west and the undulating Shropshire countryside to the south. It covers an area of 50,500 hectares and has a population of nearly 129,300 2002 mid-year estimates.

1.1 Geography

Wrexham Town Centre is the hub of the County Borough; to the north and west of the town the land rises to the tail end of the Clwydian Hills, Esclusham Mountain and Ruabon Mountain. The land to the south and east drops away and forms part of the Dee Plain. The steep sided valley running east west from Chirk to Glyn Ceiriog, lies in the south of the County Borough.

The area has several designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which exist to protect special and exceptional flora, fauna, geological and physical features.

The River Dee forms a natural boundary to the south and east of the County Borough. Several minor rivers flow through the area, which are tributaries of the River Dee, namely the Rivers Alyn, Ceiriog, Clywedog and Gwenfro. A spur of the Shropshire Union Canal crosses the southern part of the County Borough.

Neighbouring Counties are Cheshire to the north and east; Denbighshire to the west; Flintshire to the north and west; Powys to the southwest and Shropshire to the southeast.

1.2 Industry and Economy

The area has had a tradition of heavy industry, which finally ceased with the closure of Bersham Colliery in 1986 and Brymbo Steel Works in 1991.

The Authority, in collaboration with the Welsh Development Agency and similar organisations, has been instrumental in attracting industry to the area since the late “Sixties”. Several custom built modern industrial estates provide the location for major international manufacturers. Manufacturing sectors include metallurgy, engineering, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electronics, optical engineering, plastics and packaging, textiles and food processing. There is a miscellany of minor industries supplying the larger companies.

The economy of the area reflects the fluctuations of national trends. The area remains confident. Many of the leading High Street stores and supermarkets are represented in Wrexham. During recent years there has been a significant increase in the number of residential properties built.

Wrexham is a popular place to live and for industry to establish because of its proximity to the motorway network and as the gateway to the mountains and beaches of North Wales.

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The employment rate11in Wrexham is 68.9%, which is slightly above the average for Wales (68.5%). More detailed information can be found in Table A1 in Appendix A of this report.

1.3 Population

The County Borough has a population of nearly 129,300 living in over 54,717households (Valuation List April 2003). The main centre of population is Wrexham town with a number of surrounding “Urban Villages,” for example Brymbo, Cefn Mawr and Gwersyllt. Approximately 12% of the population live in rural areas.

Further information concerning demographic information and housing in the County Borough can be found in Appendix A, Tables A2-A3.

1.4 Council organisation

Wrexham County Borough Council has 52 Councillors representing 47 wards. They are democratically elected every four years and form the ultimate decision making body from which all other elements in the structure derive their authority.

In advance of the Local Government Act 2000, the Council approved new political management structures comprising:

The Council

Executive Board

Social Services Committee

Environmental Licensing Committee

Standards Committee.

As a Unitary Authority, the Council provides a full range of local authority services. It operates through 16 Departments, each with a Chief Officer. The Chief Executive and 5 Strategic Directors take the lead responsibility for delivering specific services in support of the strategic aims and corporate policies of the Authority. The areas of responsibility are:

Chief Executive - Culture, Leadership and Values

Performance Management

Strategic Director - Corporate Governance

Communities

Community Safety

Strategic Director - Economic Prosperity

Lifelong Learning and Skills

Sponsorship of Major Projects

Strategic Director - Children and Young People

Strategic Director - Health, Social Care and Well-being

Sustainable Development

1 Expressed as a percentage of the economically active population,

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Strategic Director - Customer Access

Procurement, Transitional Budget and Corporate Planning Process

Refuse collection, recycling and wastes management are some of the responsibilities of the Community Services Department headed by the Chief Community Services Officer.

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Directorate Management Structure

(for ease of reference only those duties relevant to this Strategy

are been shown)

Strategic Director

Chief Public Protection Officer

Chief Community Services Officer

BusinessDevelopment

Manager

Waste Manager

Fleet/Licensing Manager

Environmental Maintenance

Manager

StreetCleansing

AbandonedVehicles

RefuseCollection

Household WasteSites

Recycling andComposting

Waste Disposal


The Environmental Scrutiny and Regeneration Committee can debate decisions affecting the Community Services Department prior to decision by the Council’s Executive Board.

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Executive Board

Social Affairs, Health & HousingScrutiny Committee

Environment & RegenerationScrutiny Committee

Children & Young People Scrutiny Committee

Corporate Issues Scrutiny Committee

COUNCIL

Standards Committee

Environmental Licensing Committee

Planning Committee

Political Management Structure

Financial

Scrutiny

Committee


Refuse Collection

1.5 Legislative requirements

Under Section 52 of the Environmental Protection Act (1990), Waste Collection Authorities have a duty to provide a number of services:

the collection of household waste;

the collection of commercial waste when requested;

the development of a recycling plan;

street cleansing.

The Act specifically excludes local authorities from charging for the collection of household waste contained in the provided receptacle. ‘Reasonable’ charges may be made, however, for collection of non-household or waste in excess of what can be held in the receptacle provided. It does not specify how frequently the Authority must collect waste, or the size of the receptacle, which must be provided.

Waste Disposal Authorities have the duty to provide facilities for the disposal of waste collected by the Collection Authorities and locations where householders can bring waste for disposal.

In Wales, all Local Authorities are Unitary acting as both the Collection and Disposal Authority.

1.6 Review of current service arrangements

More detailed information and statistics regarding the waste collection and disposal service offered by the Authority can be found in Appendix B.

The Authority’s own work force carries out the refuse collection service in the County Borough. The service comprises the collection of household waste, commercial and industrial waste, recyclable waste, clinical waste, market waste and bulky household items. All wastes collected are transported and disposed of in accordance with transportation and environmental legislation. Ancillary services include the supply, delivery and repair of waste bins and the supply and issue of waste sacks.

1.6.1 Household waste

Most of the households (98%) in the County Borough have 240 litre wheeled bins to contain and store their refuse; these were introduced in 1983. Remaining properties have plastic sacks, or large bins for multiple occupancy establishments, such as blocks of flats.

Refuse is collected weekly from the majority of households, where practical from the curtilage of the property. A trial scheme covering 6,000 households was introduced in July 2002 whereby refuse is collected on alternate weeks with dry recyclables and compostable green waste. More details of this are found in Section 5.2.2.

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Bulky waste

Bulky Household Waste, such as unwanted furniture and white goods, is collected by appointment. A charge is made for up to five items, although residents on certain State Benefits can claim free collections. Unwanted domestic refrigerators and freezers are collected free of charge to ensure safe disposal of hazardous substances.

Household Waste Centres (Civic Amenity Sites)

The Authority will not collect waste placed outside of the wheeled bins provided (side waste). Any additional waste produced, such as DIY and garden waste, can be taken to one of the designated centres in the County Borough. The centres can be found at Acton, Brymbo, Plas Madoc and Queensway, these are shown on the map in the following pages. In July 2004 the following changes will be introduced, the centre at Acton will close and be replaced by a super centre on Bryn Lane, Wrexham Industrial Estate. The centre at Queensway will be remodelled and accept recyclable and compostable materials only.

Recycling

Recycling is the processing of waste materials to reproduce the same product or produce other useful products or materials. It is important to increase the amount of rubbish recycled in order to make any waste management system more sustainable and to meet Government targets.

There are separate containers for recycling at all our Household recycling centres in the County Borough. Car batteries, glass, scrap metal, engine oil, textiles, wood, cardboard, and rubble/soil are all collected and reused or recycled from these centres.

In addition to Household Recycling Centres there are a number of Neighbourhood Recycling Centres in the County Borough to which householders can take waste materials for recycling. The centres consist of separate banks for the collection of paper and different coloured glass. Also, there are a number of banks run by the Salvation Army for the collection of textiles. Neighbourhood Recycling Centres are in supermarket and town car parks their locations can be seen on the map. Smaller centres utilising 1100 litre “Eurobins,” as containers are situated within, or close to residential areas. Car batteries, scrap metal and engine oil are collected for recycling at the Household Recycling Centres.

A kerbside scheme to collect paper, glass, cans and plastics, and green waste, directly from people’s households was introduced in July 2002. The trial involving 6,000 households in the County Borough has proved very successful.

Composting

Composting is a process whereby biological matter is broken down to produce a material, which can be used as a fertiliser, soil conditioner or soil replacement.

Kitchen waste makes up a significant proportion of household waste, the majority of which is computable. To encourage home use of this material, the Authority offers composting bins at cost price to residents of the County Borough. Approximately 2,500 have been sold since the first year of the promotion (July 2001).

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Since October 2001, separate containers have been available at the Household recycling centres specifically for green (garden) waste. Accumulated green waste is taken to a site where it is sorted, shredded and composted. A range of beneficial options for the composted material is presently being investigated. Eventually the composted material could be sold to gardeners when the Compost Association (or other national) standard is achieved.

1.6.2 Trade Waste

The Authority collects commercial (trade waste) as requested. Waste is collected in a variety of containers as part of the domestic collection round; a charge is made according to the size of the container and the frequency of collection. Each contract is perpetual but can be terminated by either party on one month’s notice. A Duty of Care Certificate is issued annually as part of the contract. The Authority actively encourages local businesses to reduce and recycle their waste.

Recyclable materials contained in Municipal Waste (all waste collected by the Authority) can be counted towards recycling targets. Recyclable glass, cardboard and paper make up a large proportion of commercial waste.

A trial scheme has been introduced offering separate containers, at a preferential rate, for public houses, restaurants and hotels to separate glass from their waste stream. The glass collected is not colour separated and is sold to a glass merchant for crushing and use as road aggregate. A similar scheme to collect cardboard and paper from commercial premises could be considered at a later date. Such a scheme has the potential to significantly boost recycling rates. It is hoped that systems for collection of recyclable materials from households could also be used for commercial premises in the future.

1.6.3 Other waste

There are a number of other, more unusual, types of waste that the Authority is obligated to manage. This includes clinical waste, hazardous waste, and waste electrical and electronic goods.

Clinical waste

Clinical Waste is defined in the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992 as:

a) any waste which consists wholly or partly of human or animal tissue, blood or other body fluids, excretions, drugs or other pharmaceutical products, swabs or dressings, or syringes, needles or other sharp instruments, being waste which unless rendered safe may prove hazardous to any person coming into contact with it; and

b) any other waste arising from medical, nursing, dental, veterinary, pharmaceutical or similar practice, investigation, treatment, care, teaching or research, or the collection of blood for transfusion, being waste which may cause infection to any person coming into contact with it;

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Secretions waste, also known as Snapper waste (nappies, sanitary towels etc.), is not considered clinical when it arises from a healthy population. Therefore, it can be disposed with normal refuse, although sometimes this has perception problems amongst householders. Nappies in particular make up a significant portion of the waste stream; Wrexham supports the Real Nappy Scheme and encourages families to use where possible.

Clinical waste from householders is likely to mainly consist of soiled wound dressings and used hypodermic needles.

Specialist contractors, with access to advanced treatment facilities, manage most waste from hospitals and large care institutions. Local authorities are more likely to have to manage clinical waste arising from households and smaller care facilities, doctors and veterinary practises. Most authorities have seen an increase in raisings in recent years, due in large to an ageing population and increased demand for home based care.

In Wrexham, householders can request Clinical Waste collections from the Authority. Yellow sacks are issued to users of the service and waste is collected free of charge from households, using a dedicated vehicle. Approximately 61 tonnes of clinical waste was collected in 2002/03. All Clinical Waste collected is incinerated at a specialist facility within the County Borough.

Hazardous Waste

Hazardous Household Waste is any material discarded by a household, which is difficult to dispose of, or which puts human health or the environment at risk because of its chemical or biological nature.

There are a number of wastes classed as hazardous, which may be commonly found in the household waste stream. These include chemicals such as pesticides, certain paints and inks, some batteries, motor oil and certain electronic equipment.

Council Officers are happy to give advice to commercial/industrial and domestic enquirers about safe disposal of hazardous waste. Most general hazardous household waste is accepted at the County Borough’s Household Recycling Centres.

Suspect containers and Hazardous Household Waste are collected free of charge and are stored under secure conditions. A specialist hazardous waste disposal company then safely disposes of all materials. Commercial establishments with hazardous waste are referred directly to a local specialist disposal company.

Waste Electrical and Electronic goods

The perceived life-span for many electrical goods has become progressively shorter as technological innovation brings about significant advances in short periods of time and consumers aspire to replace and upgrade equipment.

Manufacture of electronic and electrical goods is one of the fastest growing industries and associated waste is growing in proportion. Many electrical and electronic goods contain

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materials that can be hazardous and damaging to the environment, if discarded, combusted or disposed to landfill. Such goods also contain relatively large quantities of recyclable/ recoverable materials. Recent and pending European Union (EU) Legislation aims to increase recycling of these goods and reduce the environmental impact of their disposal.

In Wrexham County Borough, the Authority’s Wastes Management Officers advise on the disposal of computer equipment and try to reuse where possible (pass on to good homes!). All refrigerators and freezers are segregated at the Household Recycling Centres to await collection and storage pending disposal; these must be disposed of at special sites where they are treated according to the EU legislation on the safe disposal of Ozone Depleting Substances. Other electrical equipment is currently disposed of in on-site skips and landslide.

1.6.4 Litter, fly tipping and abandoned vehicles

Maintaining the cleanliness of the roads and streets of Wrexham County Borough is also the responsibility of the Community Services Department. The cleansing operation involves street sweeping, clearance of fly tipped wastes and removal of abandoned vehicles.

In 2002/03 90% of the ‘relevant land’ in the County Borough was of a high or acceptable standard of cleanliness. Standards are assessed by Authority Officers according to the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse, verified by officials from the Keep Wales Tidy Campaign. More details are contained in Appendix C.

Abandoned vehicles

All vehicles reported as abandoned in Wrexham are investigated. During 2001/02 Wrexham took part in a pilot scheme sponsored by the Home Office to reduce malicious vehicle arson. Since the introduction of the pilot scheme the number of vehicles reported as abandoned has increased whilst the time taken to deal with them has decreased. In 2002/03 465 abandoned cars were removed and scrapped.

This scheme follows the same system for each vehicle reported, whereby:

The details of the report (from the public, council officer, traffic warden et cetera) are checked;

The registration number is then checked against Police National Computer directly;

Enquiries are made in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle;

If the Registered Keeper lives locally, personal contact is attempted;

If the Registered Keeper lives outside the Borough a letter is sent to the address listed.

Vehicles can be removed using powers given by the Removal of Vehicles and Disposal Regulations 1986. Officers from the Community Services Department work in collaboration with a Police Constable (the Constable’s signature is required before a vehicle can be removed under these Regulations).

Vehicles are taken into storage if they are in a reasonable condition or are taxed. The Registered Keeper is informed that the vehicle has been removed into storage and can be reclaimed on payment of a fee.

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Fly tipping

Fly tipping is the illegal deposit of any waste onto land i.e. waste dumped or tipped on a site with no licence to accept waste. It is generally considered to be a growing nation-wide problem related to the rising cost of authorised waste disposal.

Wrexham County Borough Council has a dedicated vehicle equipped with a hydraulic lifting arm to remove and collect fly-tipped waste. Nearly 350 tonnes of fly-tipped waste were removed from various locations within the County Borough during the Financial Year 2002/2003. Approximately 519 incidents were reported during that period. The Authority is working with the Environment Agency to reduce the number of instances of fly-tipping. The “Fly Capture,” National database has been set up to record instances of fly-tipping throughout Wales.

1.6.5 What happens to Wrexham’s rubbish?

In 2002/03 the Authority collected over 83,000 tonnes of Municipal Waste. The majority of the rubbish originated from refuse collection rounds and Household recycling centres. This is equal to over a tonne and a half per household, which is more than the weight of a new Mini Cooper in just one year!

Figure 1 shows what has happened to rubbish in the County Borough since 1996. It can be seen there has been significant growth in the amount we produce with the majority of waste being landfilled. Currently around 90% of this waste is landfilled. When landfilling waste the Authority has to pay a fee to the site owner and landfill tax to the government: the total cost of rubbish disposal in 2002/03 including Landfill Tax was over two million pounds (excluding trade waste). A breakdown of the costs of waste management in the County Borough is shown in Section 9.

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Figure 1: What happens to rubbish from Wrexham County Borough?

1.7 Waste education

The Authority believes in encouraging the younger generation to consider the environment and makes presentations to school groups on the importance of waste reduction and recycling.

The Council also supports schools participating in the Eco-Schools programme. This programme runs Europe-wide and aims to raise students’ awareness of the environment and sustainability issues. The Council is a member of the ENCAMS (Environmental Campaigns) People and Places Programme, which aims to increase public awareness of environmental issues. These programmes are discussed further in Section 6.

1.8 What’s in our rubbish?

The composition of waste can vary significantly between areas and social groups and is affected by a number of factors including time of year. In 2001, the Welsh Assembly Government commissioned a study, the aim of which was to analyse the composition of waste in Wales and to ascertain the most appropriate method of analysis.

Consultants carried out a desktop waste analysis for Wrexham some years ago. However, composition is likely to change over time as consumer habits evolve. For this reason, the Council has decided to use the Welsh Assembly Government composition results and carry out its own waste analysis during 2004-2005.

The composition of Welsh waste is shown in Figure 2. It can be seen that over 60% of the waste is paper, card, glass, metal or organic material which is potentially recyclable or compostable. The analysis includes rubbish from Household recycling centres, which forms a significant portion of Wrexham’s waste.

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60,000

65,000

70,000

75,000

80,000

85,000

Tonn

es o

f was

te

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Composted

Recycled

Incineration withoutrecovery

Landfill


Figure 2: Average Composition of Welsh Household Waste

Source: AEA Technology, 2002.

1.9 Comparison of Performance

A summary of performance indicators for Wrexham for 2002/2003 can be seen in Table 2.

The Council has achieved most of the targets that were set locally and nationally. Improvements are being made particularly in waste reclamation and composting.

More information on the Best Value process in Wrexham can be found in Section 8.

Table 2: Environmental Performance Indicators.

National Assembly for Wales Performance Indicators

(items marked () are also Policy Agreement Indicators)

All England Average

2001/02

Performance

2001/02

Target

2002/03

Performance

2002/03

Target

2003/04

5.1a (i)

Total tonnage of municipal waste arising:

(i) the percentage recycled or reused ()

Not available

3.22% 6% 6.23%(E) 6%

5.1a (ii)

(ii) the percentage of incinerator residues, beach cleansing wastes, rubble and abandoned vehicles recycled

Not available

Not available 0 0% 0%

5.1b Total tonnage of municipal waste arising:

Not available

0.53% 2% 3.78%(E) 2%

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TextilesGlassOrganic Waste

Miscellaneous

Metal

Plastics

Paper/Card


National Assembly for Wales Performance Indicators

(items marked () are also Policy Agreement Indicators)

All England Average

2001/02

Performance

2001/02

Target

2002/03

Performance

2002/03

Target

2003/04

the percentage composted ()

5.1c Total tonnage of municipal waste arising:

the percentage used to recover heat, power and other energy sources

Not available

0% 0% 0% 0%

5.1d Total tonnage of municipal waste arising:

the percentage landfilled

Not available

96.25% 92% 89.99%(E) 92%

5.5 The percentage of highways and relevant land inspected of a high or acceptable standard of cleanliness.

Not available

96% 92% 96% 92%

5.6 Number of collections missed per 100,000 collections of household waste

* figure in brackets includes Industrial Action in July 2002

150 29 30 20.8

(*404)

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5.7 The percentage of the best value authority population served by a kerbside collection of recyclables.

91% 0% 11% 11% 11%

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Where we are – a Summary of the Current SituationA significant proportion of the County Borough now has wheeled bins, this improves the efficiency of our collection system and reduces the incidence of litter and refuse on our streets.

Each household in Wrexham produces over 1.5 tonne of waste a year! Currently most of the waste in the County Borough is landfilled; we consider this to be a waste of resources as around 60% could potentially be recycled or composted.

Last year, the Authority reclaimed 6.8% of Municipal Waste for recycling and 3.8% for composting. This has to be improved significantly to make our system more sustainable and to reach Government targets. The 6,000 household recycling scheme commenced in July 2002 is to be extended to include 24,000 households during 2004/2005.

The Authority is piloting a separate collection service for recyclable trade waste. There could be considerable benefit to offering an enhanced service due to the large amount of recyclable materials, such as paper, glass and card currently disposed of by trade premises.

Although the standard of cleanliness of the majority the streets in the County Borough is high or acceptable, this can still be improved. Improvements can be made through continuing to have a zero tolerance to abandoned vehicles, fly tipping and litter.

Community Wardens are employed to enforce legislation. The Wardens have powers to issue on-the-spot fines for littering under Section 88 of the Environment Protection Act 1990 and dog fouling under a Wrexham County Borough Council By-Law.


FUTURE OBJECTIVES

Why should we change?

The way we currently manage our rubbish needs to change; there are a number of drivers for this:

The need to become more sustainable.

The steady growth in the amount of waste we generate.

The environmental and economic costs of landfill.

The implementation of legislation.

The implementation of planning policy.

The attainment of government targets.

1.10 Sustainability

The concept of sustainability is to meet the needs of the present generation without preventing future generations from meeting theirs. It therefore involves considering why and how we are using resources and what alternatives are available.

Waste management plays a key role in promoting sustainability, and involves the promotion of waste prevention and minimisation as a priority, followed by re-use and recycling, to maximise the use of manufactured goods. This is the top of the conventional “Waste Hierarchy”, and is followed by the recovery of energy and safe disposal of what remains. This is not a prescriptive formula, and each waste and situation should be individually considered for what constitutes the Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO).

European Legislation and Government policy is aimed at drastically reducing the amount of waste currently being landfilled. The policy requires that particular attention is paid to those components of the waste stream that have potential to cause pollution to the environment or damage to human health, for example, biodegradable and hazardous waste. We consider that waste is a resource and its maximum potential for recovery should be achieved.

1.11 Waste Generation

Between 1996 and 2003, the amount of waste we produced in Wrexham increased from 71,499 tonnes to 83,205 tonnes, this equates to around 3% growth per year. In the same time period the number of households in the County Borough has grown, but not by this much, meaning the amount of rubbish produced per household has risen from around 1.36 tonnes per year to 1.55 tonnes per year. This shows us that waste growth is attributable to

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increases in the amount individuals dispose of and is likely to be due to changes in consumerism and changes in product packaging. The increasing amount of waste that we throw away at current rates is graphically illustrated in figure 3.

Waste can be diverted from landfill through re-use, recycling and recovery, however, in order to build a more sustainable future, there must be significant limitations on waste growth. This will involve a complete change in lifestyle habits both in consumption and disposal. It is important to remember that recycling materials also uses resources and energy and is not an infinite loop, therefore the ultimate goal must be to produce less waste in the first place. We consider that it is important to help the public disassociate participation in recycling and composting (as recovery methods) from their responsibility towards waste minimisation.

Figure 3: Growth of Waste Produced per Household.

1.12 Environmental and Economic Costs of Landfill

Historically, landfill has been the cheapest, most accessible method of waste disposal in the UK; this is especially true in Wales, where there is significantly more landfill area than else where in the United Kingdom.

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Currently, around 95% of municipal waste in Wales is landfilled. This level of disposal is not sustainable because of the associated environmental problems and the simple fact that landfill space is a finite resource. From landfill operations there is always a risk of contaminating water; it may contaminate land and make it unsuitable for some uses; landfill gas can be dangerous and its methane content is a major “greenhouse” gas.

The Landfill Tax was introduced in 1996 and was the Government’s first, “Eco-Tax.” Its purpose is to put an economic charge on the environmental costs resulting from landfilling of waste and therefore make environmentally friendly options more favourable, especially to the commercial and industrial sectors that have an economic interest in the cost of waste disposal.

The Landfill Tax was set at £10 a tonne from the 1999 Budget, with an escalator of £1 a year, to make it £15 a tonne by 2004. The annual increase has now been set at least £3 a tonne to bring the tax to £35 in the medium term. If current landfilling practises continue, this will have major financial implications for the Authority; the predicted cost of landfilling for the next 25 years is shown in Figure 4. It can be seen that if we continue to landfill at current rates the costs would be immense.

Figure 4: Cost of Landfilling Waste

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-

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

6,000,000

7,000,000

8,000,000

9,000,000

10,000,000

2001 2006 2011 2016 2021

Cos

t of L

andf

ill £

's

Current landfill rate

Meeting recycling/compostingtargets


1.13 Legislation

The majority of waste legislation in the UK is prescribed in response to European Community Directives and Regulations. Under European Union (EU) Law, individual countries may interpret Directives, whilst Regulations must be enacted without interpretation.

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 forms the basis of environmental law in the UK. It includes provisions for waste and requires local authorities to collect and dispose of municipal waste. The Act makes it an offence to treat or dispose of waste on land that is not licensed for this purpose. A number of regulations have followed the Act, which prescribe how it should be implemented.

There are a number of pieces of legislation, which have been or are being implemented over the next few years that will have significant impact on domestic waste management in the UK. These are detailed in Appendix D and summarised below:

The Landfill Regulations (1999/31/EC). Has been introduced to reduce the negative environmental impact of landfills in Europe, it is being implemented in the UK through the Landfill Regulations (2002) which came into force on the 15th June 2002. The Regulations classify landfills for hazardous waste, non-hazardous waste and inert waste, and will substantially limit the landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW). The Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003 will help the UK to meet its obligations under the European Landfill Directive by further developing the statutory framework for emissions trading schemes. Under the new system local authorities will have permits to specify the amount of BMW they can send to landfill, the rest will need to be composted or otherwise recycled or recovered. Authorities will also need to make provision for the separate collection of hazardous materials.

The Animal By-Products Regulations (2003). These replaced the Animal By-Products (Amendment) Order 2001. The regulations impose strict controls on the composting kitchen and catering wastes and use of composts derived from these wastes.

The Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) Regulations (2000). These are European Commission (EC) Regulations, which applied to domestic equipment from January 2002. The Regulations require that all ozone depleting substances (such as chlorofluorocarbons – CFCs) must be recovered during service and maintenance of equipment and prior to dismantling or

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disposal. Specialist-processing facilities were not universally available when the Regulations were extended to include discarded domestic refrigeration units in January 2002 leading to “Fridge Mountains”. Major wastes management companies are now offering refrigerator reprocessing facilities using state-of-the-art equipment to safely dispose of discarded refrigerators in accordance with the Ozone Depleting Substances Regulations.

The End of Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive is soon to be fully implemented in the UK. It is not yet clear what the implications of this will be to local authorities although it is likely that the cost of disposing of cars will increase, and if end users become responsible for the cost (as one option specifies) then dumping of ELVs is likely to increase adding to the number of abandoned vehicles the Council has to deal with. The increased number of vehicles will increase waste management costs for the Council.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive requires significant increases in recycling rates of WEEE, this will also apply to domestic WEEE and recycling targets of around 4 kg per household per year are likely to be set. Local Authorities will need to introduce separate collection systems in order to meet this goal.

