The Taunton-based waste management company Wyvern has published results for the all 18 of its waste recycling centres in Somerset between July and September 2004.
The new recycling centre at Highbridge achieved the highest rating of 81%, but it is the site at the Saltlands centre in Bridgewater that waste firm Wyvern is most impressed with. The site recycled around 80% of the waste it received, an increase of 34 percentage points on the corresponding figures from last year.
Wyvern sees this as its most impressive figure due to the large tonnage intake compared to Highbridge. Pete Daniel, spokesman for Wyvern waste, said: “The tonnage at Highbridge is fairly small at present because it is a new site. The Saltlands site takes around 13,000 tonnes a year so to pull the recycling rate up to 80% is quite impressive.”
Highbridge, which opened in May 2004, receives around 7,500 tonnes of waste a year at present.
Mr Daniel said that the major factor which improved the recycling rates of the sites this year was the use of the company's own staff. He said: “By using Wyvern staff rather than contractors we are able to direct the employees and provide training. It is the single biggest change we have made at our sites.”
Space has been set aside at the Highbridge site in advance of legislation changes next years, concentrating in particular on the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.
Chard
Other sites generally saw an increase on last year's performance with the site at Middlezoy increasing by 15 percentage points to 79% and Taunton increasing by 19 to 79%. All the sites were above the 55% target set out by Somerset county council.
At the bottom of the list was Chard with a recycling rate of 56%. The site is set to be closed in the near future due to a lack of space, and Somerset council are already arranging a replacement site in Chard town centre.
Wyvern runs the 18 sites in Somerset council as part of a five-year deal agreed in February 2003. Somerset has a household waste recycling rate of 27% with a government target of 40% set for 2005/06. In the first quarter of 2005/06 the council achieved a recycling rate of 32%.
Poole
Elsewhere the landfill site at Poole is set to close next year after 30 years of service for Taunton and Wellington. The site, which has taken in more than three million tonnes of rubbish since it opened in the 1970s, is having to close as there is no more space available.
Once the site closes domestic waste from Taunton and Wellington will be delivered to a brand new transfer station at the Poole site. The transfer station has a three-year temporary planning permission, which will give the council time to develop alternatives to landfill. The household waste recycling centre at Poole will not be affected and will continue to operate as normal.
Andrew Olie, managing director of Wyvern, said: “For Poole this really is the end of an era. The site has served us well but it is essential we find new ways of managing our waste and Wyvern will be developing alternative options over the next few years.
“However, the household waste recycling centre will remain open seven days a week, we have no intention of closing it.”
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