Womble Nation

Wales' performance in recycling bests most of Europe, let alone the UK
....but there's a sting in the tail.
(Pic : via Youtube)

Back in December, the National Assembly's Environment Committee published its (refreshingly succinct) inquiry report into recycling (pdf).

For once it makes good reading for the Welsh Government and local councils, but that didn't stop the Committee making seven recommendations for further improvements, summarised as :

• The Welsh Government should review recycling collections immediately so local authorities can hit targets set for 2019-20.
• Local authorities should collaborate when renewing recycling collection contracts, and should make information relating to the destination of recycled waste public.
• The Welsh Government should research whether the inability to reduce waste overall will make it harder for local authorities to meet recycling targets.
• The Welsh Government should consider finding a "national broker" to deal with recycled waste - a recommendation from local authorities.
• The Welsh Government should investigate whether a national campaign to drive recycling rates even higher would be useful.

Recycling Performance

(Click to enlarge)

This is one of the few areas of public policy Wales can say we're leading the way at a European level, let alone within the UK.

According to the latest statistics, in 2013-14 (pdf p4), 53.4% of municipal waste was recycled in Wales (compared to 37.5% in 2008-09), with local performance ranging from 63.2% in Denbighshire to 48.2% in Merthyr Tydfil. This already nominally exceeds EU targets for member states to recycle 50% of their waste by 2020.

Wales wants to do even better, and is one of the few nations to have introduced statutory recycling targets – via the Waste Measure 2010 – aiming for 58% of household waste being recycled by 2015-16, rising 70% by 2024-25. Despite this, nine of Wales' 22 local authorities failed to meet the 52% target for 2012-13, and with financial pressures coming to bear, meeting higher targets will become more challenging.

Local authorities have the freedom to run their own recycling services and choose which method suits their area. But this means Wales has 22 different recycling schemes, falling into three broad types :

• Kerbside recycling – Where waste is pre-sorted by households into separate containers. This is the Welsh Government's preferred method, but is only used in 9 local authorities.
• Twin stream – Recyclables are collected in two containers, usually separating glass from paper and other waste. 5 authorities do it this way.
• Co-mingled – Recyclables are collected in one big container then sorted at a central facility. 8 authorities do it this way.

The Committee say there's no clear evidence that kerbside recycling increases recycling rates or is cheaper, and this was backed by the Auditor General, with good and poor performing local authorities using each method. The Committee suggest the Welsh Government need to do more to convince them that kerbside recycling is superior to other methods.

One particular concern from the Committee was a "lack of transparency" over both the destination of recycled waste and reject rates - especially from central waste processing facilities (Material Recovery Facilities) used by authorities that co-mingle recyclables.

The relationship between collection and recycling rates

One of the most important factors that leads to higher recycling
rates is clear communication of what can and can't be recycled.
(Pic : Bridgend Council)

Witnesses highlighted several factors that affect recycling rates, which include :

• Range of materials able to be recycled.
• Communication with households, and residents' understanding of what can and can't be recycled.
• Reliability of collections.
• Low levels of recycling amongst certain demographic groups.

Weight-based recycling targets are said to be driving local authorities to collect heavier items instead of considering the recyclability of items, and does nothing to motivate councils to reduce household waste overall. Paradoxically, manufacturers reducing their packaging, or moves to clamp down on junk mail for example, will make it harder for local authorities to hit weight-based targets.

The Wales Audit Office say the Welsh Government are unlikely to hit their targets of a 75% overall reduction in waste by 2050 unless waste production itself is reduced. The Committee agreed, and believe that reducing waste is more important in terms of protecting the environment and resources than simply recycling it.

Improvements & Waste Regulations

Although some witnesses supported introducing fines for failing to
recycle properly, the Committee rejected the creation of a "Bin Police".
(Pic : The Telegraph)

The Committee say further reductions in "black bag" collections and good communication by local authorities will play a part in improving recycling rates. They also say introducing fines would be premature until all other avenues have been exhausted.

The WLGA would prefer the Welsh Government to take the lead on promoting recycling at a national level. Meanwhile, one of the more important recommendations (from the results of a public survey) is a need for clearer information on what can or can't be recycled, as well as more frequent collections.

Although witnesses were open to the idea of fines (though, as said, the Committee reject the idea), they also suggested financial incentives, like a council tax reimbursement for areas with high recycling rates. It was broadly agreed though that "softer measures" and better communication were the best way forward.

There was a technical concern about new statutory guidance on recycling (the result of EU regulations) which conflicted with the Local Government Measure 2009 where local authorities have a duty to consult.

Shadow Local Government Minister, Janet Finch-Saunders (Con, Aberconwy), said in a seperate statement in December that the process was a "shambles" and "absurd". As I understand it, the statutory guidance will prevent residents and businesses giving their preferences for how recyclables are collected, which conflicted with the Measure.

This was cleared up by the then minister for Natural Resources, Alun Davies AM (Lab, Blaenau Gwent), who said that although the new guidance means collection of recyclables would become a legal requirement, councils can still comply with the Measure by consulting with residents and businesses on precisely how local authorities themselves can meet the legal requirements.

Keep On Wombling?

We need to be careful that Wales' good record here isn't ruined by
some dirty little secrets regarding the destination of recycled waste.
(Pic : Materials Recycling World)

Well, there you have it. Although some local authorities aren't pulling their weight, Wales is a nation of Wombles.

I said this was good news because recycling is seen as a form of greenwashed "good behaviour". Despite this, while recycling is definitely preferable to just chucking stuff away, recycling can in itself be less than environmentally friendly, and the report points towards reasons why that might be the case.

There's a principle known as the "hierarchy of waste" where the most-favoured option to deal with waste is preventing its production in the first place, and the least-favoured option is sending waste to landfill. The hint's in The Wombles theme song too : "Making good use of the things that we find...."Reuse and recycling are somewhere in the middle. That's because although it takes energy to manufacture something, it also takes energy to recycle and process waste to make it reusable. For some materials – like aluminium and plastics – this is a very efficient process; but for other materials – like paper and glass – it's less efficient than simply reusing it as is.

This is why it's so important to have an accurate picture of where our recycled waste is going and how much of it is rejected. Rejected waste – which can't be sold on - will probably head for landfill or incinerators anyway; while exporting waste abroad to be reprocessed (according to Stats Wales, in 2012-13 this amounted to just over 26,000 tonnes) takes resources.

Former Plaid Cymru AM, Nerys Evans, attempted to introduce a Measure during the Third Assembly which would've placed a formal legal duty on local authorities to publish this information, but the law was rejected.

Though in the end, it's very rarely we can say we're outperforming the UK; so here's to our tremendous political leadership! Hip hip!....

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