The Packaging Regulations (1998): These Regulations implement Article II of the European Directive 94/62/EC on Packaging and Packaging Waste. The Regulations were devised to:

o minimise packaging waste volume and weight in line with safety, hygiene and product/consumer acceptance;

o rethink the design of designing packaging to permit its reuse and/or recovery and to minimise the impact of packaging waste on the environment;

o encourage packaging manufacturers to minimise the presence of hazardous substances in packaging and their products to minimise potential pollution (emissions, ash or leachate) when packaging waste is incinerated or landfilled.

o The legislation, if enforced effectively, should make considerable impact in reducing unnecessary packaging and in making the remainder more amenable to reprocessing or energy recovery. Trading Standard Departments within local authorities have the powers and responsibility of enforcing the Regulations.

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1.14 Planning Policy

The Welsh Assembly Government published Planning Policy Wales, Technical Advice Note 21: Waste (TAN 21), in November 2001. The document describes the manner in which the land use planning system in Wales should contribute to sustainable waste management. It indicates that joint arrangements with neighbouring local authorities should be made in order to create joint regional plans, allowing for the cross-boundary usage of facilities.

The North Wales Regional Waste Plan Forum was convened in July 2002 with the specific task of formulating a Regional Waste Strategy. The forum comprises representatives from the seven North Wales Counties and other key stakeholders e.g. Snowdonia National Park. The first objective of the Forum was to assess the regional waste arisings from the five principal waste streams. The Regional Waste Plan will determine the resources required to deal with the waste arisings and must be in harmony with the individual county’s Unitary Development Plans. The target date for completion of the plan following a consultation period was November 2003.

The Advice Note stipulates that the key planning issues to be addressed should be the Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO), Sustainable Waste Management Option (SWMO), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Proximity Principle, Eco Design, and Health Impact Assessment. These principles are described briefly below:

Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO)

The outcome of a systematic consultative and decision-making procedure, which emphasises the protection and conservation of the environment across land, air and water. The BPEO procedure establishes, for a given set of objectives, the option that provides most benefit or least damage to the environment as a whole, at acceptable cost, in the long term as a well as short term.2

Sustainable Waste Management Option

The Sustainable Waste Management Option (SWMO) is intended to help waste planning bodies define their overall decision making objectives, generate and evaluate waste management alternatives and then to identify and develop the finalised option. The key environment issues that local planning authorities must consider are:

Efficient and prudent use of primary resources;

The reduction of emissions with more than local impact;

The minimisation of local air quality impacts;

2 Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution Twelfth Report.

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The conservation of landscape and significant townscapes;

The protection of local amenity;

Protection of habitats and species;

The minimisation of transport impacts.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

The method for evaluating the material inputs and emissions relating to the whole life of a product, from raw material acquisition through manufacture, distribution, sale, use, re-use, maintenance, recycling and waste management. Environmental impact and costs can be taken into account. Life cycle analysis refers to the collection of data to produce an inventory for life cycle assessment.

Proximity Principle

The Proximity Principle (as applied to wastes) is that they should be treated or disposed of as near to their place of origin as possible so as to minimise the distance that they are moved.

Eco Design

The construction industry has taken the lead to develop materials and techniques that minimise resource use and maximise opportunities for the reuse and recycling of building material. Other industries and manufacturers must similarly consider the materials used in the construction of their products to minimise the number of materials needed to make the product and to reduce the amount of material required. Manufacturers should also ensure that the materials used are easily identifiable and easily reclaimed. Manufacturing techniques should ensure that materials recovery is maximised.

Health Impact Assessment

Health Impact Assessment is an important factor to determine the effect on the health of people both positive and/or negative when implementing policies, strategic or other developments. Health implication may have an effect on the population as a whole or a specific part of the population.

Health Impact Assessment is a method of identifying ways of protecting and/or improving people’s health. The Welsh Assembly Government published guidance in a document entitled, “Developing Health Impact in Wales,” November 1999. The Welsh Assembly is committed to improving the Nation’s health and encourages other organisations to do the same.

Health Impact Assessment uses a combination of techniques to make a judgement on the potential impact on health of a particular process or decision. Local authorities must ensure that health implications are not overlooked. Health and well being are an essential part of sustainable development.

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Waste Hierarchy

The UK Government’s and the Welsh Assembly Government’s priorities for waste are illustrated in the diagram below. They commence with reduction at the top, followed by re-use, recovery (by recycling, composting, or by energy recovery) and finally, at the bottom, is disposal. The Waste Hierarchy enables the various economic and environmental options to be examined and considered.

Wrexham County Borough Council is committed to applying these principles within the constraints of budgetary pressures to provide a high standard of service to the Council Charge payers.

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REDUCEREUSERECYCLE / COMPOST

RECOVER

DISPOSE


1.15 Targets

1.15.1 Landfill Directive

The Directive requires that the amount of biodegradable3 municipal waste (BMW) be substantially reduced:

by 2010 to reduce BMW landfilled to 75% (by weight) of that produced in 1995



Although these targets seem a long way off they are likely to be strictly enforced by the EC and it is vital that measures to reduce BMW are investigated and planned as soon as possible. Once through Parliament, the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003 will introduce landfill allowances for each region; the Welsh Assembly Government has determined the allowances for each local authority in Wales

1.15.2 Welsh Assembly Government Policy

In the Waste Strategy for Wales4, the Welsh Assembly Government has a number of strategic policies for waste, these include:

A policy on the protection of health and the environment through the use of all necessary measures to protect against harmful effects caused by the production, collection, transport, treatment, storage, recovery and disposal of waste.

A waste elimination led strategy: The top priority in Wales should be action to not only curb future growth in waste but also to reduce the amount of waste produced, particularly hazardous waste. .

An innovative approach to product design. Businesses in Wales should seek competitive advantage by aiming to make products

3 Biodegradable waste is waste which will degrade either in the presence of air or without air. It comprises waste such as card, paper, food and green waste and natural textiles. As this waste degrades in landfill it produces methane which is a powerful greenhouse gas.

4 “Wise about Waste,” sub-titled, “Learning to Live Differently,” June 2002

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that are more durable, more easily re-usable and recyclable and less disposable. We need to move to eco-design and integrated product policy.

Re-use of materials will be encouraged. The increased utilisation of re-usable products will be strongly encouraged in order to prevent them becoming waste.

Segregation of waste at source will be encouraged.

Energy from waste (EfW) should only be used as part of an integrated approach. Recyclable and compostable materials should be removed first.

There are also policies on:

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recycling as a key element of waste management;

local solutions;

sustainable management of biodegradable waste;

sustainable transportation of mixed waste;

development of composting and recycling markets;

reducing litter and illegal disposal of waste;

public sector procurement;

education and awareness;

a minimum need for landfilling;

sharing good practice;

innovative approaches to waste management;

better waste data; development planning for the creation of a waste management infrastructure;

funding for delivery; and

involvement of the community.

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In addition to the UK wide targets relevant to meeting various European Directives, the Welsh Assembly Government has set out specific targets for Wales. It sets out Primary targets where the Assembly Government and its key partners (Local Authorities) have a direct influence over their outcome and Secondary targets where their influence is less.

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The Welsh Assembly Government works in close partnership with Local Government and does not see the need to introduce the proposed municipal waste recycling and composting targets as statutory Best Value Performance Standards (BVPS). However, if local authority performance, in respect of 2003/4 non-statutory targets demonstrates European Union Obligations will not be achieved the Welsh Assembly Government reserves the right to introduce Best Value Performance Standards (BVPSs), which each Local Authority will have to meet.

The Assembly is determined that Wales will meet its obligation to reduce the amount of BMW disposed of by landfilling. As a result of the responses received to the Consultation Paper “Limiting Landfill,” local authorities and other organisations are issued with permits enabling each local authority to dispose of a set quantity of BMW in a specified year. The total tonnage allowed for disposal by the permits issued in Wales equates to the total amount of BMW that can be landfilled each year. Unlike in proposals for England, these permits will not be tradable.

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The primary Wales specific targets are:

1. Public bodies to reduce their own waste arisings:

by 2005, achieve a reduction in waste produced equivalent to at least 5% of the 1998 arisings figure;

by 2010, achieve a reduction in waste produced equivalent to at least 10% of the 1998 arisings figure;

2. Minimum recycling and composting targets for each local authority to deliver:

by 2003/04 achieve at least 15% recycling/composting of municipal waste with a minimum of 5% composting (with only compost derived from source segregated materials counting) and 5% recycling.



3. Improved segregation of hazardous household waste:

by 2003/04 all Civic Amenity Sites should have facilities to receive and store, prior to proper disposal, bonded asbestos sheets. All sites should also have facilities for receiving and storing, prior to recycling, oils, paints, solvents and fluorescent light bulbs.


1.15.3 Packaging waste

The United Kingdom is committed to the targets and objectives set in European Commission Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste (94/62/EC). The targets, which were enforceable at the end of June 2001, are:

Recover between 50% and 65% of packaging waste,

Recycle between 25% and 45% of packaging waste,

Recycle at least 15% of each material (paper, glass etc).

These are enforced in the UK through the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997. The UK Government and the Welsh Assembly Government set the 2001 recovery target at 58% and recycling target at 18% for businesses obligated under the Regulations. Businesses obligated do not include smaller businesses that are unlikely to find it economically viable to meet such targets.

The legal responsibility is on obligated companies and compliance schemes. These organisations have to produce evidence of appropriate tonnages recovered and recycled. Most packaging waste is currently sourced from the commercial sector, which produces large volumes of corrugated cardboard and plastic film. In order to meet targets, companies will also need to recover and recycle waste from the household sector. This provides the opportunity for the private sector to enter into arrangements with local authorities to expand collection of recyclables. For local authorities this could provide an important source of funding for recycling and recovery programs. It is expected targets will continue to rise in the future.

1.15.4 What does this mean for Wrexham County Borough?

It is clear, from Figure 5, that the Council needs to meet some stringent targets in the next 5 years. The remainder of this document will detail how these targets can be met.

1.16 Budgetary and Contractual Constraints

The Local Government Act 1999 introduced the concept of Best Value. Local authorities are accountable for providing services to the community and providing Best Value. The core of Best Value is the 4 C’s: challenge, compare, consult and compete. The 4 C’s require authorities to:

challenge why and how a service is being provided; involves local authorities conducting appraisals of each service

compare with others’ performance (including organisations in the private and voluntary sectors) across a range of different indicators, taking account of the views of both service users and potential suppliers;

consult, involves authorities consulting with local Council Tax payers, service users and the wider business community in the setting of new performance targets; and

authorities need to embrace full competition as a means of securing efficient and effective services.

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Figure 5: Tonnes of our waste to be recycled or composted in order to meet government targets.

For waste authorities DEFRA makes note that there should be a fifth 'C', which should be addressed in Best Value Reviews:

Co-operation with various commerce, community and voluntary groups.

The Best Value Service Delivery Indicators reflect the national interest in the delivery of local services. These indicators are designed to enable comparisons to be made between the performances of different authorities, including different types of authorities, and within an authority over time.

The Council should look to providing Best Value across all of its services, including waste collection and disposal. It can achieve this through an effective contract tendering process for service provision. In waste management, services can be split into Waste Collection and Waste Disposal for which contracts can be let separately or as an integrated service.

The Council’s Waste Collection Contract commenced in 1997. After a tender process the contract was awarded to the Council’s own labour force. Disposal contract

Wrexham County Borough Council has entered into a Performance Improvement Grant agreement with the Welsh Assembly Government whereby the Council has agreed to recycle/compost 10% of its waste during 2003/04. However since the agreement was reached, the Welsh Assembly Government has made supplementary funding available to the Council to be spent on improving sustainable waste management including increasing the amount of municipal waste recycled and composted. Therefore the Council now intends to utilise the funding to achieve the higher recycling/composting rate of 15% as stated in Waste

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Strategy for Wales. The amount of grant already agreed by the Welsh Assembly Government for Wrexham County Borough is as follows:

2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07

Sustainable Waste Management Grant

£59,302 £435,928 £871,856 £860,032 £860,032 £860,032

Supplementary Credit Approval

nil £118,889 £198,149 nil nil nil

Note: The amounts for 2005/06 and 2006/07 are indicative.

1.17 Community Aspirations

Consultation exercises have been commissioned by the County Borough to determine the level of satisfaction of residents with services provided by the various Departments within the Council. The Community Services Department has consulted on refuse collection and disposal using Focus Groups, Citizens Panel and has sent questionnaires to Community Councils seeking views at that level.

The views expressed, which are of particular relevance, deal with aspects of refuse collection, recycling and use of Household Waste/Recycling Sites. The Citizens’ Panel surveys have showed encouraging results:

Table 0-1: Respondents level of satisfaction with aspects of the Household Waste Collection Service provided by the Council

View sought on Number of respondents

Very/fairly satisfied (%)

Very/fairly dissatisfied (%)

The reliability of the refuse collection service 85 7

The receptacle provided for the household waste 82 10

The level of street cleanliness following refuse collection 67 19

The place the respondent is required to leave their waste for collection

62 23

The collection of bulky household waste 29 19

The refuse collection service overall 79 8

The results show that overall; the members of public consulted were very or fairly satisfied with the service provided, particularly with the reliability of the refuse collection service and the receptacle provided. In terms of service improvement, it appears that the Council needs to work on its collection of Bulky Household Waste.

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In December 2002, the 6,000 householders on the “Recycle with Michael” kerbside scheme were given the opportunity to give some feed back on their experiences after 6 months of the scheme. Approximately 30% of the residents responded to the questionnaire with nearly 2000 returned.

67% of the respondents indicated that they were putting less waste into their black bin.

Two thirds were satisfied with the new service, of the 21% who expressed dissatisfaction with the service, most had large families

72% of the respondents said they would like to see glass included in the kerbside collection. This is not possible at present due to the type of collection system being used; as an interim measure more bottle banks are being introduced at Neighbourhood Recycling Centres.

Consultation with the public is recognised as integral part of producing a Waste Strategy and was identified as such by the National Assembly for Wales in the National Waste Strategy for Wales “Wise about Waste” published in June 2002. Accordingly a questionnaire was devised, to be sent to every household in the County Borough

The questionnaire entitled “Dealing with our Rubbish” was sent out to approximately 55,000 households during May/June 2003. The document provided information on waste matters, each document contained a detachable questionnaire provided an opportunity for residents to give their views on how the Council should manage our waste. 8,591 questionnaires were returned by the closing date of 31 July 2003 representing a response rate of 16%. Data from the questionnaires were analysed by an independent data processing company.

Several advertisements were published in the local press and notices placed on the Council’s website to remind and encourage residents to complete the questionnaires and return them by the closing date.

A Citizens Panel was convened to discuss the questions contained in the survey, “Dealing with our rubbish,” in August 2003. The outcome of the panel’s deliberation was compared with the results of the main survey. The comparison shows a close correlation between the data in the main survey and the answers provided by the Citizens Panel. The close correlation is proof that the results of the main survey are a true reflection of the views of the respondents to the main survey.

The key points of the results of the “Dealing with our rubbish” questionnaire are summarised as follows: -

Recycling Collection

95% of respondents would be willing to separate out dry recyclables from other rubbish.

95% of respondents thought that the Council should collect dry recyclables from the kerbside.

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93% of residents would increase the amount that they recycled if the Council collected dry recyclables from their homes.

Garden Waste Collection

89% of households who had a garden would be willing to separate out dry recyclables from other rubbish.

92% of residents would increase the amount that they recycled if the Council collected garden rubbish from their home.

82% believed that the Council should offer a garden waste collection.

Home Composting

77% of households agreed that the Council should encourage the use of home compost bins.

The sale of home compost bins would encourage 41% or residents to compost more at home.

Neighbourhood Recycling Centres

85% thought that the Council should provide neighbourhood recycling facilities. 72% of respondents stated that they would recycle more if Neighbourhood Recycling Centres were closer to their home.

Education

93% of respondents agreed that the Council should raise public awareness on recycling and waste.

57% stated information on waste matters would encourage them to recycle more.

Containers

With regards the question of containers that respondents would like to have for the collection of recyclables, the results show residents are clearly in favour of wheeled bins for both dry recyclables (50% and garden waste (59%).

Waste to Energy

69% of respondents agreed with the proposed strategy to produce energy through a thermal treatment process after recycling and composting as much rubbish as possible compared to 14% who disagreed with this strategy.

Household Recycling Centres (Civic Amenity Sites)

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89% of residents agreed that the Council should make improvements to Household Recycling Centres (Civic Amenity Sites).

88% stated that recycling facilities being available at the Household Recycling Centres would influence them to increase the amount of rubbish that they recycled.

1.17.1 Collated Data from Waste Strategy Questionnaire “Dealing with our rubbish”

Question 1 – How willing would you be to do the following, to increase the amount of rubbish that is recycled or composted?

Would you be prepared to separate your newspapers, plastic bottles and tins from other rubbish?

Very Willing 83.2%

Fairly Willing 12.0%

Fairly Unwilling 1.4%

Very Unwilling 2.2%

Blank 1.2%

If you have a garden, would you be prepared to separate your garden rubbish from other rubbish?

Very Willing 77.8%

Fairly Willing 10.8%

Fairly Unwilling 1.3%

Very Unwilling 2.2%

Blank 7.9%

Question 2– Would any of the following services influence you to increase the amount of rubbish you recycle or compost?

The Council collecting rubbish from your home, that you have separated for recycling (for example newspapers, plastic bottles and tins)

Yes 92.8%

No 4.6%

Blank 2.5%

The Council collecting garden rubbish from your home, that you have separated for composting

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Yes 78.5%

No 13.3%

Blank 8.3%

Being able to buy a home composter from the Council.

Yes 41.0%

No 44.2%

Blank 14.9%

Recycling facilities being available at Household Waste Centres (Civic Amenity Sites)

Yes 61.1%

No 26.9%

Blank 12.0%

Recycling facilities (e.g. paper, glass or clothing banks) located near your home

Yes 72.3%

No 18.3%

Blank 9.4%

Information on waste matters

Yes 56.7%

No 27.0%

Blank 16.3%

Question 3 If you were separating dry rubbish for recycling at home, for example newspapers, plastic bottles and tins, how would you prefer to store each type of rubbish ready for collection?

Plastic Sacks 30.0%

Boxes 18.0%

Wheeled Bins 49.8%

Blank 2.2%

Question 4 If you were separating garden rubbish for composting, how would you prefer to store it?

Home Composter 34.4%

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Wheeled Bins 59.4%

Blank 6.2%

Question 5 – To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following elements of the Council’s proposed way forward for dealing with our rubbish?

After recycling and composting as much rubbish as possible

Use the remaining rubbish to produce energy through a thermal treatment process such as a modern waste incinerator or a pyrolysis and gasification system, before any rubbish is landfilled

Strongly agree 43.2%

Tend to agree 25.6%

Tend to disagree 5.5%

Strongly disagree 8.8%

Don’t know 10.0%

Blank 6.9%

Education The Council should raise public awareness about recycling and waste minimisation


Tend to agree 21.2%



Don’t know 1.0%

Blank 4.4%

Home Composting – The Council should encourage the use of home composters


Tend to agree 31.4%



Don’t know 5.5%

Blank 6.4%

Kerbside Collection – The Council should collect recyclables that I have separated at home (e.g. newspapers, plastics and tins)


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Tend to agree 11.1%



Don’t know 0.6%

Blank 2.7%

Garden Waste Collection – The Council should collect green waste that I have separated for composting


Tend to agree 20.5%



Don’t know 1.9%

Blank 7.5%

Provision – The Council should provide Neighbourhood Recycling Centres

Strongly agree 61.6

Tend to agree 23.8



Don’t know 2.8%

Blank 5.4%

Improvements – The Council should make improvements to Household Recycling Centres (Civic Amenity Sites) including access, opening hours and a range of rubbish that can be recycled


Tend to agree 23.9%



Don’t know 2.7%

Blank 5.5%

1.17.2 Citizens Panel Survey 10 – August 2003

Summary of Results from Cross Tabulations

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Yes No

B1 Have you seen questions like these before?

75% 25%

b) For those who answered yes to B1

Have you had opportunity to answer them?

88% 12%

B2 How willing would you be to do the following actions both of which , increase the amount of rubbish that is recycled or composted.

Very willing

Fairly willing

Not really willing

Not at all willing

Would you be prepared to separate your newspapers, plastic bottles and tins from other rubbish?

75% 21% 3% 1%

If you have a garden, would you be prepared to separate your garden rubbish from other rubbish?

76% 17% 5% 2%

B3 Would any of the following services influence you to increase the amount of rubbish you recycle or compost?

Yes

Would influence

me

No

Would not influence

me

The council collection rubbish, that you have separated for recycling directly from your home (e.g. newspapers, plastic bottles, tins)

95% 5%

The council collecting garden rubbish from your home that you have separated for composting

87% 13%

Being able to buy a home composter from the council 46% 54%

Recycling facilities being available at household waste centres (civic amenity site)

68% 32%

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Recycling facilities (e.g. paper, glass or clothing banks) located near your home

78% 22%

Information on waste matters 71% 29%

B4 If you were separating dry rubbish for recycling at home, for example newspapers, plastic bottles and tins, how would you prefer to store each type of rubbish read for collection?

Plastic sacks 19%

Boxes 16%

Wheeled bins 65%

B5 If you were separating garden rubbish for composting, how would you prefer to store it?

Home composter (reuse in own garden 27%

Wheeled bin (collected by Council) 73%

B6 To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following elements of the Council’s proposed way forward for dealing with our rubbish?

Strongly agree

Tend to agree

Tend to disagree

Strongly disagree

No view

Use the remaining rubbish to produce energy through a thermal treatment process such as a modern waste incinerator or a pyrolysis and gasification system, before any rubbish is landfilled

34% 34% 7% 15% 9%

Education – the council should raise public awareness about recycling and waste minimisation

75% 22% 1% 2% 1%

Home composting – the council should encourage the use of home composters

48% 34% 10% 2% 6%

Kerbside collection – the council should collect recyclables that I have

79% 20% 1% 0% 1%

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separated at home e.g. newspapers, plastics and tins

Garden waste collection – the council should collect green waste that I have separated for composting

65% 25% 7% 1% 2%

The council should provide Neighbourhood Recycling Centres

57% 30% 6% 1% 7%

The council should make improvements to household Recycling Centres (civic amenity sites) including access, opening hours and a range of rubbish that can be recycled

74% 21% 3% 1% 1%

1.18 Market Demand

All local authorities within the UK will be striving to achieve their recycling targets resulting in a mass of material being made available for further processing. The infrastructure must be in place to transport, reprocess and market the products manufactured. Markets must be developed and there must be greater awareness of the benefits of closing the loop and buying articles that have an element of recycled material in them.

The Welsh Assembly has recently invested in a number of initiatives aimed at improving markets for recyclable materials; these include support for,

CWMre (Creating Welsh Markets for recyclate) is the Welsh Market Development Programme for recyclable materials. Managed by The Wales Environment Trust, the programme provides two key services:

o Researching and providing information on recycling in Wales

o Free of charge advice and support to Welsh businesses that have the potential to use recyclate in a reprocessing or manufacturing process as well as those who are able to provide them with a supply or end market.

The High Diversion Exemplars projects, which are aiming to divert at least 50% of municipal waste from landfill in five counties in Wales with as much recyclate and compostable material going to local markets as possible.

Wrexham County Borough Council and its predecessor Wrexham Maelor Borough Council have been members of the Regional Recycling Group for more than 10 years. The Group has encouraged recycling contractors to provide the infrastructure to collect reclaimed materials throughout the region. Most of the facilities provided have been at little or no expense to the

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http://www.walesenvtrust.org.uk/

http://www.walesenvtrust.org.uk/


local authorities involved. Realising that high recycling rates cannot be achieved relying on Neighbourhood Recycling Centres alone most of the Local Authorities within the region have developed other collection methods to complement the Neighbourhood Recycling Centres.

Waste paper is processed at Shotton Paper Mill, Deeside, Flintshire and Cheshire Recycling at Ellesmere Port, which are respectively approximately 16 and 20 miles from Wrexham. Steel and aluminium cans are transported to Corus at Queensferry, Deeside, Flintshire, approximately 16 miles from Wrexham before being bulked and sent for recycling. Colour separated glass is sent further afield to UK Glass at Barnsley. Mixed cullet (glass) is reprocessed at St Helens, Merseyside. Green waste is sent to Gowy Landfill Site, near Chester, approximately 17 miles away for composting.

The Shotton Paper Mill has been awarded a grant by Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the Welsh Assembly Government to construct a third processing line expanding recycled newsprint production in the UK, subject to State Aid clearance by the European Commission (April 2003).

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Wrexham County Borough Council Waste Management Objectives

1.19 What’s been achieved so far?

Since the 1996 Waste Management Plan, the Council has made significant inroads into building the foundations for more sustainable waste management. In general, more opportunities for recycling and composting have been made available to the public and plans have been laid for significant additional improvements in the future.

We have implemented a successful pilot kerbside scheme for 6,000 households to collect dry recyclables and garden waste from the kerbside. We are now planning to extend this scheme Borough-wide within the next 5 years.

The Council has employed two Waste Education and Recycling Officers to provide practical advice on waste minimisation and encourage the communities recycling efforts.

An additional 30 Neighbourhood Recycling Centres are being provided.

The Council has worked closely with other local authorities in the Region to develop the Regional Waste Plan.

Additional recycling facilities have been provided at the Council’s Household recycling centres.

The Council has introduced a scheme to sell home composters to householders at cost price in order to encourage reduction of waste produced by households.

1.20 What still needs to be achieved?

The Council needs to, make inroads into slowing waste growth in the County Borough and encourage

waste reduction across all sectors of the community.

significantly improve its reuse, recycling, and composting rates;

recover value from more of the rubbish that is left over.

We have met our 2003/04 Policy Agreement with the Welsh Assembly Government.

It is vital that the systems installed to meet short-term targets are capable of development and improvement to reach medium to longer-term targets.

1.21 What’s a priority?

The Council does not have the resources to immediately address all the challenges associated with all parts of the municipal waste stream in the County Borough, it has therefore identified a number of priorities. The priorities have been acknowledged due to their association with environmental harm, current or pending legislation and achievement of national and local targets.

The components of municipal waste management identified as being a priority for the life of this Strategy are,

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composting of organic wastes;

collection of recyclable materials from households and trade customers;

management of hazardous household wastes;

management of residual waste.

1.22 Wrexham County Borough Council Objectives

In order to find successful management solutions to the issues associated with its priority components of municipal waste management, the Council has identified a number of key objectives:

1. To adhere to the principles of the waste hierarchy and sustainable waste management, and to use the Proximity Principle and Best Practical Environmental Option (BPEO) when planning new systems and facilities.

2. To comply with current and pending waste management and environmental legislation, and to strive to meet all national and local targets.

3. To continue to offer the best customer service possible and to continue to improve and deliver Best Value to the residents of Wrexham County Borough.

4. To offer enhanced opportunities for its residents to participate in sustainable waste management.

1.23 Wrexham County Borough Council Municipal Waste Management Policies

To refine the above objectives the Council has identified a number of key strategic policies to work by when identifying options to achieve a sustainable integrated waste management strategy:

WMP. 1. The Council will continue to have commitment to Best Value and public service when delivering its waste management function.

WMP. 2. The Council will actively try to reduce the growth of waste arisings in Wrexham and will look towards reducing waste arisings at source in the future.

WMP. 3. The Council will install recycling and reuse schemes and facilities in the County Borough, which will provide all residents with the opportunity to manage their waste sustainably.

WMP. 4. The Council will endeavour to provide continuing waste awareness schemes to provide motivation and to encourage maximum use of reduction, reuse and recycling programs.

WMP. 5. The Council will aim to significantly reduce the amount of biodegradable wastes sent to landfill from the County Borough.

WMP. 6. The Council will explore all potential options to recover maximum value from residual waste.

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WMP. 7. The Council will endeavour to lead by example buying materials manufactured from recycled products wherever this is the Best Practicable Environmental Option.

WMP. 8. The Council will survey available options for avoidance of hazardous household waste in the residual waste stream.

WMP. 9. The Council will continue to comply with the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse issued under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

WMP. 10. The Council will continue to enforce its Zero Tolerance to littering, fly-tipping and the abandonment of vehicles.

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ACHIEVING OUR OBJECTIVES

How can we achieve our objectives?

In order to attain our goals and objectives and stand true to the Councils Policies we need to consider all the waste management issues that we are dealing with, explore the problems and possible solutions and make some coherent plans for the future.

We need to consider:

the Best Practicable Environmental Option and available technology;

current and pending legislation;

national, regional and local targets;

the aspirations, needs and opinions of the public;

costs and other economic variables.

Some options will immediately be classed as being unsuitable for Wrexham, a number of these have been discussed in the preceding Waste Management Plan 1996/2000 and in Committee Papers presented to the Council over the last 5 years. The Waste Strategy offers the Council an opportunity to describe these options.

1.24 Waste reduction

Waste reduction is at the top of the Government’s Waste Hierarchy. Reduction takes place BEFORE the materials become waste. Reducing the amount of waste produced will decrease the amount of material collected and therefore, the amount disposed of, or sent for reprocessing. This has significant environmental and economic benefits:

Conservation of natural resources and raw materials;

Saving energy in production and transport;

Reducing pollution risks;

Saving costs of waste treatment and disposal, and reprocessing of recyclable materials;

Reducing the need for waste disposal facilities and appropriation of land.

The UK produces the largest amount of waste per household in Europe, and at an average 3% growth rate, is fast catching up with households in the United States of America. The EU has set a target to curb growth to 300kg per household per year by 2000. This target was missed in the UK, with 450 kg per household being produced in 1998/99.

Reducing waste can be achieved by a number of marketing techniques to increase public awareness and encourage the participation of the public in waste reduction activities. These will include informing, educating, engaging, motivating and sustaining public involvement in

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waste reduction activities in all parts of the community (e.g. at home, at school, at work and at leisure).

Such programmes should also seek recognition of the successes of the public. Therefore there needs to be a method for measuring success and communicating success stories to the public. Some of the most effective waste reduction programmes can be introduced via the school curriculum, where students can encourage waste reduction at school and at home. Newspapers, brochures and television items are also effective ways to increase public awareness.

Measuring the performance of waste reduction programmes is perhaps the most difficult waste management option to quantify. Typically, the basis of measurement would be on the waste generated by each household. However, during a particular year there can be a number of external reasons why waste did not arise; e.g. the economy, holidays, and even the weather. Therefore the amount of waste generated would need to be monitored on an annual basis, on both the macro scale (the County Borough) and the micro scale (the individual) in order to provide a baseline.

1.24.1 What are our options for achieving waste reduction?

There are a number of schemes in place to assist businesses in the formulation of a waste plan and implementation of waste minimisation schemes. Commercial waste audits can be used as means of assessing the nature of a waste stream and to show how substantial savings in disposal costs can be made through alterations in policy and adoption of changes in staff behaviour. Many companies also find they can also save in production costs through re-use of previously wasted materials and more prudent use of raw materials.

It is therefore found that most companies are willing to explore waste minimisation options based on economic sense. Schemes such as those described above have been shown to be successful. In addition, waste minimisation can now be enforced in some companies through the Packaging Waste Regulations.

Influencing household behaviour is more difficult than the commercial environment because householders are individuals and there is little legislative or financial incentive to change. A reduction in waste generated by a household involves a critical change in purchasing, consumption and disposal habits. In the UK, householders currently have no economic or legal incentive to reduce waste volumes; therefore motive to change is based solely on the householder’s environmental conscience and sense of community. For some householders the motive is already there, for others there is a requirement to raise awareness to install the motive and for others, some further incentive is required.

There are a number of options available to promote waste reduction including community activities, local authority corporate and community policies. All of the options include an element of waste education in order to encourage

waste prevention, i.e. not producing the waste in the first place by buying goods with less packaging etc;

waste re-use, i.e. finding another use for the material.

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1.24.2 Options appraisal

Table 0-2: Waste Minimisation Initiatives

Scheme Comment

WASTE PREVENTIONCommercial and industrial waste Some examples of waste minimisation initiatives in the commercial environment are;

participation in waste audits and formulation of a waste management plan;

joining Waste Clubs, to share ideas and best practise in the locality;

encourage electronic communication, especially for office circulars and the like;

double sided paper use for printing and photocopying;

re-use of one side printed paper for draft printing, rough working etc;

use washable textile roller towels instead of paper towels;

bring your own cup instead of using disposable plastic cups.

Household wasteAwareness / Education campaignsEducation campaigns are to raise awareness of waste issues to the target audience. Waste education campaigns are generally aimed at householders and school children, to raise awareness of the fate of household waste, to introduce ways to reduce waste and to encourage participation in recycling schemes. Education is vital to achieve waste reduction.

can be co-ordinated with partners to deliver a cohesive message;

raises awareness of waste and environmental issues;

can encourage and instil change of habit;

needs to be targeted at the right audience, in the right context, in order to achieve results;

campaign needs to be ongoing as early changes in habit are likely to be short term;

can be expensive in terms of time and resources.

Purchasing habits: To encourage householders to purchase goods which have little or no packaging (loose vegetables, re-fillable containers, return packaging – Bodyshop, Ecover), to purchase longer life and recyclable or re-usable products, to avoid over-purchase (DIY materials etc) and reduce the use of packaging materials.

may instil permanent change of habit if new products are preferred and economic benefits realised;

ultimately requires change in manufacture and packaging as many ‘essential’ items are not available in more sustainable packaging.

Home Composting:Composter/Wormery Promotions: composters and wormeries are provided to householders at reduced prices, with use guidance notes. Promotions involve mail shots and advertising and special promotion events at garden centres etc.

encourages home composting;

reduces waste arisings at source.

Bag for life schemes: Supermarkets offer reusable carrier bags instead of disposable bags, once the bag is at the end of its life it is recycled and replaced. Some authorities promote waste reduction through provision of educational material contained in a cotton shopping bag.

may instil permanent change of habit;

doesn’t result in major reduction in waste arisings;

likely to be perceived as inconvenient.

Reduction of junk mail: Promoting the Mailing Preference Service to reduce junk mail and door stickers for “no flyers” or “no free papers”.

Relatively simple and cheap to initiate.

Performance rewards:

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Scheme CommentHouseholders are given cash-back or vouchers depending on how much waste they reclaim. Other incentive schemes include partnerships with retailers. Offering free goods or services to customers who minimise their waste.

householders see ‘real’ incentive to take action;

likely to result in good participation rates;

likely to have to continue incentives to maintain participation;

practically difficult and expensive to implement.

Poor-performance penalties: Some authorities penalise excess production of waste through refusing to collect overfilled bins, or waste put out in addition to bins. Currently there is not legislative provision in this country to charge householders according to amount of waste produced, but some countries in Europe and some areas of the US and Canada operate such schemes.

excess rubbish and payment schemes likely to encourage householder to consider amount of waste being disposed;

likely to increase recycling rate if implemented alongside a kerbside scheme;

may lead to litter and fly-tipping as unscrupulous residents try to avoid penalties;

may not actually lead to reduction in total waste arisings as excess waste may be taken to Household Recycling Centres.

WASTE REUSEReal Nappies: Disposable (one use) nappies make up about four percent of the UK’s household waste and are therefore a significant waste disposal problem for local authorities. Householders are encouraged to change from disposable nappies to reusable nappies. Cash incentives or vouchers can be provided for scheme participation, which may involve purchase of a starter pack and use of nappy laundering services. Some authorities offer continued incentive through additional cash incentives as babies grow and require further nappy supplies.

may instil permanent change of habit, use of real nappies for future off-spring and future generations;

likely to involve perception problems for large sector of the community;

only aimed at sector of community with babies.

Repair schemes (particularly for gardening tools, indoor and outdoor furniture, IT equipment, construction materials, household fixtures, and household appliances). Items are collected from households or at a central point, restored and either sold or distributed to needy members of the community. Community groups often run these schemes.

reduces amount of bulky waste in the waste stream;

community benefits through material re-distribution;

group members often receive workplace training;

costly if council run.

Charity Stores (particularly for textiles) Unwanted clothing is taken to charity stores. Some local authorities also provide clothing banks at “bring sites”, in some areas groups carry out a kerbside collection service.


charity benefits from resale of goods, unusable rags are often sold to reprocessors;

not often perceived as a waste minimisation activity;

generally no statistics available.

Free-ads/exchanges/car boot salesThere is a large informal network of jumble sales, car boot sales, “small ads” and goods exchanges. These are generally operated by the private sector or community groups and are a useful way of gaining use from unwanted goods.


charity or community group benefits from resale of goods, unusable rags are often sold to reprocessors;

not often perceived as a waste minimisation activity;

generally no statistics available.

Community Scrap Stores Discarded goods are collected for use in school projects. Goods are often donated by manufacturing industry. An annual subscription is generally paid by users to pay for the running costs of the project.

community benefits through schools involvement;

all parties involved are indirectly learning about waste reduction;

requires considerable and on-going publicity to ensure sufficient subscriptions.

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Scheme CommentCommunity re-paint: A Community Re>paint scheme seeks to divert unwanted surplus paint from the waste stream and redistribute it free of charge for reuse in the community.

Each scheme has a community focus and a partnership approach. Paint is distributed free of charge the paint is used for environmental, social and educational benefit.

Reduces hazardous household waste in the waste stream

Has significant community benefit

1.24.3 What do we propose to do?

Education

The Council feels that in order to slow the present growth in waste arisings and to reduce waste arisings in the future, it will be necessary to implement a co-ordinated education and awareness campaign. Research has shown that public marketing is most effective when associated with a brand name. To this end, the council intends to participate in the Waste Awareness Wales Campaign (National Campaigns Section 6.1), which has a national branding, as well as promoting local projects through our own brand ‘Recycle with Michael’ (see Section 6.2.2).

Education and awareness presentations will be targeted to specific groups and all sectors of the community will be included. School visits are a vital element of an awareness campaign. Children are the next generation of waste producers and can influence their parents waste disposal habits. The Community Services Department works closely with Educational Services to ensure that as far as possible any school presentations compliment the schools' curriculum. Community Services is also liasing with other local agencies (Groundwork etc.) to avoid duplication of topics covered in the schools.

Two Waste Education and Recycling Officers have been employed to give presentations, to advise and assist the community at large to maximise participation in the Council's waste minimisation initiatives.

Home composting

A fundamental element of waste reduction is to minimise the amount of waste put out for collection each week. The majority of homes within the County Borough have gardens. The Council has a policy that garden waste, usually grass cuttings and bush prunings, can be disposed of via the wheeled bin on the proviso that it does not lead to waste being left beside the bin on collection day. This can amount to significant quantities of garden waste, particularly in the spring, summer and autumn. The Council has recognised the potential to reduce waste arising by encouraging householders to participate in home composting by

providing advice to householders on the concept of home composting, what it entails and its benefits both to the householder and the wider community;

continuing to purchase home composters and supply them to householders at cost price;

arranging and promoting the provision of special “sale days” when a manufacturer of home composters endeavours to sell large numbers of home

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composters directly to the public.

Throughout the year, presentations and leaflets are available to increase awareness of home composting. Officers advise the public on the technique to obtain the most effective results from their composters.

Collection of surplus waste

The introduction of new recycling and composting schemes are likely to alter the refuse collection services throughout the County Borough. The details of this are discussed further in the following sections. The Council will maintain its strict policy on surplus waste.

It is no longer environmentally sound or financially viable for a Local Authority to accept all the waste set out for collection each week. The Waste Collection Authority can legally determine the method and amounts of waste that are collected from each household. To this end, the Council will not collect waste that is not put out for collection in the container (generally wheeled bin) provided. The refuse collection system in Wrexham County utilises wheeled bins as the preferred container for refuse. Refuse vehicles have hydraulic lifts to raise up the wheeled bins and tip the contents into the hopper of the vehicle. For health and Safety considerations operatives are not allowed to load the hopper manually. The householder should take excess waste, to one of the Household recycling centres in the area. In this way the householder is forced to think more about the management of their waste and recyclable materials, which can be easily segregated.

For residents unable to visit a Household Waste Centre the Council operates a bulky waste collection service by arrangement. The current charge is £16.50 (2004/2005) for up to five items, although residents on certain state benefits have their bulky household waste collected free of charge.

Community Re-use schemes

The Council realises the potential benefits of working closely with Community Groups and the Voluntary Sector to achieve maximum waste reduction, reuse and recycling. The Education/Recycling Officers are actively involved with community groups and liase with the County Borough's umbrella organisation the Association of Voluntary Groups in Wrexham (AVOW).

The Council can be an enabler assisting and encouraging various schemes, which have the potential to extend the useful life of consumer products, and would be happy to hear from organisers of any such schemes.

Waste reduction in Council buildings

We realise the importance of getting our own house in order; the Council is committed to achieving the Welsh Assembly Government’s targets for reduction of waste in public buildings. Some of the methods currently used are:

printing and photocopying documents double sided wherever possible; reusing waste one-side printed paper for rough work;

encouraging widespread use of ‘own’ mugs instead of plastic/disposable;

expansion of the office waste paper recycling scheme.

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The Welsh Assembly are currently working on a new document offering advice on reducing waste arisings in the public sector. Once this document is available we intend to distribute it to all council departments and actively encourage implementation of its advice.

1.25 Recycling

Recycling refers to the recovery of materials from the waste stream, which are suitable for re-processing into new products. Recycling is a key element of sustainable waste management. In the Waste Strategy for Wales, recycling is the preferred method of managing waste derived from non-renewable natural resources. For the purposes of this Strategy, composting has been dealt with separately in Section 5.3.

It should be noted that recycling has its own environmental effects and waste reduction should be employed as a first priority. The reprocessing facilities are dispersed through the country, requiring a transport infrastructure. Each facility also has its impacts, such as sludges, energy use, and air emissions. These are often less, however, than the impacts of processing raw materials.

1.25.1 What are our options for achieving our recycling targets?

There is no one recycling scheme ideally suited to every region of the UK. The Council needs to choose which materials to collect and which way to collect them.

There are four main techniques available to waste collection authorities for collection and processing of recyclable materials, these are:

‘Cleanstream’ collection: Collection direct from kerbside (or doorstep) and hand sorting materials into separate compartments on a specially designed collection vehicle.

Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs): MRFs act to sort, bale and store collected recyclable materials which have been segregated by the waste producer, i.e. the householder.

Mixed Waste Processing Plants (MWP): MWPs involve mechanically and manually sorting waste to remove recyclable materials and separate other fractions for biological treatment and/or processing to a refuse derived fuel. The advantage of MWPs is that the wastes do not need to be separated at source, but there are still some concerns over the quality of the resulting materials.

Bring Bank Recycling: Most widely used technique is the use of bring banks, which can be successfully integrated with other recycling schemes either taking complementary materials or providing additional opportunity to recycle.

Materials

Household waste can be separated into a number of categories that, in theory, can be collected and recycled or reused. This includes:

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Newspapers/Magazines

Cardboard

Plastic bottles/Plastic Bags

Drink cans/Food cans

Glass

Textiles/shoes

Green garden waste

Compostable kitchen waste

Mobile telephones

Foil

Tools

Books

Computers/White goods

Furniture

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Some of these materials can be and are being recycled every day in Wrexham, but the proportion being recycled could and needs to be, substantially increased.

The Council must select materials to be collected according to practical limits, such as storage space, and economic factors, such as presence of local markets for the materials.

In order to be recycled, the materials need to be separated and collected and be in a condition that is acceptable for reprocessing. To separate and collect all these materials at source (i.e. from the household) is rarely economically or practically feasible. If these streams are left in the waste the only way to then recycle them is through a MWP. This can have impact on the quality of some of the dry recyclables obtained therefore some materials still need to be separated at source to achieve optimum recycling rates.

Source separation is reliant on effective participation by the householder. In some European countries, where legislative regimes are different, participation rates5) have reached 95% (European Recovery and Recycling Association), these rates have not yet been achieved anywhere in the UK.

Source separation recycling requires a complete change of habit by the householder, which may take years of ongoing education to achieve. As well as participating, householders need to successfully recognise all materials that can be recycled and be willing to separate them and store them. In practise, it is most likely that only those products that are easiest to separate and store, such as drinks containers and newspapers, will be regularly recycled.

The main practical factors that influence whether each recyclable material should be collected in a kerbside system are summarised in the table below. It should be noted that market conditions are relevant to all, but this issue is particularly highlighted where unstable market conditions make marketing of materials more difficult.

The former Wrexham Maelor Borough Council was a founding member of the North Wales Recycling Group that was inaugurated to make recycling in the North Wales Region a more viable prospect to recycling merchants, offering them greater economies of scale.

Table 0-3: Recyclable Materials

5 of all those households being offered the scheme the number participating on a regular basis.

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MATERIAL COMMENTS

Glass ✔ Glass is one of the densest materials in the waste stream, it can therefore add significant tonnage to recycling stream

✔ Generally convenient for householder to recycle and simple to recognise and segregate

✔ New markets for end uses of recycled glass are being developed and increasing amounts of material are being diverted into the construction industry for use as aggregate, filtration materials, in insulation and as an abrasive

✘ Much coloured glass is imported into UK and markets for mixed waste glass are limited

✘ Glass is bulky and can cause storage problems

✘ New markets need to be developed further with an emphasis on local provisions

✘ Generally poor recovery in the UK compared to our European counterparts, this is generally related to lack of convenient deposit points for householders

Paper ✔ Makes up largest portion of household waste fraction, and can rapidly boost tonnage of recycled materials collected.

✔ Simple and convenient to identify and segregate from the waste stream at source.

✔ Clean and convenient to store

✔ Recycling offsets need for raw fibre and consequent tree felling

✔ Wales is currently best performer in the UK for collection of waste paper products at bring facilities

✔ Wrexham has a local market for paper in Shotton Paper Mill, only XXX miles away

✘ Most mills in UK have a sufficient tonnage of post-consumer newspapers and magazines driving market prices for materials down

✘ Additional capacity needs to be created in order to meet requirements of the Packaging Directive

✘ Due to new standards for recyclable paper, materials have to be source separated to avoid contamination.

✘ Paper banks are prone to arson attacks

Food/Drinks cans

✔ Cans made from recyclable steel and aluminium make up a significant fraction of the household waste stream

✔ If segregated efficiently can fetch good market prices

✔ Easily recognised by householder

✔ Local market?

✘ Requires specialist equipment to separate metals at sorting facility. Source separated streams can often become contaminated as different metals are not always immediately recognisable to the householder

✘ Not always convenient to store and recycle; food cans require more effort with rinsing etc.

Plastics ✔ Good markets for well segregated material

✔ Light in weight

✔ Recycling reduces need for use of finite mineral resources in raw material

✔ Plastics reprocessing sector expanding

✘ Requires MRF facility for separation and production of good quality recyclate.

✘ Plastic bottles are be bulky and are often contaminated with waste liquids

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MATERIAL COMMENTS

✘ Plastics market is highly fragmented, further expansion is required

✘ Not ideally suited to Bring banks as banks fill up quickly due to bulky bottles, making need for frequent emptying and added operational expense

Organic household waste

(kitchen waste, garden waste)

✔ Removes large fraction of waste stream

✔ Can be centrally composted with associated benefits to land (See Section 5.3)

✔ Can easily be composted at home

✘ Requires separate collection system with separate bins

✘ Requires significant expenditure on intensive public education campaign

✘ Requires specialist facilities for processing

Given the above, there are four main “dry,” streams of household waste collected at kerbside in the UK; glass, paper, metals and plastics. In addition, materials such as textiles, books, reading glasses, mobile phones and furniture are frequently reused and recycled; these materials are generally linked with “bring banks,” and Civic Amenity Sites, or pioneered by community groups and charities. New legislation will require waste electrical and electronic equipment to be recycled as well as some hazardous household waste such as batteries. These are discussed further in Section 5.6. Collection and recycling of organic waste is discussed further in the following section.

Kerbside collection options

A kerbside recycling collection system involves the provision of additional containers for separating and storing the recyclable materials in the household. Specialised vehicles are used to collect the separated materials. The type of vehicle used depends whether the materials are transported separately in a vehicle with special compartments, or transported all together for separation at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).

Choice of collection system is dependent on a number of factors:

the best environmentally practicable solution for the area to be covered;

the materials to be collected;

the current refuse collection system and contract status;

the available budget;

results of previous trials (customer preference);

best practice in similar areas elsewhere in the country.

Whilst the Council wants to maximise it’s recycling efforts it must be borne in mind that the scheme eventually selected for full implementation must be cost-effective and measured in

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terms of tonnes of materials recycled and customer satisfaction with the scheme. The scheme also has to be compatible with the current refuse collection system.

Householders have been supplied with wheeled bins for the storage of their general waste. The waste is collected by the Council in single compartment conventional refuse vehicles equipped with bin lifts fitted to the rear of the vehicle. The day on which a householder will receive a waste collection is indicated on a sticker attached to the householder’s bin. The refuse collection vehicles are currently obtained on a 5-year lease and could not easily be changed before the expiry of the lease term. A recycling scheme that includes a role for the existing waste collection vehicles would therefore be easier to introduce than a scheme that relies on the exchange of the present vehicles.

Containers

To operate a kerbside-recycling scheme, containers for two purposes are required; dry recyclables and general refuse. The container types chosen can be wheeled bins, boxes or sacks and there are a wide variety of container combinations available.

Choice of container depends on criteria individual to the collection authority. Criteria are based on:

availability of containers made of local, recycled, or readily available materials;

design of container with regard to identification and attractiveness;

collection objectives, type of vehicle to be used, frequency of collections, materials sorting method;

sturdiness of containers and ease of repair/replaceability;

cost of containers;

materials to be collected; and

customer preference.

Total capacity in combination with the refuse collection should be sufficient for the householder to dispose of their waste without providing excessive space, which can lead to increased production of waste as householders ‘create’ waste to fill the remaining space.

In Wrexham, the options considered for trial in the County Borough were a large transparent sack, a 55 litre plastic box and a 140 litre wheeled bin, in combination with 120 litre per week capacity for refuse.

Vehicles

Different methods can be used for collecting and transporting recyclables to processing facilities. Examples of some of the methods currently used are:

segregation of different recyclables (such as glass, paper, cardboard, metals and plastics) from one another into multiple compartments on a specialised vehicle;

co-mingling of similar recyclables into two groups such as all containers and all paper fibres, into a two compartment vehicle;

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co-mingling all the recyclables in a one compartment vehicle;

using ‘survival sacks’ for recyclables which can be collected in the same vehicle as the refuse and later separated at a special facility;

collecting different materials on different days in a one compartment vehicle.

The collection vehicle must be appropriate to the kinds of collected materials, the road network and the terrain, the crew that will work with it and the point and manner of discharge of its load.

Given the resources available, Wrexham has the following vehicle options for kerbside collection of recyclable materials:

Use current refuse vehicles on different days to the refuse collection.

Buy new multifunctional vehicles which can be used for collection of recyclable materials as well as performing other functions in the Community Services Department.

Kerbside sorting using standard flat bed vehicle with cages to separate materials, or small electric vehicles.

Specialised compartmentalised vehicle used to collect recyclable materials.

Specialist vehicles with separate compartments for recyclable materials cost tens of thousands of pounds. These types of vehicles have the advantage of being able to collect a number of materials separated at source providing a generally good quality product for recycling

The Borough Council has a policy of using vehicles which have the lowest possible impact on the environment. The vehicles in the fleet are replaced on a rolling programme. Smaller vehicles used by the Council are dual fuel, powered by unleaded fuel and liquid petroleum gas. Large vehicles including refuse collection vehicles are powered by low sulphur diesel fuel.

Efficient use of transport is an integral part of lessening adverse environmental impact. The Council proposes to construct a bulking-up station where individual loads of recyclable material collected locally can be stored. The sorted materials will be transferred into enclosed 40 feet trailers and transported to the recycling merchants. This will have the effect of reducing the number of journeys made hauling small loads, which is the current practice.

Collection Frequency

The frequency of collection is ultimately linked with the other factors including, the type of materials to be collected, container size and vehicle type. The basic options available to Wrexham for collecting recyclables and waste are:

Mixed collection (rubbish and recyclables) in one vehicle – survival bags separated at MRF;

Two vehicles collecting rubbish and recyclables separately on the on the same day;

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One vehicle alternating weekly between recyclables and rubbish.

When kerbside programs were initiated it was considered necessary to collect the recyclables on the same day as the rubbish to obtain maximum participation of the public. Recently, a number of Local Authorities have introduced fortnightly collections to reduce costs and they have seen no appreciable reduction in the amount of recyclables collected. One drawback to this approach is that the public required additional rigid containers for the storage of recyclables and a collection calendar.

A number of local authorities across the UK are collecting rubbish on alternate weeks with recyclables. One system uses two wheeled bins and one plastic. One wheeled bin is used for green waste and the other is used for non-recyclable refuse, the box is used for dry recyclables. There are a number of variations that can be made to this system. This type of scheme involves significant effort on the part of Waste Education Officers to help encourage householders to change their habits. Authorities implementing the scheme have experienced concern from the public about the perceived problem of fortnightly rubbish collections with regard to smells, health risks and storage space. Most have found these perception problems dissipate as the system matures and the public realises that their fears need not be the reality.

Bring facilities

Bring banks are another method of collecting ‘clean’ recyclable material. Banks can vary in size from small-wheeled bins to the larger banks generally seen in supermarket car parks and Household recycling centres.

Materials collected at bring banks tend to be those ‘dry recyclable’ materials described above, glass, plastics, cans and textiles. Authorities will generally monitor the performance of collections of different materials and adjust numbers of bins accordingly. For example, some Authorities find that the introduction of a kerbside scheme collecting cans, paper and plastics in an area will render some bins redundant, whereas others have found that usage increases as individuals get into the recycling habit and actually prefer drop off schemes to storing materials in the home. This depends on the social characteristics of the resident population, placement of the bins and types of schemes in place.

Household recycling centres are more secure than most bring bank areas; therefore the variety of materials they can collect for recycling is wider. Increasingly authorities are providing banks for green wastes, wood, furniture, DIY materials, electrical and electronic equipment and some hazardous wastes.

A network of Neighbourhood Recycling Centres has evolved throughout Wrexham Borough. They are strategically located for convenience for householders at supermarket car parks, municipal car parks and Household Recycling Centres. Some of these are provided and serviced by reprocessors engaged by the North Wales Recycling Group.

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Wrexham County Borough Council Officers have been studying best practise in recycling schemes in other parts of the UK to find out their suitability for their introduction to Wrexham. These have been considered through a series of committee meetings with Elected Members. The Council has now decided on a suite of preferred options, which are to be introduced in the County Borough. This Strategy is based on the implementation of these preferred options and is subject to change if public consultations or trial results dictate.

In order to increase its current recycling rate the Council is developing its network of bring banks and has introduced a trial kerbside collection scheme. This involves a considerable investment, in terms of both capital outlay and time to develop and implement a new scheme. There is no nationally recognised best type of recycling system, as each area is different. For this reason schemes are tailored as far as possible to account for the individual needs of an area and need to be adapted as additional requirements become apparent.

A system trial is a very useful exercise as it gives:

experience to officers and collection staff in operating kerbside recycling and using different types of equipment;

local data on participation and diversion rates and scheme costs;

issues on acceptability of schemes, focus of educational leaflets, barriers to recycling;

publicity and awareness amongst public for waste matters.

Kerbside collection

We consider that in order to encourage householders to participate in recycling, it must be made as convenient as possible; for this reason a trial of a kerbside collection scheme commenced in July 2002, offering a new waste collection service to 6,000 households across the County Borough. The trial area included Chirk, Gresford, Garden Village, Broughton, Offa, Gwersyllt, Sydallt and Summerhill. Participants were encouraged to air their views of the trial and to suggest refinements to make the service more effective. Council Officers monitor the trial for effectiveness, cost impacts and service efficiency. Following the trial a report was made to Councillors giving them the results of the customer survey and suggesting ways to extend to kerbside recycling scheme. A modified scheme will be available to the residents of half the County Borough by March 2005. The phased introduction of the kerbside-recycling scheme commences in June 2004. Alterations have been made to the service offered to the residents. The black 240 litre residual waste container will continue to be collected fortnightly alternating with the collection of a 240 litre green container for garden waste. A plastic box is being used instead of the pink sack and residents will be able to recycle their glass bottles as well as their plastic bottles and cans. Newspapers and magazines will be collected in a reusable green sack as part of collaboration with the Shotton Paper Company. The plastic box and the green sack will be collected weekly giving residents twice the opportunity to recycle.

A bulking-up facility has been built at the Authority’s new Refuse Depot on the Wrexham Industrial Estate. The facility will increase the effectiveness of the recycling operation in

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Wrexham. Large loads of sorted recycled materials will be transported from the County Borough to reprocessors making the transport element of recycling more fuel-efficient.

Residents are not compelled to use the new service but, if they decide not to participate, their individual residual waste bin is still only collected fortnightly.

The recyclable materials and residual waste are collected separately using specifically adapted. Each week two vehicles visit households within the recycling area. The contents of the boxes are collected in segregated compartments of a “Kerbsider” vehicle and transported to the Bulking up Facility to be stored awaiting transhipment to a suitable reprocessor. Papers and magazine will similarly be stored and transported to Shotton Paper Mill. A recycling scheme cannot be successful without effective participation by householders. To help to encourage householders to participate in the kerbside trial, the Council embarked upon a major publicity and education campaign.

The number of households participating in the trial is closely monitored, both in terms of numbers of participants and the effectiveness of material separation. Participants and non-participants are consulted to obtain comments about the system and to identify any problems. Householders having difficulties using the system will be given advice and support from Recycling Officers.

The quantity and type of material being collected are also monitored. This data can be compared with national waste composition data and helps us to highlight any shortfalls. Specific awareness campaigns can be started to target those materials. All waste management data from the County Borough are transferred to the “Wastedateflow” national database. Data from local authorities throughout the UK are compared. “Wastedataflow” is the first national waste database and will be used to assess the waste arising in the UK and the effectiveness of more local recycling initiatives.


The Council offers more recycling opportunities by a gradual roll out of 30 Neighbourhood Recycling Centres; these mini centres are situated within and close to residential areas to make recycling more convenient for householders.

The Neighbourhood Recycling Centres consist of large wheeled bins with lids adapted to accept various materials. A typical centre will have containers for glass (clear, green and brown), cardboard, paper and magazines, textiles, plastic bottles and cans. Centres will be

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fenced to contain any stray litter, the style of the fencing can be adapted to be sympathetic to the locality.

Historically, difficulty has been experienced finding suitable locations for bring centres because of peoples’ negative perception about the noise and mess that they are believed to cause. As Council personnel regularly service them, Neighbourhood Recycling Centres are less prone to littering and delays in emptying the banks will be fewer. The Council hopes that when new banks are installed and the public sees at first hand that they do not cause the perceived problems in their locality, there will be a demand to install more Neighbourhood Recycling Centres throughout the County Borough.

Household Recycling Centres

The Welsh Assembly Government indicates that there is a potential to achieve a recovery rate of 80% at Household Recycling Centres. The number of recyclable materials that can be processed at Household Recycling Centres is dependent on the throughput of material and the degree of segregation available on the sites.

The Household Recycling Centres in the County Borough have a range of recycling containers; there are containers for glass, paper, textiles, lead acid batteries, waste sump oil,

garden waste, cardboard, waste timber, soil rubble and metals. Car tyres and discarded refrigerators are also segregated for reprocessing. The centres which were adequate when they were initially built, are too small to cope satisfactorily with the number of people using them and the amount of waste requiring disposal and segregation for recycling. They will require extensive alteration if they are to achieve the recovery rates suggested by the Welsh Assembly Government.

The location of the present centres sites will make any extension beyond the present boundaries extremely difficult. The provision of Household Recycling Centres in the County Borough is being remodelled during 2004. The existing sites at Brymbo and Plas Madoc will be altered to offer a greater range of recycling and disposal facilities. The Acton centre will close in July 2004 and be replaced by a “super centre,” at Bryn Lane on the Wrexham Industrial Estate. The new centre will have a greater range of facilities. It will be a split-level construction with complete separation of the public area and the operational area making it safer for the public to use. The centre will not have to close when the waste containers are being emptied.

The Council hope that the remodelled centres will encourage greater use by the public this would have the benefits of reducing demands on the Council’s bulky waste collection service and reducing the amount of fly-tipping in the area, as well as helping to increase recycling rates. The remaining centre at Queensway will be altered to a large Neighbourhood Recycling Centre accepting recycled materials only.

1.26 Composting

Composting is a natural organic waste (e.g. grass, plants, tree trimmings and food waste) is broken down to form a uniform stable material that resembles soil or peat, called compost.

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Depending on the quality, the compost product can be used as a soil conditioner in gardens, for landscaping, for agriculture and horticulture, and for the remediation of derelict land.

In order to meet Welsh Assembly targets, compost must be derived from source-separated material, this requires separate collection. Reasonable grade compost can also be derived from mixed waste where materials that are not compostable such as glass, plastic, metal and hazardous materials must be removed by either hand-sorting or mechanical means. This is usually done at a Mechanical Biological Treatment facility. Depending upon markets available, fibrous materials (e.g., newspaper and light packaging) can also be composted in limited amounts if shredded. This material can be used for land reclamation or landfill cover and would count towards landfill directive targets as biologically stable material.

The new Animal By-Products Regulations will dictate that waste derived from catering (including household kitchens), will need to be composted under strictly controlled conditions. This will have significant cost implications.

1.26.1 What are our options for achieving our composting targets?

The Council has a short-term target to compost at least 5% of its municipal waste by 2003/04. Analysis of waste arisings in Wales has shown that some 10% of municipal waste is green or garden waste, therefore this target should not be hard to attain.

Home Composting

Home composting is arguably the most sustainable method of dealing with kitchen waste, such as vegetable peelings and tea bags, and green waste from the garden.

This avoids the waste entering the waste stream in the first instance. Some survey work undertaken by the Strathspey Waste Action Network (SWAN) showed that home composting can divert at least 15% of the household waste fraction.

The material is treated at the household so there is no transport with the associated emissions. This also avoids a concentration of material that can give rise to offensive odours and the production of large quantities of fungal and bacterial spores. As the compost produced is then used on the garden there is no transportation of this to markets or difficulties in finding markets.

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Best Practise Case Study‘Slim Your Bin’ is a waste awareness campaign run across East Anglia. It is a partnership between Anglia Television, local councils, local media, and national organisations including Going for Green and the National Waste Awareness Initiative. This is the third year the campaign has been run.

The 2001 campaign focused specifically on the diversion of organic material from household waste, through composting.

It was launched at the beginning of May 2001, to coincide with International Compost Awareness Week and continued through June and July. Interactive roadshows (with give-aways) were staged at county and garden show events, and popular garden centre and shopping centre locations. Anglia TV, local radio and newspaper were used to promote the roadshows and to run features and competitions and generally deliver the message to a wider audience.

A post-campaign telephone survey was conducted. Nearly 1500 people were interviewed.

51% of the respondents claimed to be home composting, with grass cuttings, leaves and vegetable peelings the most regularly composted materials. When asked why they started composting, 34% started because it was better for their garden and 31% started because it was better for the environment. 3% were influenced by the campaign to begin composting.

31% of people not currently composting are no longer composting because of lack of space/garden. 35% of these said that they would not be encouraged to start composting again and over 15% said they would start if given a free compost bin


Nowadays, special composting containers are available on the market that make the system tidier and easier to manage than traditional ‘Heap’ methods.

Householders cite a range of difficulties with home composting including a lack of space, a lack of information, or a drop in motivation which means the amount of home composting is unlikely to deal with the arisings from more than about 50% of households.

Currently, home composting is excluded from the Best Value Performance Standards (BVPS). Any resources, invested in encouraging home composting will not help to achieve the BVPSs or current recycling/composting targets. However, home composting can help achieve real reductions in absolute waste arisings, which count towards national and local objectives in waste reduction. The Welsh Assembly Government is currently working with the Environment Agency to create an appropriate measure of performance in home composting to count towards targets.

1.26.2 Community composting

The new draft Directive on the ‘Biological Treatment of Waste’ states that European Union Member States shall encourage the setting up of community compost schemes as a way of reducing transport and increasing awareness of waste recycling practises.

‘Community composting’ is defined as ‘the composting of bio waste by a group of people in a locality with the aim of composting their own and other people’s bio waste in order to manage the supplied bio waste as close as possible to the point at which it is produced.’ With the implementation of the Animal By-Products Regulations, it is likely that it will only be practical and economic for community groups to compost garden waste. However, there is still potential for such projects to divert significant amounts of waste away from landfill.

Implementing a scheme in partnership with the local community not only helps to maximise the amount of green waste collected but also helps to encourage local outlets for the resulting compost. This can be local allotments, garden centres or sold back to the public. Community-based schemes can involve collective purchase of a shredder and local, small-scale, composting operations at farms or allotments.

1.26.3 Household Recycling Centres

The most common method of collecting green waste is through the provision of separate green waste skips at Household Recycling Centres. Householders can bring their garden waste, leaves, grass cuttings, hedge trimmings, pruning et cetera, to the centre free of charge. Wastes are then shredded and composted at an authorised site. In Wrexham, compost originating at Household Recycling Centres is currently used as

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daily cover on a local landfill site we are intending to make better use of this resource in the future and are striving to improve the quality of material we produce; compost from Wrexham is now used by the Council’s Parks Division and eventually bags of compost will be on sale to the public.

In order to increase the amount of waste we compost, an additional collection from households that cannot or do not take their green waste to the Household Waste Site may be required. This could be carried out just during the spring and summer months when the majority of the green waste is produced. This is also likely to improve the quality of the compost made, as collected material is likely to have a higher nitrogen content than the woody material that is normally deposited at Household Recycling Centres. Some options for

collection are outlined below.

1.26.4 Kerbside Collection

As with dry recyclables, it is generally found that more householders participate more often when offered a kerbside collection service; in order to achieve higher composting levels it is likely to be necessary to collect organic waste separately at the kerbside.

The recently implemented Animal By-Products Regulations mean that any waste arising from kitchens or catering establishments requires a more intensive - in-vessel - composting process with tighter quality controls than is required for green waste derived from gardens or parks.

This is also true for green waste collected co-mingled with kitchen waste. To compost co-mingled (kitchen and green) waste to the required standard is likely to be prohibitively expensive due to the large volume of garden waste. Given this, it is likely that if kitchen waste is collected it would require a separate collection; some authorities are achieving this through supplying householders with a kitchen ‘bucket’ and using a split bodied vehicle. Due to the expense required to set-up and maintain such a system, it is unlikely Wrexham will consider separate collection of kitchen waste. Unless, at some time in the future, it becomes vital to attain targets or comply with legislation.

The option remains to collect green waste and other compostable materials, such as shredded cardboard, paper towels and non-synthetic textiles, such as cotton. Wrexham’s bins contain a high percentage of garden waste; collecting this separately could boost composting rates significantly.

If dry recyclables are also collected, then a further vehicle or a split-bodied vehicle will be required. It should be remembered that green waste can be very bulky and may require a large collection space.

One of the common concerns with the implementation of a bi-weekly collection is that the organic material may be left in the bin long enough for the degradation to begin, this could then give rise to odour problems. The Local Authorities that have implemented this type of system have not cited this as a major concern.

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1.26.5 Markets

With the continued growth of compost production in the UK (the Compost Association cites as much as 22% per annum over the next three years), the establishment of markets will be crucial to the success of any composting schemes.

There are a number of different applications for waste-derived compost:

soil improvers;

planting composts;

topsoil manufacture;

surface mulches;

turf dressings;

growing media;

organic manure (requires additives such as animal manure).

These applications require composts of differing quality, and the target outlet affects the type of composting operation selected. For example, some landfill restoration activities can utilise a compost with poor nutrient content, and a higher level of impurities (glass etc.), whilst its use as a top soil for amenity use requires a better quality material.

Agriculture could be one of the main outlets for compost derived from garden waste, the new Animal By-Products regulations mean that composts derived from kitchen and catering waste will need to be treated specially and stored for a specified period before they can be used on agricultural land.

The Welsh Assembly Government has stipulated that only compost derived from source separated waste (waste separated at the household by the producer) and put to beneficial use, will be counted towards composting targets. This discounts material that is separated from refuse at a special treatment facility, however, if this material is effectively treated and stabilised it poses little threat to the environment when used for land restoration or landfilled and counted towards landfill directive recovery targets.

Consideration of use of recycled material in local authorities own activities has been highlighted in the Waste Strategy for Wales. The landscaping services of the local authority could be the prime market to target for the increased amount of compost as this would also enhance the green credentials of the local authority.

1.26.6 Types of Composting

There are a number of methods of composting on a large scale; the most common of these are discussed in table 3.

Table 4: Summary of current composting methods

Composting Method CommentWindrow (open)This is the most common type of system used in the UK. The waste is pre-processed with

The system lends itself to mechanisation and in a typical facility the windrow is formed in a line with new waste material being added at one end and final compost material being removed at the other.

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Composting Method Commentchipping and sorting preceding addition of the waste to the compost. It is then formed into a ‘windrow’ to allow regular turning and mixing of the waste. This ensures sufficient porosity and natural convection within the pile.

The turning and mixing is undertaken at least weekly but in some cases daily. This ensures progression of the waste down the windrow.

The waste is usually handled using front-end shovel devices.

Open-air windrows are prone to drying out so water-sprinkling systems are often fitted – sometimes using recirculated leachate.

Being uncovered the system may also be influenced by adverse weather conditions, but these are unlikely to actually stop the process occurring.

Under the Animal By-Products Regulations, open-air windrows are not an approved method for composting food wastes or a mixture of food wastes and garden wastes.

Windrow (enclosed)This method is essentially the same as an ‘open windrow’ system except for the addition of a roof to protect the system from adverse weather conditions.

Better control of the rate of composting and therefore a better end product

Evaporation rate being less, therefore requiring less water

Odours and bio aerosol dispersion are reduced in comparison to ‘open windrows’.

In-Vessel (aerobic)This method is used when more control of the composting process is required. Under new regulations catering or kitchen waste which may contain meat will need to be composted in-vessel. These technologies involve composting organics within either a building or within an enclosure or container, depending on the particular technology. The bulking materials are typically shredded brush materials, which are mixed with the kitchen waste to provide the porosity necessary for aerobic composting.

These facilities provide more control of temperature, moisture and airflow, in order to minimise odour production in the process.

A number of in-vessel aerobic composting technologies are commercially available.

The types of technology fall into three main groups: tunnel composters, bin composters and in-channel composters. In all three types of systems the air supply, air exhaust, moisture content and temperature are controlled, via air supply and exhaust fans, water sprinkler systems and instrumentation systems.

All technologies minimise the production of odours through the use of these controls and all can be provided with exhaust treatment systems, such as bio filters, to treat or eliminate odours contained in the exhaust from the process.

All in-vessel systems require that the waste composition be such that there are sufficient amounts of bulking or amendment materials.

In-vessel composting sites require a pre-processing area to prepare the waste prior to composting and a storage area for screening and curing the finished product.

Aerobic processes will produce a stable compost within six to eight weeks after which a four-week curing period is normally required. The compost produced will need screening prior to sale and, if organics are source separated, can normally meet stringent compost quality standards.

In-Vessel (anaerobic digestion)As with aerobic composting there are a number of commercially available anaerobic composting technologies. In anaerobic facilities, organic waste streams are ground and mixed with water to produce a pumpable pulp. This pulp is then digested in a vessel similar to those commonly used with sewage sludges. The pulp is pumped into the digester where methane rich biogas is generated (the gas can be used to generate electricity). Solids in a sludge form are periodically withdrawn from the digesters. The dewatered sludge is mixed with amendment materials and aerated to produce a stable compost product.

The anaerobic process usually takes 10 to 15 days to complete with an additional 2 to 3 weeks to stabilise the compost.

The benefit of using the anaerobic process to digest organics is that these systems can process other organics (such as paper and cardboard), along with kitchen and green wastes.

The process is fully contained in tanks and pipe work, and with the combustion of the biogas, this process fully contains and eliminates odour emissions.

The area required for an anaerobic composting facility is significantly less than an aerobic facility of the same capacity.

Rotating Drum This system involves a rotating drum through which waste material is passed. The drum usually has compartments and the waste passes through the system in about three days, composting as it travels through. Temperatures can reach 60 oC and water is

Increase in odour control

Very short process time – therefore attractive where high throughputs are required

The sorting of size fractions takes place after the composting process therefore making it easier.

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Composting Method Commentoften added at stages within the linear process.

Vermi-compostingThe use of worms to break down waste can also be effective in producing a compost end product.

These operate at low temperatures (near ambient)

Have a relatively slow breakdown of waste products in comparison to the processes mentioned above.

As well as producing a compost a source of protein can also be made


Home composting

The Welsh Assembly Government and the Council believe that home composting is the most sustainable means of waste management available to the householder and will actively encourage the use of home composters by householders by:

providing advice to householders on the concept of home composting, what it entails and its benefits both to the householder and the wider community;

continuing to purchase home composters and supply them to householders at cost price;

arranging and promoting the provision of special “sale days” when a manufacturer of home composters would endeavour to sell large numbers of home composters directly to the public.

Household collection

A scheme for the kerbside collection of green waste (in combination with dry recyclables) commenced in July 2002 covering 6,000 households. Householders with gardens were supplied with a 140 litres wheeled bin for the storage of green waste. Under the scheme, the bin of green waste is emptied once a fortnight alternating with the fortnightly emptying of the general waste bin. The experience obtained through the trial together with feedback from the householders taking part in the trial will been evaluated and taken into account when preparing the final details of a scheme for the County Borough as a whole.

Collected green waste is taken to a specially designed site, which is licensed to process green waste to produce useful compost. The waste is sorted to remove large items that could damage the shredding machinery, the remaining material is then shredded and heaped into windrows and allowed to mature. Regular turning and aeration assists the composting process, finally the material is screened and quality of the material assessed. The Council encourages its contractors to manufacture the best quality compost possible.

Household Recycling Centres

The Council proposes to continue the current practise of providing containers for green waste at its Household Recycling Centres and enhancing this service where possible. Centre operatives will endeavour to ensure that the size and number of the green waste containers is adequate to meet the demand.

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Uses for the Compost Produced

The Council is aware that there is little benefit in producing compost unless a suitable market for the product is available in reasonably close proximity. To this end it is considered that there could be three major outlets for compost in the County Borough.

1. The Council can use the finished compost in its own environmental maintenance and landscaping schemes such as in parks, gardens and school grounds.

2. The Contractor hopes to sell compost made from Wrexham County Borough Council green waste commencing Summer/Autumn 2003.

1.27 Residual Waste Management

Even if we recycled everything possible in the waste stream, we would still have a large number of items that would need to be disposed of. This includes items made of materials for which reprocessing technology does not yet exist or is rarely available, such as items made from some. At other times, the available markets for certain reprocessed materials may make it not economically practical to recycle products, this is the case in some areas with some kinds of plastics and composite materials (more than one material stuck together), which have a limited reprocessing use and therefore value.

Public participation in source separation schemes (kerbside recycling and bring banks) does not guarantee that the recyclables produced are free of contaminants. Collected recyclables are generally mixed together therefore a plant handling such recyclables must be capable of both removing and sorting contaminants and sorting the mixture into the various materials.

Traditionally, all residual material that is not recycled or composted has been landfilled. Changing legislation and a growing need for more sustainable systems mean that alternative options need to be closely examined.

As has been referred to in previous sections, the Council faces the challenge of meeting a number of Local, National and International Targets over the next 20 years. Assuming we manage to achieve our recycling and composting targets, there will still be a large fraction of waste to which targets apply. According to Welsh Assembly Government and UK wide targets, the Council should be looking to recover value from an additional 5-15% of waste. In order to comply with Landfill Directive requirements, residual waste will need to be treated in some way to further reduce its biodegradable content.

In the interests of sustainability, the Council has a policy to recover maximum possible value from waste prior to disposal.

1.27.1 What are our options?

In modern waste management it is vital that we examine at the whole picture in order to form fully integrated waste management plans for the future.

Illustrated in Figure 6 are four basic integrated options available to waste managers in order to deal with municipal waste, each has differing technological requirements, environmental and economic impacts. Wrexham County Borough Council is committed to finding the Best

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Practicable Environmental Option for management of the waste in the County Borough in the future.

In all options, waste reduction is at the forefront, and dry recyclables and some compostable waste (likely to be garden waste) are collected from kerbside schemes, Neighbourhood Recycling Centres and Household Recycling Centres. It is hoped that the resulting 30% recovery is a conservative estimate for 5-10 years and better would be achievable through effective public participation.

Option one: After source separation of recyclable and compostable waste, all the remaining rubbish is landfilled.

Option two: After source separation, the remaining waste is passed through a treatment centre which removes further recyclable material present in the waste, such as metals, and achieves further recovery through moisture reduction and stabilisation of organic matter, all the remaining rubbish is landfilled.

Option three: After source separation, all remaining rubbish is used to generate energy. Non-combustible elements of the rubbish such as metals are recycled, some is recovered for use in aggregate production, energy is recovered and small amounts of residue are landfilled.

Option four: After source separation, the rubbish is pre-treated to remove maximum recyclable/compostable materials, the remainder is used to generate energy and a very small amount of residue is landfilled.

The table below shows the different options in relation to meeting National and European targets. It should be remembered that recovery and recycling/composting rates shown are estimates at this stage as final rates will depend upon the details of the options chosen, the composition of the input waste and the level of public participation. It is also a currently controversial issue as to which elements can be classed as recycling/composting/recovery for reporting purposes. It is hoped that this will become clearer as more guidance is available in the future.

Table 0-5: Basic integrated waste management options

Strategy Target Landfill Directive

2006/07 2009/10 2010 2013 2020

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

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Figure 6: Integrated Waste Management Options

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Assuming a high rate of public participation, it is likely that short-term targets could be met by all the Options. However, in the medium to long term, additional technology would be required. This needs to be planned well in advance to insure that systems are in place ready to achieve the targets. This is consistent with Council waste policy to take a pro-active approach wherever possible.

For each element of the integrated system there are a multitude of technological options available. Options available for recycling and composting have been discussed in the preceding sections. Options for treatment and energy generation are discussed below:

Treatment

Mechanical Biological Treatment system

To maximize the economic and environmental benefits from source-separation and minimizing the size, cost and complexity of the (Mechanical Biological Treatment) MBT plant required; MBT systems should receive the residuals left after the maximum source separation has been achieved. .

First, residual rubbish is fed into a highly mechanized plant to remove metals, plastics and other materials. This maximizes the diversion of recyclable materials, separates off the compostable element and ensures the cleanest feedstock possible for the next stage.

The biological stage that follows is usually an in-vessel composting system that is intended not primarily to produce a saleable compost product, but rather to reduce the weight, and render inert any biologically active organic materials (that is, to ‘stabilize’ the residue). The materials broken down and composted at this stage include paper and board, green/kitchen organics, and the organic content contained within nappies, packaging, textiles etc.

The residue is greatly reduced in weight and stabilised. It can be landfilled, greatly reducing the risk of methane production, leachate difficulties and landfill fires, used as landfill cover or if contamination is low enough, as low-grade compost.

The Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) system can also be used to produce Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF).

Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF)

RDF production involves processing municipal solid waste prior to thermal treatment. This removes the non-combustible elements such as metal and glass and produces a feedstock, either in the form of loose 'flock' or pellets; both suited to combustion or other types of thermal treatment. Production and combustion of flock or pellets at the same site, is a well-established waste management technique abroad and is beginning to be developed in the UK.

Potential markets for RDF:

Energy from Waste plants);

other power generating stations;

other industrial processes such as cement manufacture (firing cement kilns).

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Anaerobic Digestion

The decomposition of organic materials by bacteria in the absence of oxygen (within a closed container) is called anaerobic digestion. The main product of this process is a biogas that is rich in methane and can be burnt as a fuel. A digestate is also produced which can be composted to produce a soil conditioner.

Materials such as paper and cardboard can be processed along with kitchen and garden waste and the operating costs are reasonably low.

In the UK this technology has yet to be proven with any materials other than sewage and other organic sludges and the process produces a wastewater which can be high in metals, dissolved nitrogen and organic compounds.

Energy from Waste

Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities involves the recovery of energy from the treatment of non-inert wastes. There are a number of technologies available, some of which are more advanced in their development and implementation than others. Methods include:

mass burn incineration;

incineration of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF);

advanced thermal techniques such as gasification and pyrolysis;

gas generation through anaerobic digestion.

Gases are also generated in non-inert landfill or landraise sites by the decomposition of putrescible waste, although the generation of these gases is likely to reduce as less untreated waste is disposed of to land. Some of the issues associated with EfW are briefly discussed below, the different types of facilities are described in Appendix E.

Issues

Capturing Energy: Recovering energy from these operations offsets the need to use non-renewable energy resources like fossil fuels. The efficiency of the operation in capturing energy varies between different types of facility and is also dependent on the nature of the waste entering the plant. The efficiency of energy production can be greatly increased if heat is also captured. This can provide direct benefits to the community in the form of local heating if housing or businesses are close by.

Emissions: The issue of emissions to air often arises with EfW; however, modern facilities must meet stringent emission standards that are kept under review and updated by the European Commission (EC). The latest standards are prescribed in the Council Directive on the Incineration of Waste (2000) and the Council Directive on national emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants (2001) which are implemented in the UK through the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999 (and following orders,

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regulations and amendments).

All EfW plants require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as part of the planning application. This includes a comprehensive site-specific risk assessment including a detailed study of local site conditions, alternative sites assessed by the applicant, the likely environmental impacts of the development and the possible mitigation measures that could be adopted to offset any identified impacts. The Waste Planning Authorities will consult closely with the Environment Agency on such planning applications. It should be emphasised that other waste planning applications, not just EfW proposals, are also likely to be required to be accompanied by an EIA.

Once operational, all facilities will have to adhere to strict emissions limits prescribed in their permit issued by the Environment Agency, in accordance with the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999 and the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations (SI 2000 No. 1973).

Residues: All EfW processes will produce solid residues requiring further management. Some may be capable of further use, such as in road aggregate, but others may be classed as hazardous wastes requiring specialist disposal. The nature of the residues produced by the process will depend upon the type of technology chosen.

Landfill

Disposal of waste to land takes place at either a landfill or landraise site. Landfilling involves the controlled infilling of an existing ‘hole in the ground’ called a void - usually created by mineral extraction - and the ultimate restoration of the void to a beneficial after use. Landraising involves the raising of existing land levels by the deposition of waste materials, usually on "greenfield" sites and often in a natural depression in the land. However, this technique is sometimes used to achieve restoration of already despoiled land. Both of these terms refer to the final disposal of waste materials to land and consequently share many similarities in terms of environmental impact, site preparation and operational processes.

Disposal of waste to land in a controlled manner will be necessary for the foreseeable future, if only to deal with waste residues that cannot be dealt with by other methods further up the waste hierarchy.

The environmental implications of disposal to land depend to a large extent on the type of waste being deposited. Disposal of untreated non-inert (putrescible) waste can cause pollution when the waste begins to decompose and produce potentially harmful substances, such as leachate and landfill gas. Disposal of inert waste, the majority of which is construction and demolition waste, does not produce as many pollutants and is less environmentally damaging. Landfills are subject to a strict licensing regime and are regulated by the Environment Agency to minimise their environmental impact. Some larger landfills are now regulated by the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations, which impose tighter controls on emissions.

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Gas is produced by the decomposition of waste. Most of this gas can be trapped and burned as a fuel that can be used locally for heat or power, or to produce electricity for distribution through the National Grid. Some gas can escape, releasing carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere that is known to contribute to global warming.

Landfill is traditionally a cheap method of waste disposal. It is gradually becoming more expensive as available space runs out, environmental controls become stricter and landfill tax continues to rise. The trend should help to make alternatives such as recycling and composting more cost-competitive when compared with landfill.

1.27.2 What are we proposing to do?

The Council’s current Waste Disposal Contract expires 31 March 2004. Tendering for a new Waste Disposal Contract will be a further opportunity for the County Borough to raise the profile of wastes management.

The Council believes that landfilling of waste is not sustainable and is keen to explore alternative treatment options. In the last few years, the private sector has made significant in-roads in developing alternatives to landfill. The tendering process allows the Council to explore all the solutions on the market and chose the one most suited to Wrexham.

The Council is therefore currently engaged in the procurement of a long-term (25-year) contract for the provision of a fully integrated waste management facility. The Welsh Assembly Government awarded Pathfinder Status to the procurement process in 1997.

The chosen facility would be capable of handling both mixed and source separated waste and would contain plant to reclaim recyclable materials from the waste stream, compost a high proportion of the organic material in the waste and convert the residual waste to fuel pellets before landfilling of the remainder. The fuel pellets would be burnt to produce energy.

The Council has now chosen a preferred Company to supply the plant and negotiations are underway regarding its provision. A Planning Application has been submitted but this has been “called-in” by the Welsh Assembly Government for decision. A Public Enquiry on the Planning Application was scheduled to be held June 2003. However the preferred Company submitted a revised Planning Application involving pyrolysis and gasification instead of incineration prior to the commencement date. The scheduled Public Enquiry was subsequently cancelled pending scrutiny of the revised Planning Application.

1.28 Other Household Wastes

The Council is also responsible for the management of a smaller quantity of specialist wastes that are produced by some households. These include:

hazardous waste;

waste electronic and electrical equipment;

clinical wastes.

These wastes can have the potential to cause harm to human health or the environment, so it is vital that their disposal is managed correctly.

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1.28.1 What are our options and what can we do?

Hazardous Household Waste (HHW)

Recent legislation dictates that hazardous wastes should be disposed of at appropriately licensed disposal facilities.

Hazards can arise from a number of waste household products such as:

rechargeable batteries;

chemicals - household cleaners, pesticides and some DIY products;

motor oil;

asbestos;

pharmaceutical goods.

More examples and sources of hazardous household waste can be found on the National Hazardous Household Waste Forum (NHHWF) website (http://www.nhhwf.org.uk) which offers a virtual tour around a house indicating sources of hazardous wastes.

If possible these types of items should not be disposed of in the general rubbish bin, as once these items are mingled with general rubbish the Council will not be able to segregate them.

As with other waste types the Council has the option of collecting HHW separately at the kerbside, or making provision for their collection through separate containers at Household recycling centres. Kerbside collection is likely to be impractical and expensive given the large variety of materials and their relative rarity in the waste stream. The nature of the material also poses potential health and safety issues for the collection operatives. Bring facilities therefore remain the most favourable option.

The Council proposes to enhance the facilities available at its Household recycling centres with provision of separate containers for collection of household pesticides, household chemicals, solvents, oil, dry-cell batteries, paints and fluorescent tubes. It will provide for the safe storage of any HHW delivered to the sites prior to the waste’s disposal, or recycling as appropriate, using a Contractor authorised to handle such materials.

Clinical waste

Clinical waste consists of any waste which is made up wholly or partly of:

human or animal tissue;

blood or other bodily fluids;

excretions;

drugs or other pharmaceutical products;

swabs or dressings; or

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http://www.nhhwf.org.uk/


syringes or needles or other sharp instruments;

any other waste arising from medical, nursing, dental, veterinary, pharmaceutical or similar practise.6

Clinical waste is categorised according to its potential hazard or infection risk. Generally Local Authorities only deal with lower hazard clinical waste with little risk of infection derived from households, nursing homes, smaller care facilities, doctors and vets. Due to the ageing population and increased demand for home-based care, most authorities, including Wrexham, have seen an increase in clinical waste arisings.

Due to the nature of the material, the only practical solution for the collection of clinical waste is a separate collection from the doorstep. As the waste is generally presented in small containers (60 litre bags or small sharps bins 0.6-1 litre), the service does not require a large collection vehicle. The authority may decide that it is more economic to use a private contractor to deliver this service.

The Council provides a free service for the collection of clinical waste from householders. The waste is taken to a clinical waste incinerator situated on Wrexham Industrial Estate. The Council proposes to continue this service and are happy to receive comments from customers as to how this service could be improved.

Electrical and Electronic Equipment

The Council is aware that it needs to make provision to segregate waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) ready for the implementation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive in September 2005. Currently waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is accepted at Household recycling centres, but the majority is not segregated or recycled.

Waste refrigerators and freezers are collected at Household recycling centres and from the Household Bulky Waste collection round. They are then stored prior to their removal for destruction according to the Council (EC) Regulation on Ozone Depleting Substances (January 2002). During this process chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) are removed and reprocessed.

There are a number of options available to the Council for increasing the amount of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycled in the County Borough, these include:

improved segregation of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) at Household recycling centres;

provision of a further kerbside collection container for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE);

work with a local community group on a Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) refurbishment, reuse and recycling scheme.

6 Controlled Waste Regulations 1992

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These options will be carefully evaluated before final selection. It must be remembered that in order to implement a successful recycling scheme, a market for materials needs to exist. The Council will work with Regional Groups to help build markets for these materials.

1.29 Other municipal waste

There are a number of types of waste, other than household waste, which the Council is responsible for dealing with. This includes commercial waste, fly tipped waste, litter and abandoned vehicles.

Under Section 45 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, a Local Authority is obliged to collect and dispose of commercial waste if requested by the occupier of the premises. The Council can make a reasonable charge for these services. Many commercial premises choose to have their waste collected by a private contractor, but the Council serves over 900 premises in Wrexham County Borough.

Wrexham has a very good record for street cleanliness, however, problems are still encountered with persistent offenders of illegal waste dumping, this includes fly tipping and abandonment of vehicles.

Fly tipping is the illegal deposit of waste onto land that is not designated for that purpose. This is a growing problem nationally due to the rising costs of legal waste disposal, ignorance and general laziness. The main factor thought to be responsible for recent increases of numbers of abandoned cars is thought to be the decline in scrap prices that means that most owners will have to pay to dispose of their cars.

1.29.1 What are our options and what can we do?

Commercial waste

Many of the materials disposed of by commercial premises are recyclable, this includes bottles, paper, cardboard boxes, pallets and other packaging.

There would be significant benefit derived from offering a separate collection of recyclable materials to commercial premises; this could be achieved in a number of ways:

1. Commercial customers are offered essentially the same service as householders, i.e. provided with a separate suitable containers for paper, metal cans and plastic bottles and a bin for green waste where appropriate. The customer is charged no extra for the service.

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Business and Environment Challenge Scheme

Set up by the Welsh Assembly Government, the scheme targets third party organisations that help small and medium sized enterprises to improve their environmental performance.

The scheme offers a maximum of £10 000 upon evidence of match funding, Projects which can be funded include those which can

raise business awareness of environmental issues;

help ensure environmental issues become part of the business agenda;

allow companies who wish to improve their environmental performance the chance to participate in projects.

Previous projects funded by the scheme include –

Groundwork Wales, to enable the company to hold a two day conference for business service providers in order to discuss the promotion of environmental performance of small to medium sized enterprises.

Swansea Energy Agency in order to produce a guide detailing suppliers and installers of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.


2. The Council could offer a separate round collecting paper and cardboard only for recycling. The customer benefits from reduced rates if their refuse volume is reduced.

3. The Council could offer a separate round for public houses, clubs and hotels collecting mixed glass for recycling. The customer benefits from reduced rates if their refuse volume is reduced.

Any one or all three of the options could be selected, or a new solution may be found. The Council intends to consult its’ trade customers as to their preferred solution.

In addition the Council is keen to encourage businesses to manage waste more sustainably and will facilitate this wherever possible.

The Council in collaboration with local public houses, hotels and restaurants commenced a trial of separate collection of mixed glass from premises willing to participate. The feasibility of the trial will be assessed with a view to extending the separate collection of glass of recycling throughout the County Borough.

Abandoned vehicles

The Council recognises that the speedy removal of abandoned vehicles is essential. It currently has a policy of removing end-of-life vehicles free of charge in order to remove any financial pressure to abandon them. The Council proposes to continue this policy together with the rigorous prosecution of people abandoning vehicles where sufficient evidence exists.

Abandoned vehicles are an attraction to children with the potential risk of injury. They are also frequently set on fire resulting in the release of toxins and other pollutants, and presenting a further hazard. A recent examination of statistics showed that more than 300 cars are deliberately set alight in one year in the Wrexham County Borough area. In order to combat this the Council took part during 2001/02 in the Vehicle Arson Reduction Initiative, a joint initiative with North Wales Fire Service and North Wales Police. The aim of the initiative was to remove abandoned vehicles before they could be set on fire. Close co-operation between North Wales Police, the North Wales Fire Service and Wrexham County Borough Council has led to the speedy removal of an increasing number of vehicles. The reduction in time has reduced the potential risk of vandalism and arson.

Litter and fly tipping

Litter and fly tipping are recognised as being detrimental to a location’s amenity value and a source of possible hazard. To some extent the litter problem can be controlled by the adequate provision of litterbins and the timely removal of any deposited litter. The Government recognised the need for standards for dealing with litter and issued a Code of Practise on Litter and Refuse under provisions contained in the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The Code detailed response times and standards for dealing with litter in different locations.

As with litter the problem with fly tipping can be controlled to some extent by its rapid removal. The underlying philosophy is that fly tipped waste left uncollected can lead others to think that fly tipping is acceptable at that location, thus encouraging more fly tipping.

The Council recognises that substantial improvement can only be brought about by a change in public attitude. In the long term dropping litter and fly tipping waste must be held to be

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socially unacceptable by the general public. Increasing the public’s awareness of the problems with litter and fly tipping and more rigorous enforcement action against offenders are seen as actions that can be taken in the short term to help deal with the problem.

The Council has employed four Waste Education and Recycling Officers whose role will include raising public awareness of the problems that can arise when waste is not dealt with correctly.

In order to increase the effectiveness of its environmental enforcement role the Council has employed two Community Wardens/ Enforcement Officers, part of whose remit will be the gathering of evidence so that the Council can effectively prosecute people who drop litter or fly tip their waste.

The Council proposes to consult with the public regarding the opening hours of its Household recycling centres in order to establish whether they can be improved within budgetary constraints. The aim is to ensure that they are open when most of the public want to make use of them.

The Council proposes to ensure that the above measures are fully advertised in order to increase their effectiveness.

Further details about the Council’s plans with regard to litter management can be found in the Litter Plan in Section 11.

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Summary - What are doing and what are we going to do?

The Options that have been suggested in Section 5 to achieve Wrexham’s objectives have been derived from examples of best practice across the UK and from other sources of information that can be found in the References Section 12.

A summary is outlined below: Employ two Recycling Education Officers to promote waste reduction and recycling

and composting in the County Borough.

Compost bins to be supplied at cost to anyone requesting one.

Maximise convenience for householders for recycling and composting by providing a kerbside collection service.

A trial commenced in July 2002 whereby recyclable materials and green waste is collected alternately with refuse. This scheme will be rolled out across the County Borough in the next 5 years, subject to Members approval and finance being available.

One new Household Recycling Centre to be provided in the County Borough during the next three years offering opportunities to recycle many household wastes, and providing collection facilities for hazardous household wastes. A further new Household Waste Recycling Centre is envisaged in the future.

30 new Neighbourhood Recycling Centres to be installed across the County Borough, to provide convenient recycling facilities.

Maximise recovery from residual waste in accordance with the Welsh Assembly Government waste hierarchy.


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MAKING IT HAPPENIn order to implement this Integrated Waste Management Strategy effectively, the Council needs to consider the elements that are required to make it happen. These include,

making the population more aware of waste issues and what they can do to help build a sustainable future;

assessing the infrastructure available, in terms of what will be needed in the future and how this fits into the County Borough’s Unitary Development Plan and North Wales Regional Waste Plan;

making an assessment of the funding available and how additional funds may be obtained;

putting in place statutory recycling and litter plans.

WASTE AWARENESS

Environmental awareness within the County Borough has gathered impetus over the past 10 years. Wrexham County Borough Council has taken the challenge to meet and exceed the National targets by considering and implementing a series of waste awareness initiatives.

The public are key stakeholders in making Wrexham’s waste strategy initiatives work; without their support and participation the proposed schemes cannot and will not succeed.

It is reasonable to assume that the general public do not put waste management at the top of their agenda and most are unlikely to consider the impact of their waste on the environment. Through recent environmental campaigns and media attention the public is becoming more aware of the problems but the Council needs to build upon this and relate the global picture to the situation in the County Borough.

The most successful education campaigns provide a balance between dissemination of information to the public, asking for advice and providing feedback. Recent studies have shown that information should be succinct, simple and make reference to the context of the scheme within the wider issues of environmental and waste management at the local and national level. At the outset of the scheme the public should be asked for their opinion, giving a feeling of ownership. Regular feed back in the form of newsletters or routine press articles should be given, this is important to maintain recycling momentum by presenting local results, again where possible these should also be presented in a national context.

1.30 National Campaigns

In the Waste Strategy for Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government outlined the main objectives for a waste education programme:

to change behaviour of both consumers and manufacturers with the aim of moving away from a throw-away society;

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to increase awareness of the waste generator (e.g. what happens to waste when it’s put in the bin?);

increase participation in waste reduction initiatives (e.g. in recycling schemes);

alter prejudices (e.g. to put environmental impact of waste management facilities into context with other developments);

see waste as a valuable resource.

There are several UK–wide initiatives supported by the Welsh Assembly Government. These include, the National Waste Awareness Initiative (NWAI), an organisation set up by the UK government with the aim of encouraging the general public to adopt more responsible attitudes towards waste and to deal with it in a way that is more sustainable. Waste Watch carries out the management/secretariat for National Waste Awareness Initiative (NWAI), in England and Wales. It works with community groups, local authorities and industry to educate, inform and raise awareness on waste reduction, reuse and recycling.

Waste Awareness Wales

In a summary of the Waste Strategy for Wales waste is identified as, “the most important environmental problem facing Wales today.” Waste Awareness Wales is an initiative materialising from the NWAI. It’s sponsored by the Welsh Local Government Association and Keep Wales Tidy, and is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government. The programme was officially launched in February 2003 and will be geared to reach all sectors of the community and encourage their active participation. The project’s specific aims are to:

Encourage people to think and act differently in respect of waste production and

wastes management.

Promote ownership and responsibility for waste by focusing on the benefits of waste minimisation, reuse, recycling, composting and the purchase of recycled products.

Develop activities, messages, and projects that help and compliment local campaigns and services.

Support the work of other organisations that have similar objectives.

Retailers, the waste industry, media, academia, local and central government and non-governmental organisation, support Waste Awareness Wales. Links have been established with similar organisation in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“Rethink Rubbish,” the UK-wide campaign to promote waste reduction, recycling and reuse is closely linked to Waste Awareness Wales. Rethink Rubbish is part of the National Waste Awareness Initiative that is the umbrella organisation with the same aims as Waste Awareness Wales.

Wrexham County Borough Council is keen to utilise national publicity materials wherever possible where they are likely to add value to local campaigns.

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1.30.1 Eco-Schools

The Eco-schools programme is a Europe-wide scheme designed to guide pupils to learn more about their environment. It is linked to the National Curriculum; the annual topics have been devised to be completed within the academic year. The whole school community is involved, pupils, teachers, ancillary staff and parents.

The programme consists of classroom study as well as practical exercises, with the students participating in creating an environmental management system in their school. It covers Energy; Water; School Grounds; Waste minimisation and recovery; Transport and Healthy Living. Waste related projects include waste audits, waste minimisation schemes and recycling initiatives.

The achievements of the school are scrutinised and the Green Flag is awarded if the adjudicators are satisfied that all the required criteria have been met, which is similar standard to ISO 14001 in businesses.

Several schools within the County Borough have been awarded the Green Flag, including, St Christopher’s School that is frequently used as a model for other schools signing to the Eco-schools Programme.

Small grants are now available from the programme to help schools make a real impact on waste: schools can apply for products to help waste reduction such as compost bins and paper shredders, or can apply for funding for more innovative ideas.

EnCams

The Council has recently rejoined the EnCams (Environmental Campaigns limited), People and Places Programme. EnCams is a Government sponsored charity that runs the Tidy Britain Campaign and Going for Green.

The People & Places Programme currently has over one hundred and thirty partner organisations. These are mainly local authorities, but also include private organisations and bodies responsible for publicly accessible land such as Railtrack and British Waterways.

The programme was developed from EnCams’ extensive pilot projects carried out in the late 1980's. These pilot projects targeted areas where litter and refuse were seen to be a problem and examined ways of dealing with them. A systematic approach was then developed based on the original elements of the advisory section contained within the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse. It enables the provision of a delivery mechanism for improved local environmental quality through:

Appraisal

Development

Action

Enforcement

Education.

Key elements include regular information bulletins, the Network Newsletter and the Annual Conference and Awards.

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1.31 Local campaigns

In order to raise awareness of waste in the County Borough and encourage participation in our initiatives, the Council is investing in an intensive education programme. This will provide focused backing and promotion of waste minimisation and recycling initiatives, as well as on-going endorsement of sustainable waste management in the County Borough.

1.31.1 Education Officers

The Council has recently employed two Waste Education/Recycling Officers; these staff will be able to focus all their time on raising waste awareness and provide the interface between the Council and the public during the implementation of this strategy.

They provide a point of contact for the public consultation of this document.

They have assisted with the promotion of the trial Kerbside scheme and provide support and advice to the public.

They promote the continued use of Household Recycling Centres and additional Neighbourhood Recycling Centres.

More generally they will be looking to provide advice and guidance to householders and schoolchildren on the following issues:

Sustainability and waste management;

Waste minimisation;

Home composting;

The targets that the Council must meet to comply with international and national legislation;

How householders can assist the Council in its endeavours to meet these targets;

The problems that can arise when waste is not dealt with correctly for example littering and fly tipping.

The above objectives will be met by:

The preparation and distribution of advice and information to householders through leaflets, exhibitions and articles in the local press;

Presentations to interested groups including Community Councils, schoolchildren, clubs and other organisations;

Obtaining feedback from householders regarding their perceptions on waste issues, including waste minimisation, recycling and composting, together with suggestions for improving the service.

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1.31.2 Recycle with Michael!

Research has shown that appropriate branding of a product or service is central to its successful promotion. The most successful brands are those that the customer can relate to and are simple to recall.

The Council tendered the services of an advertising consultant to give waste management services in Wrexham a brand. The successful consultant invented ‘Recycle with Michael’. The cheeky character was chosen as the Council felt the concept he offered was attractive to all age groups without being patronising. “Michael,” is an integral part of the kerbside pilot scheme and if successful will be used throughout the County Borough on promotional material and advertisements.

1.31.3 Enforcement

Whilst the Council would prefer to promote waste education in a proactive fashion, it realises that there will still be a section of the community who will continue to act irresponsibly with regard to waste management.

Those who continue to dump waste illegally; abandon vehicles; drop litter; and allow their dogs to foul at inappropriate locations; should be penalised for doing so. The Council is committed to helping to make Wrexham a clean and pleasant place to live and has a Zero Tolerance policy towards such activities. In the past the Council has successfully prosecuted a number of offenders but there are still hundreds of cases that never get solved. In an attempt to rectify this and deter future offenders, the Council has employed two Community Wardens/Enforcement Officers, who will be responsible for reinforcing Council policy and supporting the police and the Environment Agency in prevention of illegal waste activity.

1.32 Action Plan

The Council has formulated a waste awareness action plan that details the initiatives that are to be rolled out in conjunction with implementation of this Strategy.

Figure 7: Waste Action Plan

Initiative Undertaken in 2003/04

Proposed for 2004/05



Two Recycling Education Officers providing on-going promotion of sustainable waste management. ●

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Two Community Wardens/Enforcement Officers assisting in enforcement duties including obtaining evidence for prosecution of people dropping litter and fly tipping

●Maintenance of contact with other waste awareness initiatives regionally, nationally and internationally ●Initiative Undertaken

in 2003/04Proposed for

2004/05Proposed for

2005/06Proposed for

2006/07

Neighbourhood Recycling Centres: promotion of additional sites ●Public consultation on waste management issues ●Provision of building for bulking-up the dry recyclable materials collected before transport to recycling merchants ●Provision of new Household Waste Recycling Centre with enhanced provision for recyclable materials ●Launch of Integrated Waste Management Strategy ●Kerbside collection of pre-sorted dry recyclable materials – staged extension of scheme ●

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Infrastructure

1.33 Need for new facilities

The main impetus behind this Integrated Waste Management Strategy is to instigate a move towards more sustainable waste management in the County Borough. Historically, the area has experienced considerable growth in waste arisings and has relied on landfill for waste disposal. In recent years the Council has seen an improvement in rates of recycling but this must continue at a faster rate in order to meet National targets.

In order to increase rates of reuse, recycling and composting in the County Borough, new waste management systems need to be introduced, along with the infrastructure to support them.

The Council has identified a need for new facilities to help householders to recycle their waste. New facilities must be easy to use and conveniently located within the community.

Once recyclable materials are collected they require some degree of sorting and bulking prior to transportation for reprocessing. The Council currently has no appropriate facility available and recognises that there is a need for a Materials Recovery Facility in the County Borough. For the duration of the kerbside trial materials are transported to Chester, Shotton and St Helens for processing, the Council does not view this as sustainable as it goes against the Proximity Principle and Best Practicable Environmental Option.

The Council also has to meet challenging composting targets, which will require local processing of significant quantities of organic material. Current central composting facilities in the County Borough are not capable of handling these volumes and significant additional capacity is required, this would need to be provided on a new site.

The Council has also recognised the need to explore options other then landfill for residual waste management.

1.33.1 Welsh Assembly Government

The Welsh Assembly Government has identified estimates of capacity requirements for municipal waste management facilities in Wales to be able to attain the Landfill Directive targets and recycling / composting targets of 40% from 2010 onwards. These can be seen in Table 4; the ranges given are for 0% and 3% rates of growth in waste arisings.

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Table 4: Capacity requirements for municipal waste management facilities in Wales

Type of Facility Capacity requirements in each year

(1000s tonnes)

2010 2013 2020

A. Material recycling (MRFs) 406-561 406-613 406-754

B. Composting 243-337 243-368 243-453

C. Future energy from waste* 60 60 60

D. Alternative facilities (e.g.MBT, EfW) needed to meet the Landfill Directive targets if recycling/ composting does not exceed 40%

0 123-594 334-1125

E. Facilities in addition to C & D to manage residual wastes e.g. landfill, EfW

913-1287 790-818 579-625

* This represents the HLC facility at Crymlyn Burrows near Swansea

Source – “Wise About Waste – A National Waste strategy for Wales”, Welsh Assembly Government, 2002

1.34 Planned provision of new facilities

1.34.1 Neighbourhood Recycling Centres

In order to extend the range of recycling opportunities available to the householder the Council would like to provide another 16 Neighbourhood Recycling Centres (beyond the 14 already constructed in 2002/03. The Recycling Education Officers will be working with local communities to find suitable locations for the recycling facilities.

1.34.2 Household Recycling Centres

The Authority has re modelled the provision of Household Recycling Centres designed to facilitate more sustainable waste management and offer more convenient access to encourage householder use.

Where possible new centres will be easily accessible from major areas of population and located away from congestion hotspots. Parking and unloading areas will be larger and designed to allow easier manual handling of materials. Opening times of the centres will be examined and revised to accommodate the greater public need.

Each centre will have a greater range of containers to facilitate segregation of waste for recycling. Special containers for the deposit of Hazardous Household Waste will also be provided.

The Council intends to investigate the possibility of providing an area for segregation of materials that may be reused; this could include materials such as wood, DIY goods, furniture and white goods. Some local authorities operate schemes whereby the public can remove goods for a small fee, others work in partnership with local community groups who distribute goods to needy members of the population or refurbish goods for resale.

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1.34.3 Waste treatment and disposal

It is not practically or economically possible to recycle or compost all of our waste: section 5 of this document highlights the need for alternatives to landfill for the treatment and disposal of the residual waste that is left over. There are various alternative options for facilities for treatment and disposal of residual waste; there are currently no such facilities in the County Borough – or in North Wales.

As discussed in section 5, we have reached an advanced stage of negotiation with a private sector waste management company who are intending to build an integrated waste management facility in the Borough. The company are currently negotiating with the planning authority and the Welsh Assembly as to the type and size of facility that may be constructed.

1.35 Regulation and waste facilities

Anyone who keeps, treats or disposes of waste on land is required to hold a license, or hold a pollution prevention and control (PPC) permit, and have planning permission to carry out such activities on the site. Neither an application for Waste Management Licences nor PPC permits will be processed without appropriate planning permission.

Planning permission will not be authorised unless the development is considered appropriate to the area and the site is considered suitable for the proposed activity. Planning decisions are based on policies outlined in national planning guidance, the Regional Waste Plan and the Unitary Development Plan (see section 7.4).

The current waste management licensing regime was made law by the 1990 Environmental Protection Act and is implemented by the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994. The Regulations dictate that waste shall not be kept, treated or disposed of in such a way that they will cause pollution of the environment, harm to the health of living organisms or other interference with the ecological systems of which they form part and, in the case of man, includes offence caused to any of his senses or harm to his property; or harm to human health. Facilities are licensed and licence conditions are regulated by the Environment Agency.

In response to the EC Directive 96/61 on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control, the Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) Act became law in the UK in 1999; this Act is implemented by the PPC Regulations (2000). These regulations apply to certain waste management activities such as landfills over a certain size and facilities that undertake combustion processes. These facilities are required to have a special PPC permit.

PPC permits have a more complex application process and conditions are more prescriptive than waste management licences with regard to emissions to water, air and land which must be strictly monitored and remain within specified limits. Again, the Environment Agency has the responsibility to regulate activities under PPC.

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1.36 Relationship with the Unitary Development Plan

Current waste policy in Wales is guided by the following documents from the Welsh Assembly Government, the Waste Strategy for Wales, Planning Policy Wales (March 2000) and Technical Advice Note 21 Waste (November 2001.)

Current guidance emphasises the need for decision making in waste management to take account of:

Sustainability

The waste hierarchy

The proximity principle

Regional self-sufficiency

Best Practicable Environmental Option (Sustainable Waste Management Option.)

These principles are discussed in more detail in Section 3.5.

Wrexham lies within the North Wales Regional Grouping of Local Authorities defined by TAN 21 for the purpose of waste planning. The Welsh Assembly Government expected Regional Waste Plans to be produced by the three Regional Waste Groups by November 2003. After approval by the Welsh Assembly Government the Regional Waste Plans will be passed down to the individual Local Authorities for incorporation into their Unitary Development Plan.

Local Planning Authorities in Wales have a statutory objective to make provision for the establishment of an integrated and adequate network of waste disposal installations. Current guidance amends this to a network of waste management facilities.

Regional Waste Plans will assess the need for new waste management capacity on a regional basis and Local Planning authorities are expected to agree the allocation of that new capacity to each individual Authority.

The existing development plan reflects the historical and present reliance on landfill as a means of waste disposal. Almost all of the waste arisings in the County Borough are landfilled. The new national guidance requires a rapid movement away from waste disposal by landfill or incineration, towards waste minimisation and recovery of value from waste by re-use, recycling or other treatment including energy recovery. The development of new waste management facilities is a vital part of this strategy.

The County Borough Council as Waste Planning Authority is required to ensure that waste is recovered or disposed of without endangering human health and without using processes or methods that could harm the environment. In particular without risk to water, air, soil, plants or animals or without causing nuisance through noise or odours or adversely affecting the countryside or places of special interest.

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1.37 Transportation of waste

All waste collected by the County Borough Council is transported by road as there is insufficient infrastructure to warrant transportation by other methods. Careful routing of refuse collection vehicles and the distance between the round’s location and the disposal point are carefully considered to ensure the minimum travelling distance to discharge loads. Waste collection and disposal are carried out as closely as possible to the ethos of the Proximity Principle which propounds that waste should be disposed of as close to the point of production as possible.

The transportation of recyclable materials to be reprocessed poses more of a difficulty, as there are currently limited reprocessing facilities available in North Wales. This is not sustainable as the materials end up being transported a long way negating the positive environmental effects of recycling. A sorting and bulking facility in the Wrexham area (such as the one planned) will cut transportation distances considerably.

The Council will also strive to find markets for materials locally, where this is not possible more sustainable method of transportation will be sought.

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Wales Programme for Improvement (Best Value)

Best Value is the generic term covering the Government’s statutory guidelines for modernising the way local services are managed and delivered. The Government has defined Best Value as a "duty to deliver services to clear standards - covering both cost and quality - by the most economic, efficient and effective means available". Best Value is pitched as a duty to secure continuous improvement in service delivery.

Best Value is intended as a driver for continuous improvement in services. In developing Best Value Reviews, Councils must consider the 4Cs –challenging the justification for a function; comparing performance with others; consulting relevant stakeholders; and assessing competitiveness in exercising the function.

Previously, all Councils’ services were reviewed by the Audit Commission under the Best Value Review criteria. The Wales Programme for Improvement was devised by the Welsh Assembly Government and introduced in June 2002. Local authorities in Wales are tasked with carrying out their own Authority Analysis using Performance Indicators set by the individual authority in its Performance Plan that has been approved by the Audit Commission (Wales).

1.38 Best Value Performance Targets

Local authorities are required to undertake Best Value Reviews of all services over a five-year period. The Best Value Inspections for Refuse Collection, Recycling, Street Sweeping and Grounds Maintenance were carried out in Wrexham during October 2001. Inspectors scrutinised records from the Community Services Department to test the robustness of their previously published Performance Indicators. They also investigated the Department’s future plans to ensure that challenging and realistic targets had been set by the Department’s Officers to illustrate improvements in the services performance. A cross-section of staff was interviewed so that the Best Value Inspectors could gauge first hand the public’s perception of the Council’s refuse collection, street sweeping and ground maintenance services. Officers of the Department and Elected Members were also interviewed.

The results of the Review were published in December 2001. The Refuse Collection Service was assessed by the Inspectors as, “a fair service that has promising prospects for improvement,” and the Grounds Maintenance Service which includes street sweeping was assessed as, “a good service which will improve.”

A series of qualitative indicators have been developed and councils are required to aim for the upper quartile performance of other local authorities. The Best Value Review documents must demonstrate that a thorough review has been undertaken. The Audit Commission will undertake periodic reviews and has enforcement powers with failing services.

The Welsh Assembly Government has recently refined the relevant performance indicators, which will be measured under Best Value. The aim behind their refinement was to present a concise picture for comparison, and to encourage local authorities to come up with their own indicators by which to measure their performance and to perhaps, join benchmarking clubs in order to compare themselves against other local authorities.

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Indicators exist for all the functions undertaken by local authorities, including Health, Social Services, Education, Housing and Environmental Services. Those for Environmental Services are shown in Table 5 below.

Wrexham County Borough Council is a member of Benchmarking Clubs which were set up under Best Value to allow Councils to compare their performance and share best practice. Wrexham is a member of the All Wales Benchmarking Club, the Association of Public Service Excellence and the Public Service network.

Table 5: Welsh Assembly Government Performance Standards (NAWPI)

Municipal waste % recycled NAWPI 5.1 a

% composted NAWPI 5.1 b

% used to recover heat etc NAWPI 5.1 c

% landfilled NAWPI 5.1 d

Street Cleansing The percentage of highways and relevant land inspected of a high or acceptable standard of cleanliness.

NAWPI 5.5

Household collections Number of collections missed per 100,000 collections of household waste NAWPI 5.6

Percentage of population served with curbside recycling collection or live within 1 km from recycling center

NAWPI 5.7

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Resources

The implementation of this waste management strategy will entail significant costs in terms of capital for new equipment and facilities; costs for running new schemes and facilities; and cost of council staff time.

1.39 Capital

The anticipated capital costs for improving recycling facilities and Household recycling centres in the County Borough are shown in Table 6 below.

Table 6: Actual and anticipated capital costs for recycling facilities and Household recycling centres

2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08

New Household Recycling Centre

328,430 922,600

Bulking-up building for dry recyclables

261,000

Expansion Costs

Kerbside scheme – wheeled bins for garden waste

322,000 108,680 105,030 116,440

Additional Neighbourhood Recycling Centres

50,000 93,200

Total capital costs 639,430 1,337,800 108,680 105,030 116,440

The Council intends to meet these costs through additional funding from the Welsh Assembly Government and through the Council budget provisions (see Section 9.4 for options).

1.40 Running Costs

The anticipated running costs for improving recycling facilities and Household recycling centres in the County Borough are shown in Table 7 below. The Council is currently negotiating for the provision of an integrated Waste Management Facility. The integrated Waste Management Facility would increase the capacity of the Council to recycle and compost its waste. It would also enable the Council to extract further value from its waste through an Energy from Waste process. The combined effect of these measures would be to

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substantially reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. However it is not possible to provide details of running costs at present as the Contract for the provision of this facility has not yet been finalised.

Table 7: Anticipated running costs for waste management

2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08Recycling Education Officers

72,000 74,200 76,400 78,700 81,100

Info/publicity material 30,200 65,100 86,200 101,500 118,200

Kerbside scheme – dry recyclables

144,300 450,100 803,400 981,800 1,190,000


100,300 103,800 109,270 113,100 117,000

Bulking-up building – operational costs

7,400 60,000 62,100 64,300 66,500

Preparation of Waste Strategy Document

50,000 70,000

Collection 2,021,800 1,937,800 1,995,900 2,080,700 2,145,500

Waste disposal 2,440,300 2,482,200 2,556,600 2,857,200 2,964,300

Street Cleansing 1,217,200 1,421,200 1,463,800 1,507,800 1,553,000

Recycling processing costs 90,500 153,400 187,800 223,300

Recycling income -83,000 -134,900 -160,200 -188,200

H’hold Recycling Centres 538,500 636,100 655,200 674,900 695,100

Other recycling costs 61,200 218,100 224,600 253,000 261,200

End of Life Vehicles 14,000 74,000 76,200 78,500 80,900

Safe disposal fridge units 163,100 94,100 96,900 99,800 102,800

Promotion of home composting

3,000 3,100 3,200 3,300

Total running costs 6,860,300 7,627,200 8,228,170 8,992,100 9,414,000

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1.41 Council Staff Time

The Council employs two full-time Recycling Education Officers to promote waste minimisation, re-use, recycling, composting and recovery. These Officers will be supplemented and supported as required by other staff of the Community Services Department.

It is anticipated that implementation of the proposed capital schemes for recycling facilities and Household recycling centres for the strategy would cost the Council in the region of £65,000 per year in terms of council staff time.

1.42 Who will pay for it?

The main sources of additional funding that will be made available to local authorities for waste management are:

1.42.1 Welsh Assembly Government

The Welsh Assembly Government has put together a package of additional funding to implement the Waste Strategy for Wales. Grants are awarded to all local authorities to promote increased recycling and composting. The grants can be used by local authorities to develop more sustainable ways of managing waste, such as:

the implementation of recycling and composting schemes for municipal waste, including the development and improvement of Household Waste Centres;

the provision of education programmes to increases awareness within the general public and industry;

the development of partnerships between local authorities as well as public, private and voluntary sectors to include development of processes and markets for recycling and composting.

The progress achieved by local authorities in relations to the specific grant will be evaluated by external auditors, with any funds inappropriately spent being recovered the following year. After three years the Welsh Assembly Government will review these proposals and decide upon any further necessary action as appropriate.

1.42.2 Council Tax

Another source of funding is an increase in the Council Tax. At present, the Council is not intending to follow this route.

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1.42.3 Direct charging for waste collection

Charging householders directly for waste collection has recently attracted considerable media interest. The practise is not currently possible under UK legislation but is carried out in many other regions of Europe where a charge is made according to the amount of waste collected from a household. In these instances waste is charged for like any other utility such as gas or electricity depending on how much is used (or disposed of).

Studies have shown that charging for waste collection encourages waste minimisation and recycling practises. Revenue provides much needed funding for intensive kerbside collection of recyclables.

The UK government is considering implementing a change in legislation to allow local authorities to charge for the collection of household waste, this is likely to be some years ahead.

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Recycling Plan

1.43 Recycling Strategy

Section 5.2 of this Municipal Waste Management Strategy outlines the options available to Wrexham County Borough Council for achieving it’s recycling targets. The most suitable options for the County Borough have been selected to form an Action Plan. The implementation of the action plan is subject to the outcome of trials and contractual agreements but the basis shall remain as follows.

The Council intends to meet or exceed all Government targets for waste recycling, composting and recovery.

The Council intends to

i. work closely with neighbouring Councils to produce a Regional Waste Strategy in accord with Technical Advice Note (Waste) 21 Wales TAN 21,

ii. promote, encourage and assist Local Agenda 21 Groups, and

iii. monitor its own environmental performance using the in-house EMAS system.

The Council’s two Waste Education/Recycling Officers will provide on-going promotion of sustainable waste management in order to encourage waste minimisation and increase the amounts of waste re-used, recycled and recovered.

The Council intends to extend a kerbside collection scheme for garden waste and dry recyclables to cover 24,000 households by 2004/05. A kerbside collection scheme covering 6,000 properties is currently being piloted. Experience gained from the trial scheme together with the views of householders will be taken into consideration before deciding the manner in which the scheme will be extended.

The Council also intends to pursue, and implement where possible, any other cost effective scheme for increasing the collection of recyclable materials that might arise during the term of this Strategy with any necessary amendments to the Strategy being made.

The Council intends to establish ten Neighbourhood Recycling Centres during 2002/03 with ten additional centres in 2003/04 and ten in 2004/05. The sites will have containers for glass, paper, cans and textiles. Containers for additional materials will be added as necessary.

Where feasible it is intended that the Household Recycling Centres will have better recycling facilities and better facilities for the segregation of more materials particularly Hazardous Household Wastes.

Section 5.3 addresses available options and actions for meeting composting targets.

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1.43.1 Review

The entire waste strategy, including the Recycling Plan, will be reviewed and updated every three years with regard to available options in the light of emerging technology, legislation and opportunities for partnerships. Changes in contractual situations or outcomes of trials in place may necessitate changes to the Strategy and the Recycling Plan these will be appropriately considered and documented.

1.43.2 Essential Legal Requirements

Introduction

The majority of the essential legal requirements regarding Section 49 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, are included in the main body of this Strategy. The purpose of this section is to indicate where the relevant information can be found and to provide additional information where required.

Controlled wastes expected to be collected during 2003-2008

Controlled waste arisings for the next five Financial Years have been estimated based on current waste growth patterns and expected growth in numbers of households/population during this time (Table 10-1). The figures are estimates and will be reviewed alongside actual arisings each Financial Year and projections adjusted accordingly.

Table 0-6: Projected waste arisings 2003-2008

Year 2003/2004 2004/2005 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008

Total municipal waste (tonne) 84,393 85,854 87,327 88,812 90,345

Composition of the waste has also been estimated in order to approximate its recyclable content (Table 10-2). Waste analysis information was used from the recent Wales Waste Analysis program. The Council intends to carry out its own waste analysis within the timescales of this Strategy in order to determine waste composition in the County Borough.

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Table 0-7: Projected waste composition 2003-2008 (tonnes)

Waste Composition 2003/2004 2004/2005 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008

Newspapers and magazines 7,342 7,469 7,597 7,727 7,860

other recyclable paper 3,460 3,520 3,580 3,641 3,704

card packaging 6,583 6,697 6,812 6,927 7,047

other paper 4,220 4,293 4,366 4,441 4,517

plastic film 2,701 2,747 2,794 2,842 2,891

dense plastic packaging 2,701 2,747 2,794 2,842 2,891

other dense plastic 675 687 699 710 723

textiles 1,857 1,889 1,921 1,954 1,988

other combustibles 10,212 10,388 10,567 10,746 10,932

glass 5,232 5,323 5,414 5,506 5,601

compostable kitchen waste 6,751 6,868 6,986 7,105 7,228

garden waste 8,692 8,843 8,995 9,148 9,305

soil and other putrescibles 9,030 9,186 9,344 9,503 9,667

ferrous cans 1,435 1,460 1,485 1,510 1,536

other ferrous metals 2,363 2,404 2,445 2,487 2,530

non ferrous metals 760 773 786 799 813

electrical and electronic equipment 2,532 2,576 2,620 2,664 2,710

potentially hazardous items 422 429 437 444 452

fines 3,123 3,177 3,231 3,286 3,343

DIY and other non-combustible 4,304 4,379 4,454 4,529 4,608

Controlled wastes expected to be purchased during 2003-2008

Wrexham County Borough Council does not intend to purchase any controlled wastes during this period.

Controlled wastes expected to be dealt with by separating, baling or otherwise packaging it for the purposes of recycling during 2003-2008

Materials likely to be collected for recycling (Table 9) have been estimated using:

The estimated waste composition;

The recycling systems expected to be in place in each year; and

The anticipated level of public participation in each year.

The effectiveness of source separation of material at the kerbside.

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Table 9: Materials likely to be collected for recycling (tonnes)

Material 2003/2004 2004/2005 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008

Paper/Card 3,634 5,425 6,716 7,670 8,672

Dense Plastic 111 266 615 826 1,068

Textiles 343 513 569 627 687

Glass 966 1,446 1,605 1,768 1,937

Putrescible 491 1,289 2,731 3,649 4,695

Ferrous Metal 788 1,132 1,349 1,522 1,703

Non Ferrous Metal 316 463 563 640 720

CA Garden Waste 4,823 4,434 4,066 3,556 2,964

CA Recyclables 1,489 2,006 2,226 2,452 2,687

Total recycled or composted 12,962 16,975 20,441 22,711 25,133

% recycled or composted 15% 20% 23% 26% 28%

% recycled 9% 13% 16% 17% 19%

% composted 6% 7% 8% 8% 8%

This will be reviewed annually as recycling systems in place are subject to change in type and timescale according to outcome of trials and contractual agreements. The level and efficacy of public participation has been based on results of studies conducted elsewhere in the country, fairly high rates have been chosen in order illustrate what is required to meet our targets. The Council realises that recycling systems will have to be accompanied by an intensive waste awareness campaign in order to attain these rates. When recycling trials are complete, Wrexham will be able to use it’s own data and figures can be adjusted to reflect an outcome closer to actual results.

There are pending changes in legislation regarding the management of hazardous wastes and electrical and electronic equipment (Sections 3.4). It is likely that this will result in an increase in recycling rates of these materials. However, there is currently no information available to quantify likely levels of these materials in the municipal waste stream, so no estimates of future arisings have been made. This will be reviewed as more knowledge is acquired.

Arrangements expected to be made with waste disposal contractors 2002-2007

Please see Section 5.4 for details.

Estimated costs and benefits resulting from proposed actions outlined in this plan during 2002-2007

Please see Section 9 for details.

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Litter Plan

Wrexham County Borough Council is committed to making the area an attractive place where residents can live and work. The Council recognises that tourists and visitors to the County Borough should leave with impression that the town and surrounding districts are clean and litter free making them wish to return. The presence of litter and fly-tipped waste:

detracts from the amenity of an area;

could lose the Council revenue by dissuading business from locating in the area;

could dissuade and tourists from visiting its attractions.

A concerted effort is required across all sectors of the community. Both litter and fly-tipping have a similar effect causing public annoyance and frustration.

1.44 Appraisal

A Local Authority has a duty to maintain the streets and designated land litter free to the standards defined in the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse issued under Section 89 (7) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The Community Services Department has direct responsibility for street cleaning and the removal of fly-tipped waste.

A Litter Strategy has been devised to ensure that the Council continues to comply with the standards contained in the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse. Additional measures are being introduced to enhance the existing systems for litter reduction and street cleaning, these will include better utilisation of resources, training, education and enforcement.

The County Borough can be divided into three areas:

Wrexham Town

Wrexham rural hinterland

Wrexham urban villages.

The Council is responsible for the cleanliness of the majority of roads in the County Borough. Each one has been zoned according to its functional use in accordance with the Code of Practice guidelines.

Street cleanliness is monitored using the ENCAMS (Tidy Britain Group) system that is accepted as the standard monitoring method by the Welsh Assembly Government and Audit Commission. The cleanliness is assessed to the following standard:

A. free from litter

B. few small items only.

C. small builds up of litter

D. large accumulations of litter.

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The Council has adopted the following method of selecting sample areas at random to ensure monitoring of street cleaning is consistent.

A database has been set up listing all the streets in the County Borough that are zoned as being in categories 1, 2 or 3. Streets are sub-divided into twelve sectors corresponding to neighbouring areas of the County Borough and sectors are surveyed in rotation. Selected streets are marked on a map to facilitate route planning. Randomly selected transects of the target streets are assessed using the guidelines contained in the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse. A sample of the streets surveyed is photographed for future reference. The data are collated and recorded. Additional related data are also recorded on the sheet and information about dog-fouling, graffiti, fly-posting and the state of litterbins is noted. If any areas that are heavily littered are observed the Street Sweeping Section is notified so that prompt remedial action can be taken.

Wrexham County Borough Council complies with the Guidelines on Performance Indicators required by the Welsh Assembly Government. Surveys are carried out on a randomly selected sample of 2% of the streets of the County Borough classified as Zones 1, 2 and 3.

Wrexham County Borough Council is a member of the ENCAMS People and Places Programme and has had the street sweeping survey results independently verified as part of the Local Environment Audit and Management System (LEAMS). The independent survey compared favourably with the Council’s results. An independent survey was carried out in July 2003 by staff from Keep Wales Tidy. Details of this survey are contained in Appendix C.

The graph below (Figure 8) shows a comparison of the cleanliness indices of local authorities in Wales compared with the Cleanliness Index for Wrexham. A comparison of result from recent years indicates a steady improvement.

Figure 8: Comparison of Cleanliness Indices

60

62

64

66

68

70

72

74

A B C D E F G Wrexham

Welsh Local Authority

Clea

nlin

ess

Inde

x

N.B: Line represents KWT survey average (Excluding Wrexham).

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Audit Commission Performance Indicator

Wrexham Performance 1999 – 2000

Target

2000 - 2001

Wrexham Performance 2000 - 2001

Audit Commission Indicator J 1

% of highways that are of a high standard of cleanliness

83 85 96

Audit Commission Indicator J 2

Average time taken to remove fly tips

5 days 4 days 3 days

The results can be consolidated and improved by continual assessment of incident reports and monitoring outcomes.

1.45 Operations

“beat sweepers,” who each have their own area to cover on a daily basis, carry out street sweeping. A team of sweepers working shifts that cover the area from 05:00 hrs to 21:00 hrs daily sweeps the town centre, which is the highest profile area of the County Borough.

Analysis of surveys and the experience of the street sweeping team has identified particular localised areas that become more littered at a particular time of the day. Sweepers amend their work pattern to be able to ensure that these areas are cleared as soon as possible after litter has been dropped.

More outlying areas are cleared by a mobile street sweeping gang who have similarly identified “hot spots,” and can be prompt in dealing with accumulations of litter. Street beat sweepers also use power vacuum sweepers and other mechanical sweeping equipment. The manual sweepers are supplemented by mechanical road sweepers; the larger type clean channels along the roadsides and cover the whole of the County Borough on a cyclic basis. Smaller mechanical units are deployed on housing estates where their additional manoeuvrability is required. The mechanical sweepers and specially adapted vehicles are utilised to clear seasonal leaf fall. Mechanical sweepers are also equipped with weed spraying equipment.

Fly tipped waste is also a problem that also detracts from the amenity of the area. A dedicated vehicle, equipped with a Hiab lifting arm, is used to clear fly-tipping from a weekly round built up using past experience. Other fly-tipping incidents are dealt with as notified to the department. Fly-tipping is dealt with on average within 3 days. The time taken to remove fly tipped waste is continually monitored.

Training and resources are essential to ensure effective litter collection. The sweeping staff are issued with copies of maps of their route, a list of streets within their area and a daily record sheet to note work completed and occurrences. Street sweepers are also trained to deal with “sharps,” safely. Feedback from the people working in the field will enable better use of resources, staff are encouraged to have a greater input into their routine.

Public perception of street cleansing and removal of fly tipped waste is gauged via the Citizens’ Panel. Information about the public’s views is relayed to the staff as an item in Team Briefings.

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Street cleanliness is no longer simply giving a sweeper his beat and letting him sweep it day in day out. Street cleanliness is quality driven, sweeping frequencies and routes are altered to give more attention to a particular area if there is a greater need for street sweeping there. The cleanliness of street is regularly assessed for quality and the public’s comments are also taken into consideration.

1.46 Education

Education and greater awareness of the problems caused by litter are the surest way of altering the populations’ habits to achieve a litter free County Borough. A combination of education, enforcement and actively seeking peoples’ co-operation will help reduce litter and assist Community Services staff to highlight problem areas within the County Borough.

In Spring 2002 two Education and Recycling Officers were employed by the Community Services Department, their education role includes meeting groups within the community to increase awareness of litter abatement. The Community Services Department will also work in close co-operation with the Enforcement Officers employed by the Public Protection Department, amongst whose powers will be the issue of Fixed Penalty Notices under Section 88 Environmental Protection Act 1990.

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Conclusion

Wrexham County Borough Council’s Environmental Policy published in 2000, defines the Council’s commitment to sustainable waste management in the future. The Authority will strive to reduce the amount of waste produced within the County Borough and promote waste minimisation and recycling. A sustainable waste management policy will attempt to achieve the waste diversion and minimisation targets set by the Welsh Assembly Government.

Sustainability is the key link between ecological and environmental improvement and the health and well being and economic growth of the County Borough. The use of landfill to dispose of waste will become steadily more expensive and the emphasis will be on waste reduction and reclamation.

Education and increased awareness are the cornerstones to meeting continued waste reduction and the Authority will work diligently to raise the profile of waste awareness in the schools and amongst the public at large.

Greater reductions in the use of landfill as a disposal method will be achieved by greater opportunities for the public to recycle their reclaimed materials. During the period of the Waste Strategy the Council will increase the number of households that can benefit from the kerbside collection of reclaimed material and the separate collection of green garden waste for composting. The facilities to recycle will be improved at the Authority’s Household Waste Recycling Centres and more Neighbourhood Recycling Centres will be built making recycling more convenient for more people.

Reclaimable materials which remain in the general waste stream and have not been pre sorted for kerbside collection or taken to one of the bring banks. The general waste from the residual waste collection will be processed at a specialised waste treatment facility. Some of the waste remaining after fractions of the waste stream have been either recycled or composted can be can be pelletised and used as a fuel to obtain energy from waste, producing electricity. The proposed fully integrated waste management system will ensure maximum diversion of waste produced from landfill, maximum reclamation of valuable materials recycled from the waste and less reliance on finite resources such as fossil fuels by producing energy from waste.

Wrexham County Borough Council will continue to improve its waste management service to provide a high quality service to the residents and a technically sound integrated waste management system to meet the waste targets set by the Welsh Assembly Government.

SUPPORTING INFORMATION

REFERENCES

1.47 European Legislation

A list of Community Legislation currently in force relevant to waste can be found at:

http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/lif/reg/en_register_15103030.html

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http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/lif/reg/en_register_15103030.html


Most legislation is in the form of Directives, which set common objectives and deadlines for Member States to implement through the enforcement of appropriate national legislation. Regulations have direct applicability, i.e. they do not have to be transformed into domestic law.

1.47.1 Directives referred to in Appendix D

The Directives that are referred to in Appendix D of this IWMS can be found at:

http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/lif/dat/1999/en_399L0031.html

1.48 UK Legislation

Copies of UK legislation can be obtained from:

The Stationary Office

http://www.thestationeryoffice.com/

The Stationery Office

123 Kingsway

London

WC2B 6PQ

Tel: 020 7242 6393 or 020 7242 6410

Fax: 020 7242 6394

e-mail: [email protected]

Some legislation can be viewed on-line at:

Her Majesty’s Stationary Office

http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/

1.49 Welsh Assembly Government Documents

The Welsh Assembly Government, Planning Policy Wales, Technical Advice Note 21: Waste, November 2001

The Welsh Assembly Government ‘Wise about Waste’, The National Waste Strategy for Wales, June 2002

Welsh Assembly Government and Welsh Local Government Association, Guidance on Municipal Waste Management Strategies in Wales, August 2002

1.50 General

ACBE, Resource Productivity, August 2001: Waste Minimisation and Landfill Tax.

AEA Technology, 2002, Pilot Study on the Composition of Municipal Solid Waste in Wales.

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http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.thestationeryoffice.com/

http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/lif/dat/1999/en_399L0031.html


ENVIROSRIS, 2001, The Waste Diversion Impacts of Bag Limits and PAYT (Pay-As-You-Throw) Systems in North America. Ontario, Canada.

Hunt, L. 1997. The Little Green Book, A Waste Management and Recycling Reference Book. LGB Environmental Publications Ltd. Middlesex

1.51 Bibliography

Aylesford Newsprint, 2000, Achieving Recycling Targets (Best Practice in Materials Recycling), Aylesford, Kent.

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Draft Climate Change Programme 2001

DETR (now Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs) Waste Strategy 2000: England and Wales. May 2000. http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/strategy/cm4693/pdf/wastvol1.pdf

Department for Trade and Industry, Energy from Waste 1995 Department of Trade and Industry Best Practice Guide

Environment Agency, Draft technical guidance on clinical waste management facilities (Version 2.2 September 2001)

Environment Agency Waste Minimisation Good Practice Guide (June 2001)

“Tackling Fly Tipping: Guidance for Landowners, managers and members of public”, Fly-tipping Stakeholders Forum. http://www.environment agency.gov.uk/business/wasteman/flytip/?version=1

The Environment Council, The Stakeholders’ Guide Sustainable Waste Management, 2000

The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, Seventeenth Report on Incineration of Waste, 1983

Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, “The use of combined heat and power in community heating schemes”, 1999

The Energy from Waste Association, Dispelling the Myths, October 2000

George Tchobanoglous, et. al., Integrated Solid Waste Management: Engineering Principles and Management Issue, McGraw-Hill, 1993

Sustainable Wales, Dump the Diaper, Real Nappy Campaign Report. 2001

Further sources of information were derived from trade press, Internet search engines and personal communications with related organisations.

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http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/wasteman/flytip/?version=1

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/wasteman/flytip/?version=1

http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/strategy/cm4693/pdf/wastvol1.pdf


CONTACTS

1.52 Welsh Assembly Government

Welsh Assembly Government

Cardiff Bay

Cardiff CF99 1NA

Tel: 029 20 825111

Web site: http://www.wales.gov.uk/

1.53 UK Government

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The postal address for all initial correspondence is:

DEFRA Helpline Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs3-8 Whitehall Place London SW1A 2HH

The Helpline number: 08459 33 55 77

Web site: http://www.defra.gov.uk/

Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions

Headquarters and Ministerial Offices Eland House Bressenden Place LONDON SW1E 5DU

Web site: www.dtlr.gov.uk

DTLR Enquiry Service (8.30am - 5.30pm) : Tel: 020 7944 3000

Department of Trade and Industry

DTI Enquiry Unit 1 Victoria Street London SW1H 0ET

Enquiry Unit on 020 7215 5000

Web site: http://www.dti.gov.uk/

1.54 Government Agencies

Environment Agency of England and Wales

Web site: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/?lang=_e

Email: [email protected]

General Enquiry Line: 0845 9333111

Emergency Hotline 0800 807060.

Local Area office:

Ffordd PenianPark MenaiBangorGwyneddLL57 4DE

Phone: 01248 670770

Fax: 01248 670561

1.55 Charities, Community Groups and Organisations

Envirowise

Environment & Energy Helpline: 0800 585794

Web site: http://www.envirowise.gov.uk/

Eco-Schools

Contact:

Ms Sue Rigby EnCams - Environmental Campaigns Elizabeth House The Pier Wigan WN3 4EX

Tel.: +44 1942 824 620 Fax: +44 1942 824 778

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http://www.envirowise.gov.uk/



http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/?lang=_e

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/?lang=_e

http://www.dti.gov.uk/

http://www.dtlr.gov.uk/

http://www.defra.gov.uk/

http://www.wales.gov.uk/


e-mail: [email protected] Web site: http://www.eco-schools.org/

Women’s Environmental Network (WEN)

(Real Nappies)PO Box 306 26London E1 1TZ

Tel: 020 7481 9004

Sustainable Wales

1st Floor41 John StreetPorthcawl, CF36 3AP

Tel: 01656 783 405

Web site: http://www.sustainablewales.org.uk/

WRAP

Jennie Price, Chief Executive.The Old Academy21 Horse FairBanburyOxon, OX16 0AH

Tel: 01295 819900

Fax: 01295 819911

E-mail: [email protected]

Web site: http://www.wrap.org.uk/

CYLCH – Wales Community Recycling Network

Mal Williams - Chief Executive

Dewi Smith - Business and Training Manager

CylchCardiff Business Technology CentreSenghennydd RoadCathaysCardiff, CF24 4AY

Web site: http://www.cylch.org.uk/

Tel: 029 2064 7000

Fax: 029 2064 7009

Composting Association

Avon HouseTithe Barn RoadWellingboroughNorthamptonshire NN8 1DH

Tel. 01933 227777

Web site: http://www.compost.org.uk/

Combined Heat and Power Association

David Green, DirectorCombined Heat and Power AssociationGrosvenor Gardens House35/37 Grosvenor GardensLondon SW1W 0BS

Tel: 44 020 7828 4077

Fax: 44 020 7828 0310

Web site: http://www.chpa.co.uk/

Energy from Waste Association

26 Spring StreetLondon W2 1JA

Tel: +44 020 7402 7110

Fax: +44 020 7402 7115

Web site: http://www.efw.org.uk/

Community Re-Paint

Web site: http://www.communityrepaint.org.uk/

Wales Environment Trust

Head Office (South Wales) - For General Enquiries

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http://www.communityrepaint.org.uk/

http://www.efw.org.uk/

http://www.chpa.co.uk/

http://www.compost.org.uk/

http://www.cylch.org.uk/

http://www.wrap.org.uk/


http://www.sustainablewales.org.uk/

http://www.eco-schools.org/



e: [email protected] t: 01443 866 300 f: 01443 866 301 a: The Wales Environment Trust, Tredomen Business and Technology Centre, Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, South Wales, CF82 7FN.

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mailto:[email protected]%20class%3D


Abbreviations

BMW Biodegradable Municipal Waste

BPEO Best Practicable Environmental Option

BVPI Best Value Performance Indicator

BVPS Best Value Performance Standards

CA Civic Amenity (site or waste)

CBC County Borough Council

CFC Chlorofluorocarbons

CHP Combined Heat and Power

DEFRA Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

DETR Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions

DTLR Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions

EC European Council

EfW Energy from Waste

ELV End of Life Vehicles

HHW Hazardous Household Waste

IPPC Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control

LCA Life Cycle Assessment

MBT Mechanical Biological Treatment

MRF Materials Recovery Facility

MSW Municipal Solid Waste

MWP Mixed Waste Processing Plant

NHHWF National Hazardous Household Waste Forum

NWAI National Waste Awareness Initiative

PPC Pollution Prevention and Control

RDF Refuse Derived Fuel

TBG Tidy Britain Group

UA Unitary Authority

UDP Unitary Development Plan

WEEE Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

WEN Women’s Environmental Network

WRAP Waste and Resources Action Programme

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1.56 Glossary

Anaerobic Digestion

A process where biodegradable material is encouraged to break down in the absence of oxygen, in an enclosed vessel. It produces carbon dioxide, methane and solids/liquors known as digestate, which can be used as a fertiliser and a compost.

Best Available Techniques (BAT)

Is defined as ‘the most effective and advanced stage in the development of activities and their method of operation which indicate the practical suitability of particular techniques for providing in principle the basis for emission limit values designed to prevent and, where that is not practicable, generally to reduce emissions and the impact on the environment as a whole.’ (EC Integrated Pollution Control Directive (96/61/EC))*

Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO)

The outcome of a systematic consultative and decision-making procedure which emphasises the protection and conservation of the environment across land, air and water. The BPEO procedure establishes, for a given set of objectives, the option that provides most benefit or least damage to the environment as a whole, at acceptable cost, in the long term as a well as short term. (Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution Twelfth Report)

Best Value

Places a duty on local authorities to deliver services (including waste collection and waste disposal management) to clear standards – covering both cost and quality – by the most cost effective, economic and efficient means available.

Biodegradable Municipal Waste (BMW)

Biodegradable material is material which is capable of being broken down by plants (including fungi) and animals (including worms and micro-organisms). In municipal solid waste, the property is generally attributed to the following fractions: paper and card, food and garden waste and a proportion of textiles, fines and miscellaneous combustible waste, including disposable nappies.*

Biogas

The gas produced by the breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen that can be used as a fuel.

Bring recycling

Recycling schemes where the public bring material for recycling to centralised collection points (e.g. bottle and can banks) at Civic Amenity Sites (Household Recycling Centres), supermarket car parks and similar locations.

Bottom Ash

The un-burnable ash residue remaining in an incinerator or energy recovery facility after the combustibles have been incinerated.

* Definition taken from ‘Guidance on Municipal Waste Management Strategies in Wales’ issued jointly by the Welsh Assembly Government and the Welsh Local Government Association. August 2002

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Central composting

Large scale schemes which handle garden waste and kitchen waste from households and which may also accept suitable waste from parks and gardens.*

Civic Amenity (CA) site

See Household Recycling Centre

Clinical Waste

Waste which may cause infection to any person coming into contact with it. This includes waste arising from medical practices, wastes contaminated with body fluids, and animal wastes (other than agricultural).

Co-collection

A sub-set of kerbside collection. Integrated or co-collection is one in which materials for recycling are collected by the same vehicle at the same time as the ordinary household waste collection.

Combined Heat and Power (CHP)

The combined production of heat (usually in the form of steam) and power (usually in the form of electricity). In waste-fired facilities, the heat would normally be used as hot water to serve a district-heating scheme.

Co-mingled recyclables

Unsorted recyclable materials collected from households, including paper, glass, metal, plastics etc.

Commercial Waste

Waste from premises used wholly or mainly for the purposes of a trade or business or for sport, recreation or entertainment (Section 75(7) of the EPA)

Community sector

This sector includes charities, campaign organisations and not-for-profit companies.*

Compost

A stable granular material produced by the aerobic decomposition of biodegradable material, such as garden and kitchen waste, which can be used among things to improve soil structure and enrich the nutrient content of the soil.

Compost plant

Facility for carrying out composting.

Composting

The controlled biological decomposition and stabilisation of organic substrates (e.g. garden and kitchen waste), under conditions that are predominantly aerobic and that allow the development of thermophillic temperatures as a result of biologically produced heat. It results in a product that has been sanitised and stabilised, is high in humic substances and is of such a quality that is can be used as a soil improver, as an ingredient in growing media, or blended to produce other marketable products (that meet industry standards). In the case of vermicomposting these thermophillic temperatures can be foregone at the point the worms are introduced.*

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Contaminants

Materials that are incorrectly placed by the householder in collection facilities, e.g. recycling bank or kerbside collection schemes. Contaminants can also be the result of failure to maintain the separation of the targeted materials during the collection and processing phases.

Construction Waste

Waste arising from groundwork prior to construction of buildings, roads and other works, typically consisting of soil and other inert material.

Controlled Waste

Household, industrial, commercial and clinical waste which require a waste management licence for treatment, transfer or disposal. The main exempted categories comprise mine, quarry and farm wastes.

Cullet

Crushed used glass.

Difficult Waste

A Controlled waste which due to its composition, requires special attention or techniques to avoid problems upon disposal or afterwards. It may be produced in household, industrial or commercial premises.

District Heating

The use of hot water produced from energy production facilities to heat adjacent properties by pumping through a local pipe network.

Dioxins

A group of chemicals having a high environmental and toxicological significance, they are polychlorinated dibenzodioxins. Dioxins are often produced during combustion of materials where chlorine is present (e.g. fireworks, barbecues, power stations, cigarettes, blast furnaces, waste incinerators, gasification and pyrolysis etc). In modern incinerators the emissions of ‘dioxin’ are strictly prescribed, monitored and controlled.*

Directive

See EC Directive

Disposal

The final stage of managing waste, preferably in a controlled and sustainable manner. The most common techniques are landfill and incineration.

Diversion rate

The amount of material diverted from the household waste stream through materials recycling and composting, expressed as a percentage of the total amount of waste generated.

Duty of Care

Legislatory concept ensuring that waste is safely stored, handled and transported by authorised operators, and requires that waste producers pass waste on to such operators.

* Definition taken from ‘Guidance on Municipal Waste Management Strategies in Wales’ issued jointly by the Welsh Assembly Government and the Welsh Local Government Association. August 2002

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EC Directive

A Council of the European Union legal instruction which is binding on all Member States, but must be implemented through the legislation of national governments within a prescribed timescale.*

EC Regulation

A Council of the European Union legal instruction that is binding in its entirety and directly applicable (i.e. not requiring separate national legislation to become law).*

Energy from Waste (EfW)

A waste treatment process involving the incineration of waste. The resulting heat is used to make steam from which electricity is generated and fed into the National Grid. It is also possible to provide district heating. Significant emission control equipment would be provided at such a plant to minimise pollution.

Environment Agency of England and Wales

Established in April 1996, combining the functions of former local waste regulation authorities, the National Rivers Authority and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Pollution. In Wales the Agency operates as Environment Agency Wales.

European Commission

The Executive body of the European Union (EU) it embodies and upholds the general interest of the EU. It presents legislative proposals to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. It is responsible for implementing European legislation, directives, regulations and decisions.*

European Council

Consists of the Heads of State or Government of the Member States of the European Union and should not be confused with the Council of the European Union.*

European Union

Consists of 15 Member States and is preparing for the accession of 13 eastern and southern European countries. The Council of the European Union, consisting of one representative at ministerial level from each Member State and sometimes referred to as the Council of Ministers, is the main legislative body of the community and it exercises legislative power in co-decision with the European Parliament.*

Fluidised Bed

With this technique the material is injected into a fluidised bed of hot granular material (usually sand). An upward flow of air from a porous plate expands and fluidises the bed. Refuse derived fuel (RDF), liquid or gaseous materials can be introduced to the bed and so combusted. The upward airflow also extracts the combustion products for treatment prior to discharge. Ash is extracted at the base of the chamber where it naturally accumulates

Fly Ash

Non-combustible residual particles from the combustion process, carried by flue gas.

Fly Tipping

Illegal tipping of waste on land that is not licensed for waste disposal, storage or treatment.

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Gasification

The heating of organic materials with air, steam or oxygen to produce gaseous fuels, ash and tar.*

Green waste

Garden and park waste consisting of trimmings, cuttings, and waste plants and shrubs.

Greenhouse Gas

Gases emitted from a variety of sources that trap heat from the sun that would otherwise be lost in space. Fears have been expressed that increasing amounts of these gases in the atmosphere might lead to a rise in global temperature, with consequent climate change on a global scale. This phenomenon has been termed the ‘greenhouse effect’.

Groundwater

Freshwater beneath the earth's surface in the saturated zone of the soil or rock. This includes perched water separated from the main body of groundwater by an unsaturated zone, usually in aquifers or held in the soil structure, supplying wells and springs. Generally all sub surface water as opposed to surface water.

Hazardous wastes

The most harmful wastes to people and the environment, and defined according to properties listed in Annex III to the Council Directive 91/689/EEC on hazardous waste.*

Hazardous Household Waste

Defined by the National Household Hazardous Waste Forum as ‘ ..and material discarded by a household which is difficult to dispose of, or which puts human health or the environment at risk because of its chemical or biological nature.’*

Heavy Metals

A metal of atomic weight greater than sodium (22.9) that forms soaps on reaction with fatty acids, e.g. aluminium, lead, cobalt.

Household Waste

Waste from domestic premises, caravans, residential homes, educational establishments or premises forming part of a hospital or nursing homes (Section 75(5) of EPA). This includes all waste arising within a household including Waste Collection Authority collected waste, waste delivered to Household recycling centres and waste brought to recycling facilities.

Household Recycling Centre

A facility provided by the local authority, which is accessible to the local public to deposit waste that cannot be collected by the normal household waste collection round.

Hydrocarbon

An organic compound consisting exclusively of the elements carbon and hydrogen. Derived principally from petroleum, coal tar, and plant sources.

Inactive Waste

Wastes which do not undergo any significant physical, chemical, or biological transformations. As defined in the Landfill Tax Order 1995.

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Incineration

The process of combusting waste under controlled conditions, usually with heat and power recovery, when it is termed Energy from Waste.

Industrial Waste

Waste from any factory, or premises used for the provision of public transport, public utility or postal services (Section 75(6) of EPA).

Inert Waste

Waste which when disposed of in or on land does not undergo any significant physical, chemical or biological transformation excluding special wastes (e.g. clay, concrete, sand). Largely originates from demolition and construction works.

Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control

Is designed to prevent or, where that is not possible, to reduce pollution from a range of industrial and other installations, including some waste management facilities, by means of integrated permitting processes based on the application of best available techniques.*

Integrated waste management

Involves a number of key elements, including: recognising each step in the waste management process as part of a whole; involving all key players in the decision making process; and utilising a mixture of waste management options within the locally determined sustainable waste management system.

In-vessel Composting Facility (IVCF)

A diverse group of composting methods in which the materials are contained in a building, reactor or vessel.

Kerbside collection

Any regular collection of waste or recyclables from premises, including collections from commercial or industrial premises as well as from households. Excludes services provided on demand.

Landfill Site

Defined in the Council Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste as meaning ‘..a waste disposal site for the deposit of waste onto or into land…’. The definition includes waste sites where the producer of the waste is landfilling at the place of production of the waste and any site established for over a year, where waste is temporarily stored. Landfill sites are often located in disused quarries or mines. In areas where there are limited, or no ready-made voids, the practice of landraising is sometimes carried out, where some or all of the waste is deposited above the ground, and the landscape is contoured.*

Landfill Gas

A mixture of gases (principally methane and carbon dioxide which are both greenhouse gases) produced by the decomposition of putrescible waste deposited in landfill sites.

Landfill Tax

Introduced in the Landfill Tax Order 1995, a standard tax was placed on every tonne of active and inactive waste sent to landfill. This tax aims to encourage other more sustainable waste management systems, and is expected to rise over the coming years, thus making landfill a

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more expensive option. Up to 20% of the tax can be paid as credits into a registered Environment Trust Body in order to support projects, which enhance the environment.

Leachate

A liquid generated at landfill sites by the solution in water (or other liquids) of chemical compounds which are present in the waste and/or arise through decomposition.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

The method for evaluating the material inputs and emissions relating to the whole life of a product, from raw material acquisition through manufacture, distribution, sale, use, re-use, maintenance, recycling and waste management. Environmental impact and costs can be taken into account. Life cycle analysis refers to the collection of data to produce an inventory for life cycle assessment.

Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

Site where reclaimed recyclable waste is either mechanically or manually separated and/or bulked up prior to reprocessing.

Mechanical Biological Treatment

May be used as a pre-treatment to stabilise residual wastes prior to landfilling. A combination of mechanical and biological processes are employed to achieve stabilisation of the wastes.*

Minimisation

Reduction of waste arisings at source.

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)

The household waste stream, waste arising from local authority maintenance work and waste arising from certain industrial and commercial establishments collected by the Waste Collection Authority.

Municipal Waste

Includes wastes collected by the WCA, such as household waste, that arising from local authority maintenance work, and waste arising from some commercial establishments.

National Assembly for Wales

Is the devolved administration exercising statutory powers in Wales. It contains sixty elected Assembly Members. *

Organic

Material containing carbon combined with hydrogen. e.g. vegetable matter and paper, but generally referring to wastes which are putrescible or rapidly decompose.

Ozone

Is a gas whose molecules consist of three oxygen atoms (O3). A layer of ozone formed naturally in the Earth’s upper atmosphere acts as a barrier to ultraviolet-B radiation and protects the biosphere.

Ozone Depleting Substance

A substance which when released to the environment may contribute to depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, due to the action of free halogen atoms. Ozone depleting

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substances (ODS) are controlled by Council Regulation 2037/2000 on substances that deplete the ozone layer.*

Packaging Waste

Wastes used for the containment, protection, delivery and presentation of goods. Covered by the Produced Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste ) Regulations 1997. Many larger companies now have an obligation to assist in the recycling and recovery of packaging waste in order to meet strict targets. This is leading to an increased interest in private recycling operations.

Participation

Contribution to a recycling programme or some or all of the targeted materials by a householder, or other waste generator at least once in a four week period.

Performance Indicators

A way of measuring performance in specific areas for the purposes of monitoring progress towards continuous improvement and for enabling comparative performance assessment.*

Pollution/Pollutant

The addition of materials or energy to an existing environmental system to the extent that undesirable environmental effect is produced either directly or indirectly.

Pollution Prevention and Control

Is a new regime created to implement Council Directive 96/61EC concerning integrated pollution prevention and control, the purpose of which is to ‘..achieve integrated prevention and control of pollution arising from the activities listed in Annex I’. The activities in Annex I include a range of waste management activities.*

Precautionary Principle

Is used by decision makers in the management of risk. Precaution should be applied where scientific evidence is insufficient, inconclusive or uncertain and where there are indications through preliminary objective scientific evaluation that there are reasonable grounds for concern that the potentially dangerous effects in the environment, human, animal or plant health may be inconsistent with the chosen level of protection*.

Producer Responsibility

This approach is intended to require producers who put goods or materials onto the market to be more responsible for these products of materials when they become waste. In some cases, producers will also be asked to reduce the level of hazardous substances in their products, and to increase the use of recycled materials and design products for recyclabilty.*

Proximity Principle

The proximity principle (as applied to wastes) is that they should be treated or disposed of as near to their place of origin as possible so as to minimise the distance that they are moved.

Putrescible Waste

Wastes that may be subject to biodegradation and hence give rise to potentially polluting by-products that usually take the form of liquids or gases.

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Pyrolysis

Is the thermal decomposition of waste into gaseous or liquid fuels carried out in the absence of oxygen and at relatively low temperatures, between 400-800 °C. The desired fuel (carbonaceous char, oils or combustible gases) can be produced by altering the process conditions.

Re-Use

The use of materials for its original or another purpose without reprocessing.

Reclamation

The removal of materials with a resource value from a waste stream.

Recovery

The recovery of the resource value of waste either in the form of raw materials or its energy value.

Recycling

The reprocessing of reclaimed materials such as paper and glass into a state in which it can be re-used.

Recycling Rate

Percentage of the total waste stream which is recycled. Is a product of the participation rate, capture rate and relative amount of material collected which is not contaminated.

Reduction

Reducing the quantity of waste arising at source.

Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF)

A product of the processing of waste into pellets for burning in industrial boilers. Production involves the removal of the non-combustible elements of the incoming waste - glass, and inert material - the extraction of high calorific value combustible material for conversion into pellets and the reclamation of metal prior to rejection of the remaining waste.

Reprocessing

The treatment of recyclable or compostable materials following collection and processing to prepare a secondary material that meets market specifications. For example, the production of recycled plastic pellets, recycled paper or clean glass cullet, or the composting of putrescible wastes.

Residue

The remaining waste, such as ash, requiring disposal after being subjected to a waste treatment process.

Secondary Aggregates

Materials reclaimed from a waste stream that can be subsequently used with or without processing as aggregates in construction applications as a substitute for primary materials such as gravel or quarried rock.

Self Sufficiency

Dealing with wastes in within the region or country where they arise.

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Source segregation

The separation of recyclable materials from the general waste stream where the waste is produced (i.e. the household.

Special Waste

Wastes which show specific hazardous properties , may be hazardous to humans, and meets one of a number of tests specified in the Special Waste Regulations 1996. Special Waste may not be transported without prior notification to the Environment Agency.

Survival Bag

Durable plastic sack used to collect recyclable materials. The bag is filled by the householder, placed in wheeled bin and collected with the general waste stream. Bags are extracted mechanically or manually from the waste at a transfer station or MRF.

Sustainable Development

Meeting the needs of the present generation without damaging the environment or preventing future generations from being able the meet their own needs and hopes.

Transfer Station

Facility at which collected waste is placed in larger vehicles for transport to waste management facilities (such as landfill). They are used in order to cut down on transport costs and impacts. They usually entail covered buildings and lifting equipment.

Treatment

Physical, thermal, chemical or biological processes, including sorting, that change the characteristics of the waste in order to reduce its volume or hazardous nature, facilitate its handling or enhance recovery.*

Unitary Development Plan

Sets out land use policies for the area of the unitary authority, including policies for waste developments.

Void Space

Available filling volume at a landfill site.

Waste

Any substance or object which the producer or person in possession of it discards, or intends, or is required to discard.

Waste Arisings

The quantity of waste generated.

WCA

Waste Collection Authority. Responsible for the collection of household waste, plus commercial waste if requested. Usually the District, Metropolitan, or Unitary councils in England.

WDA

Waste Disposal Authority. Responsible for letting contracts for the disposal of waste collected by the WCAs, providing Civic Amenity Sites and payment of recycling credits. Usually the County, Metropolitan, or Unitary Councils in England.

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Waste Growth

Growth in waste arisings experienced across the UK. Average UK growth is 3% attributed to growth in number of households, increased economic buoyancy and changes in lifestyle.

Waste hierarchy

The UK Government’s priorities for waste, commencing with reduction at the top, followed by re-use, recovery (by recycling, composting, or by energy recovery) and finally, at the bottom, is disposal. The waste hierarchy enables the various economic and environmental options to be examined and considered.

Waste Management Licensing

The regulatory regime that applies to the carrying out of waste management activities at specific sites introduced by the EPA which the two Councils have responsibility for enforcing. It includes requirements relating to charging for the possession of a Waste Management Licence and also the prevention of the surrender of licences unless authority has been obtained from the Environment Agency.

Waste Stream

This describes the channelling of household rubbish into a system for processing. The waste stream begins at the domestic dustbin and ends with landfill, recycling or incineration.

Welsh Assembly Government

Often referred to in this Strategy as the ‘Assembly’, consists of the Cabinet, Ministers and civil servants working for the devolved administration in Wales.*

Welsh Local Government Association

Represents all 22 unitary local authorities and exists to serve its members and promote local democracy.

Windrow

Elongated pile of composting material

WISARD Tool

Waste Integrated Systems Assessment for Recovery and Disposal. Environment’s Agency’s Life Cycle Analysis Software for Waste Management

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APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: Current Situation: Wrexham Statistics.

APPENDIX B: Independent Litter Survey

APPENDIX C: Options Appraisal – Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities

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MUNICIPAL WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

APPENDIX A

Current Situation: Wrexham Statistics

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Table A 1: Labour Market in Wrexham (%)

Economically Active 1999-20001

Employment rate 1999-20001,2

ILO Unemployment rate 1999-20001,2

United Kingdom 78.5 73.8 6.0Wales 73.8 68.5 7.2Wrexham 73.9 68.9

Information from Regional Trends. 36. 2001 National Statistics Office1 For those of working age. Data are from the Labour Force Survey and relate to the period March 1999 to February 20002 As a percentage of the economically active.

Table A 2: General Population Data

Population 129,300 (mid year estimate 2002)Households 53,226 (Valuation List)1 Centres of Population Wrexham Town Centre.

“Urban villages”- Gresford/Marford,Llay, Gwersyllt, Broughton, Brymbo, Brynteg, Coedpoeth, Minera, Bwlchgwyn/Gwynfryn, Rhostyllen, Johnstown, Rhos/Penycae, Ruabon, Cefn Mawr, Trevor, Froncysyllte, Chirk, Ceiriog Valley, Bangor on Dee, Overton on Dee, Holt, Marchwiel and Rossett.

Area 50,330 hectares or 170 square miles1 Figure from Valuation Officers, Schedule of Alterations. Audit Commission Guidelines.

Table A 3: Breakdown of Housing Data

Total Dwellings 49,971

Number of Households 48,200Average size of household 2.52Household tenure 48,017Owner Occupied 29,070 60.5%Rented Privately 2,238 4.7%Rented with Job 925 1.9%Housing Association 979 2.0%Local Authority 14,809 30.8%

Data from 1991 Census of Population, more up to date information not currently available

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APPENDIX B

Independent Litter Survey

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1 Introduction

Background

This report summarises the findings of a Local Environment Audit and Management System (LEAMS) validation survey undertaken by Keep Wales Tidy of the County Borough of Wrexham on 15/16 July 2003

Survey Area

A 6% random sample of streets and functional sites were surveyed in category zones 1, 2 and 3 (as defined by the Code of Practice on Litter & Refuse) across Wrexham County Borough.

Only areas which the Local Authority has direct responsibility for cleansing were surveyed. Areas such as private car parks and lands that is the responsibility of other bodies were excluded from the survey.

2 Cleanliness Survey

Survey Aim

The survey aimed to note and record the litter observed, and it’s sources, in each of the streets surveyed. This information allowed for the calculation of a baseline Cleanliness Index (CI) for the area, which can be re-assessed periodically as required and the percentage of streets of a high or acceptable standard, this latter figure being a Performance Indicator required by the Welsh Assembly Government. Additionally a number of Adverse Environmental Quality Indicators (AEQIs) were observed and reported.

Survey Methodology

One, randomly chosen, 50 metre transect of each street was surveyed. Where the total street length was greater than 500 metres the number of transects surveyed was increased to five. Each transect was assessed using the following criteria:

Cleanliness Grade

Adverse Environmental Quality Indicators (AEQI’s) (absence / presence)

Dog Fouling

Graffiti

Vandalism

Fly-Posting

Weeds

Litter Bins (count)

Total count and count of number overflowing

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Source of Litter:

Pedestrian/individual

Business waste

Domestic waste

Construction waste

Animal faeces

Other

Functional sites, when they were encountered in the survey area, were surveyed using the same criteria. Functional sites include areas such as carp parks, children’s playgrounds and public open spaces, where they are in direct control of the local authority. The responsibility for cleansing these areas often lies with a different department of the local authority to that which has responsibility for cleansing the streets and highways.

Cleanliness Grades

Each transect was graded according to the system outlined in the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse (COPL&R). The grades of cleanliness are as follows:

Grade A No litter or refuse.

Grade B Predominantly free of litter and refuse - apart from small items.

Grade C Widespread distribution of litter and refuse with minor accumulations.

Grade D Heavily littered with significant accumulations.

Grade A is the standard to which a thorough conventional sweeping/litter-picking should achieve.

Adverse Environmental Quality Indicators (AEQI’s)

The absence or presence and extent of the following Adverse Environmental Quality Indicators (AEQI’s) was noted during the survey:

Dog fouling

Graffiti

Fly posting

Vandalism

Weeds

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Litter Bins

Litter bins are those that are used by the public and not domestically used wheeled bins or dustbins nor bin bags placed on the street for collection.

A count was made of all litter bins which were present in the transects surveyed and the number of those which were observed to be overflowing.

Sources of Litter

Each transect containing litter had the source of litter identified under one or more of the following categories:

Pedestrian/individual

Business waste

Domestic waste

Construction waste

Animal faeces

Other

Photographs

Photographs were taken as evidence of AEQI’s present in the survey and as a representative for each grade recorded. Photographs were also taken of a number of interesting features in surrounding areas noted during the survey.

Comments

The Comments section of the survey form was completed to gain a better insight into any specific problems facing the area. Further details on the type of waste found within the transects, were recorded in this section e.g. the nature of litter and waste defined as ‘Other sources’.

Cleanliness Indices

A cleanliness index allows ongoing comparisons of assessments from successive surveys.

Cleanliness Indices were calculated from the cleanliness Grades (A-D) obtained in the field for each transect. Total counts of the grades of cleanliness were used to calculate a Cleanliness Index (CI).

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3 Results

Cleanliness Index

The overall Cleanliness Index (CI) score for streets and functional sites in Wrexham County Borough at the time of this survey was 71.8 with individual CI’s of 72.1 and 66.7 for streets and functional sites respectively. These figures can be used for ongoing comparisons of the County Borough.

Cleanliness Grades

The distribution of grades recorded across the survey of streets and functional sites are set out in Table 1 and 2 and represented in Figure 1 below:

Table 1

Grade No. of street transects

% of street transects surveyed

A 21 16.3

B 108 83.7

C 0 0

D 0 0

50 of the street transects achieving Grade B were noted to be very clean, whilst not being litter free. None of the streets surveyed were recorded as grades C or D. Few functional sites were encountered during the survey, all of which were recorded as Grade B.

The percentage of streets recorded as a high or acceptable standard of cleanliness, as required by the Welsh Assembly Government Performance Indicator, was 100%.

Table 2

Grade No. of functional site transects

% of functional site transects surveyed

A 0 0

B 7 0

C 0 0

D 0 0

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Adverse Environmental Quality Indicators (AEQIs)

Adverse Environmental Quality Indicators generally indicate a lowering of the local environmental quality. Public perception of the quality of the environment is lowered by these factors. AEQIs were noted as present or absent during the survey. Unlike litter, these items were not graded and thus their presence does not give a quantitative indication of the extent of the occurrence in each transect. Table 3 and Figure 2 below summarise the AEQIs observed throughout the survey.

Table 3 AEQIs recorded on street transects.

AEQI No. of transects

% of street transects surveyed

Dog Fouling 11 8.5

Vandalism 0 0

Graffiti 1 0.8

Fly-posting 1 0.8

Weeds 37 28.7

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Figure 1

Figure 0

0

Figure 0

16.3

83.7

0 0 0

100

0

0

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

%ag

e of

tran

sect

s

Streets Functional Sites

Percentage split of cleanliness grades in streets and functional sites

A

B

C

D


Figure 2

Dog Fouling

Dog fouling was observed on 8.5% (11 occasions) of the street transects surveyed.

Vandalism

No incidences of vandalism were observed on transects surveyed. This has been included for information only and was not part of the survey.

Graffiti

Graffiti was observed at 0.8% of street transects, representing one observation

Fly-posting

Fly posting was noted at 0.8% of surveyed street transects, whilst no flyposting was observed at the functional sites surveyed. The single observed occurrence was a sticker advertising Internet Broadband services.

Weeds

Weeds were noted in just under 30% of the street transects. Larger can trap litter and hinder cleansing.

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Litter Bins

Table 4

Streets Functional Sites

Count of bins % of bins Count of bins % of bins

Litter Bins 7 - 0 -

Overflowing Litter Bins 0 0 0 0

The majority of the litter bins recorded during the survey were observed in Wrexham town centre. In addition to these 2 cigarette bins were recorded in Wrexham town centre.

Sources of Litter

Table 5 and Figure 3 below summarise the sources of litter observed throughout the survey.

Table 5

Streets Functional sites

Source No. of transects

% of transects surveyed

No. of transects

% of transects surveyed

Pedestrian/Individual 98 76.0 7 100

Business Waste 14 10.9 0 0

Domestic Waste 3 2.3 0 0

Construction Waste 1 0.8 0 0

Animal Faeces 11 8.5 0 0

Other 4 3.1 0 0

Figure 3

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Pedestrian Waste

Pedestrian waste made up a large percentage of the waste sources identified.

Domestic Waste

Domestic waste was only observed at just over 2% of street sites.

Construction Waste

Construction waste was observed in 1 transect and was observed to be the result of construction works not fully cleared away.

Animal Faeces

The amount of animal faeces recorded relates to dog fouling alone. No other types were observed. It was noted in 8.5% of street transects.

Other

Other waste was observed at just over 3% of street sites and included a car battery and a suitcase discarded by the owners.

4 Conclusions and Comments

The overall Cleanliness Index (CI) score for streets and functional sites in Wrexham County Borough Council at the time of this survey was 71.8 with individual CI’s of 72.1 and 66.7 for streets and functional sites respectively.

The percentage of streets recorded as a high or acceptable standard of cleanliness, as required by the Welsh Assembly Government Performance Indicator, was 100%.

The majority (83.7%) of street transects were observed to be of Grade B. Half of these were noted to be very clean, whilst not achieving Grade A.

The majority of waste/litter observed during this survey originates from the individual, who has not disposed of their waste in the correct manner.

General comments were noted during the survey to aid management of the litter and waste problems in the survey area. The following is a summary of those items noted.

Many of the streets recorded as Grade B had their grade lowered due to the presence of cigarette butts. A targeted campaign at cigarette smokers to alert them to the fact that

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cigarette butts are classed as litter backed up with an enforcement programme may help to address this problem.

Detritus was noted to be building-up in the channel of some transects leading to the establishment of small weeds. Unmanaged this build-up may lead to further weed growth. Whilst detritus does not form part of the current requirements of the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse nor the Performance Indicator required by the Welsh Assembly Government, it is now a requirement for the English Best Value Performance Indicator 199, which this may be adopted in Wales in the future.

It is often the case that different teams and sometimes departments are responsible for cleaning adjacent areas such as these and effective co-ordination and co-operation between departments within the Council should enable this to be dealt with.

Litter was noted as being trapped in places around the survey such as:

in and under tree gratings

around lamp posts

The condition of channel (road to kerb) and backline (pavement to adjacent structures) in some areas is proving a litter trap..

It is often the case with a random survey such as this that whilst grades A and B are observed on the randomly selected transects, the adjacent transects show signs of grade C and D. In the case of this particular survey this was not found to be the case.

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APPENDIX C

Options Appraisal – Energy from Waste (EfW) Facilities

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Options appraisal for Energy from Waste technologies

Energy from Waste (EfW) technologies fall into several broad categories, one which is designed to process “as-received” waste (i.e. mass burn inclined grate and rotary kiln technologies), and one which is designed to process a prepared waste or Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) (i.e. suspension combustion, fluidised bed, gasification and pyrolysis). In addition anaerobic digestion technologies usually only process separated biodegradable waste. All technologies can convert waste into energy creating hot water, steam or electricity.

Anaerobic Digestion

Anaerobic digestion involves the decomposition of complex organic materials by bacteria in the absence of oxygen, within a closed container. The main product of anaerobic digestion is a biogas that is rich in methane.

A relatively stable residue, called the ‘digestate’, is also produced. Digestate from pre-segregated material can be cured and used as a soil conditioner, although it will require stabilisation by composting before a saleable product can be produced.

There are two basic types of bacteria used for anaerobic digestion, mesophilic and thermophilic, which function at different temperatures. The optimum temperature range for mesophilic bacteria is 35-37oC and that for thermophilic bacteria is 55-57 oC.

Thermophilic processes are more expensive to set up and maintain due to the higher operating temperature. Thermophilic processes have an advantage in that they partially sterilise residues and have a greater methane yield.

One of the main outputs of anaerobic digestion is biogas, which can be used in a combustion process to produce heat and/or power. The main determinant of the amount of biogas is the quantity of carbon in the organic material being processed. When this material degrades some of the carbon becomes part of the cellular material of the microbes (assimilated carbon) and the rest of the carbon forms methane and carbon dioxide (dissimilated carbon). The more anaerobic the process, the greater the amount of dissimilated carbon that is converted to methane.

Materials Suitable for Anaerobic Digestion

For materials to be suitable for anaerobic digestion higher moisture content is usually required than for materials that are composted. Hence by-products from rearing pigs are suitable, as is sewage sludge.

The majority of anaerobic digestion currently being carried out in the UK is for sewage sludge with the biogas produced being used to generate heat and electricity, which is often used by the sewage treatment works. The residual organic matter can then be used in composting.

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Some anaerobic processes can use solid municipal waste that has the major recyclable materials extracted, usually as part of the anaerobic digestion plant. This type of process will benefit from the green material not having been separated before.

Advantages

✔ other organics (such as paper and cardboard) along with kitchen and green materials can be processed: Making landfills easier to manage by removing potentially problematic organic materials.

✔ enclosed system enables all of the gas produced to be collected for use.

✔ the biogas can be used as a fuel or power source depending on the quantities produced.

✔ the compost residue can be used as a soil conditioner or input into a composting process.

✔ minimise nuisance odours.

✔ relatively low operating costs although facilities can be relatively capital intensive.

Disadvantages

✘ has yet to establish a track record for treating anything other than sewage and related sludges.

✘ waste water can contain relatively high concentrations of metals, dissolved nitrogen and organic compounds.

Incineration

Modern incinerators are designed to generate power (usually in the form of electricity) and often heat (in the form of steam) from the combustion process. A boiler is used to fulfil two main tasks in EfW plants, firstly cooling gases to minimise corrosion, thermal stress and the formation of harmful compounds such as dioxins, and also utilising the energy stored as heat in waste gases. There are two main types of incinerator available for municipal solid waste; moving grate or fluidised bed.

Moving grate incineration

With this technique the material is fed onto a grate which then moves through the combustion chamber. The material first dries, then the volatiles are combusted. Injecting secondary air aids in burning the escaping gases, which are treated prior to discharge. The incombustible ash residue that remains is collected at the end of the grate for subsequent disposal.

Moving grate incineration is a widely used system around the world for dealing with municipal solid waste. The three most common types of grate available are rolling, stepped incline, or reciprocating, which differ in the way the material is mixed and therefore exposed for combustion during the process.

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Advantages

✔ a proven technique, which can accept bulky materials;

✔ low particulate production in the exhaust gases;

✔ material does not require pre-treatment;

✔ can process large throughputs of material.

Disadvantages

✘ maintenance costs incurred by the many moving parts (grate, pistons);

✘ the layer of char can inhibit the combustion of larger objects, if mixing of the material is inadequate.

Fluidised bed incineration

With this technique the material is injected into a fluidised bed of hot granular material (usually sand). An upward flow of air from a porous plate expands and fluidises the bed. Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), liquid or gaseous materials can be introduced to the bed and so combusted. The upward airflow also extracts the combustion products for treatment prior to discharge. Ash is extracted at the base of the chamber where it naturally accumulates.

The types available are; bubbling (simplest system), revolving (different chamber design), and circulating (the bed of sand is extracted from the chamber and re-enters via a cyclone).

Advantages

✔ versatility to accept solid, liquid and gaseous materials (including sewage sludge);

✔ simple concept, with few moving parts;

✔ massive effective heating surface due to large surface area of bed material;

✔ bed has large quantity of stored heat (thermal inertia) to cope with variations in feed rate or composition;

✔ sand provides continuous attrition of material (breaking it into smaller particles), which assists in its thorough combustion;

✔ cyclone can recycle material until combusted to very small particles;

✔ high combustion efficiencies and residence time in the relatively lower temperature “hot” zone of fluidised bed can reduce the amount of dioxin formed;

✔ lower temperature reduces the formation of nitrogen oxides.

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Disadvantages

✘ absence of long term plant operation experience - relatively new technique for municipal incineration, being more common for specialised materials;

✘ requires care with the feed composition to avoid chamber degradation by corrosion or reactions. For example excessive tar, glass or aluminium can melt and form agglomerates within the bed. High material moisture contents can also be a problem;

✘ fluidised sand can rapidly abrade the refractory lining of the chamber if flow patterns are not controlled;

✘ requires fluid bed preparation (2-day start up time) and maintenance;

✘ high internal power costs.

Material input

The specific design of an EfW or incineration plant is dependent upon the type and quantity of materials it intends to process. Examples of feedstocks include mixed municipal solid waste and single materials including tyres, liquid chemicals, carcasses, plastics, wood, or Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) pellets.

It is important when designing an EfW plant that a reasonable estimate of the material composition is available, together with the predicted emissions, which will be produced from the combustion technique (based on comparable examples). It is important to quantify the amount of material available for the plant, as for maximum process and economic efficiency they should work close to their design capacity.

Energy recovery

Due to the lower temperatures the boiler structure can tolerate (about 400 oC) there is less efficiency in electricity generation than coal-fired power generation; incinerators typically utilising about 25% of the heat output, compared to 40-50% in normal power plants. The efficiency of the plant can be increased if, in addition to electricity generation, the waste heat is used in a combined heat and power (CHP) scheme. The power and heat can be utilised in ‘district heating’ systems by industry, commerce or householders. In environmental terms it is desirable to utilise as much heat as possible rather than release it into the atmosphere (as hot gases) or watercourses (in the form of cooling water).

Residual products

Combustion produces a combination of solid and gaseous products, and modern incineration plants are equipped with a variety of pollution control (or mitigation) devices, which aim to reduce the quantity of products released into the environment.

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A variety of technologies are employed to ‘clean’ the exhaust gases and the solid particles prior to discharge to the atmosphere from the tall chimney or stack. Ash is also produced as a by-product of incineration - this can be used as a secondary aggregate rather than having to be disposed of to landfill. The pollution control devices can be as much as 50% of the cost of a new plant. This is where economies of scale are most relevant with the cost of pollution control often impeding installation of smaller plants.

Gasification/Pyrolysis

There are a number of other forms of EfW involving thermal treatment of waste that do not require the ‘direct combustion’ of waste. In contrast to mass burn incineration, these methods are not generally tried and tested waste management techniques for municipal waste, particularly in the UK. However, some of these processes may help to reduce the emissions and residues associated with thermal treatment of waste and could therefore begin to play a more significant role in waste management in the future.

The use of gasification and pyrolysis technologies to treat waste has attracted significant attention recently. Pyrolysis is the thermal decomposition of material into gaseous or liquid fuels in the absence of oxygen at relatively low temperatures. Gasification by comparison, is the thermal decomposition of material in the presence of oxygen with higher temperatures being required. Air gasification is the most widely used technology as it generates a single gaseous product at high efficiency. Gasification produces a gas with a lower heating value, than that from pyrolysis, but the process is autothermic unlike pyrolysis, which is endothermic, requiring an input of energy.

Many processes combine Pyrolysis and Gasification to produce a gas with a higher heating value under more controlled conditions. Mixtures of gaseous, liquid and solid fuels are produced. In both processes, residues are produced and the fuel products can be combusted to generate heat and power or the gas used to power gas engines.

Advantages

✔ potential for low emissions;

✔ creation of a gaseous or liquid fuel facilitates direct conversion of this product into electricity, results in higher overall conversion efficiencies when compared with conventional steam turbines;

✔ potential for conversion of the products to higher value materials e.g. transport fuels and chemical feedstocks;

✔ qualifies for Renewables Obligation Certification (considered as ‘Advanced technology’);

Disadvantages

✘ gas clean-up system comparable to that of an EfW plant is still required although on a smaller scale because of the lower exhaust volumes;

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✘ relatively new technology and does not have full scale reference plants operational in the UK, which can be used to establish associated costs;

✘ tars and other substances can cause blockages in pipe-work; foul heat transfer surfaces or cause problems with gas clean up systems. Few plants are operating to 100% of their design capacity;

Since there are only a number of small-scale demonstration plants in the UK at the present time it is necessary to consider installations in Europe. However, the prevailing political and legislative conditions are quite different and therefore costings can be difficult to compare.

Materials Suitable for Energy Production

There are significant differences in the type of materials that can be used by an incinerator compared with a gasifier. Material used by a gasifier requires some separation and preparation process first, (as do fluidised bed incinerators), and may require materials to be below a certain size.

Sewage sludge can be incinerated or gasified, although this usually requires a dewatering process first, to increase the calorific value of the sludge.

If unsegregated municipal solid waste is taken to a combustion facility it is likely to benefit from green material having been collected separately as this has a high moisture content lowering the overall calorific value of the material.

Other types of Energy from Waste:

Landfill gas occurs naturally wherever household and commercial waste is disposed of in engineered rubbish sites. As the organic matter in the buried waste decomposes it creates a methane-rich biogas. This is made up of about 55% methane and 45% carbon dioxide. It is the methane which is valuable as a source of energy for both heat and power.

Landfill gas is collected from landfills by drilling "wells" into the landfills, and collecting the gases through pipes. The gas is produced within about a year of the first tipping and can continue to be exploited for many years afterwards.

The most frequent use of landfill gas is to generate electricity. This usually involves controlled combustion in a spark ignition engine. Gas turbines can also be used, but are generally less popular because of their requirement for a high pressure supply.

Apart from electricity generation, landfill gas can be used to fire burners, furnaces and kilns. It can also be used to provide direct heating, for instance in greenhouses. In some cases it has been used as the fuel for the vehicles which work at landfill sites.

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Landfill Gas Recovery

Advantages

✔ reduced Green-House-Gas (GHG) emissions;

✔ low cost means for waste disposal; and

✔ gas can be utilised for power generation or as domestic fuel (including potential for CHP).

Disadvantages

✘ inefficient gas recovery process yielding only 30-40% of the total amount of gas actually generated. Balance gas escapes to the atmosphere (significant source of two major green house gases, carbon-dioxide and methane);

✘ utilisation of methane may not be feasible for remote sites;

✘ cost of pre-treatment to upgrade the gas may be high; and

✘ spontaneous ignition / explosions may occur due to possible build up of methane concentrations in atmosphere.

Uses for Energy:

Combined Heat and Power

Combined Heat and Power (CHP) differs from conventional energy from waste as it utilises energy for the production not only of electricity but also for hot water. It ensures the production of useable heat and electricity simultaneously in the same plant and it is a highly efficient method of generating electricity and heat at the point of use. The biggest increases in efficiency over conventional power generation occur through heat recovery and avoiding transmission losses. The heat recovered can be harnessed to serve a variety of purposes such as industrial processes heating, as well as community heating schemes and space heating.

The Government has set a target for CHP by 2010 in the “Strategy for Combined Heat and Power to 2010” (Public Consultation Draft published 15 May 2002), which is;

To have an installed capacity of at least 10,000 MWe of Good Quality CHP.

Benefits of CHP

Community heating is one of the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly methods of providing heat. Greater fuel efficiency means substantial reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, helping local authorities to meet their Local Agenda 21 commitments and the Home Energy Conservation Act. Benefits to local authorities (when compared to using individual boilers) are that community heating:

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✔ Reduces capital and maintenance costs – the simplicity of the heat exchangers installed in each of the connected buildings means that there are reduced maintenance and operating costs.

✔ Saves space – the heat exchangers need about a tenth of the space needed by a conventional boiler. This permits valuable space to be used more efficiently.

✔ Increases efficiency – high efficiency of the heat exchangers means that losses associated with conventional boilers do not occur. Thus, only useful energy is paid for.

Cheaper fuel also means that tenants can afford to keep their homes warm, thus reducing damage caused by condensation and damp. This in turn leads to fewer complaints and greater tenant satisfaction.

CHP and effects on local community

Community Heating could be incorporated into deprived areas to guarantee cheap heating and warmth to the occupants.

Community heating is best utilised when the housing density is high and thus, there is a high heat load. The Government has recognised that in the short term it will need to give some support to local community heating schemes. It has therefore provided limited funds for development, renewal or extension of community heating systems through its housing programmes (for local authorities) and some other initiatives, such as the Energy Saving Trust and the Community Energy Fund which became available from April 2002.

As a guide for heating, 15MW of thermal energy will be capable of supplying heat to 7,500 dwellings. The distribution of the hot water is undertaken by means of pumps and a network of pipes known as the distribution network. Installation of the distribution network is costly and the paybacks are long. However, these costs can be reduced by incorporating the installation with the redevelopment programme and also by utilising the space provided to reduce disruption costs.

Summary

Each of the technologies has its advantages and disadvantages and many factors need to be considered in their evaluation. The primary factor is the energy market’s demands for the energy being purchased. It should also be recognised that while mass combustion technology is well established and has many years of operating experience, gasification and pyrolysis processes are in their infancy in the treatment of household wastes, with very few commercially sized facilities.

EfW facilities are capital intensive, being the most expensive waste management process in terms of capital costs - measured as '£ per tonne' capacity. Capital costs in terms of '£ per tonne' capacity reduce as the overall capacity of the facility increases. This leads to the development of large facilities that are supplied with waste from a number of communities. Costings for the different processes are not given, as calculation of costs is

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dependent on many variables. The costs between different plants using the same processes will vary with size and specification, the relative order of processes should be constant.

EfW facilities are not particularly sensitive to changes in waste composition. However, the high capital cost of the facilities results in the ‘per tonne cost’ of the facility being particularly sensitive to reductions in the amount of waste processed. The EfW plant can therefore counter efforts to minimise waste through reduction, re-use, recycling and composting. As a result, some States in the USA have banned certain materials from incineration, such as garden wastes, newspapers, cardboard, containers, batteries etc. Combining EfW with recycling and/or composting is an effective scenario, since the low heating value wastes such as kitchen waste and non-combustible materials such as metal and glass containers have been removed from the waste stream, providing a cleaner and more consistent fuel.

The ability of a specific process being able to use a material as feed stock will depend on the details of the equipment used as there is a huge range of equipment available for anaerobic digestion and energy production. It may also depend on the exact nature of the material used as some materials have a large variability in their composition. The variability may occur between sources or from one source over time.

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