The local authority has instead opted to review its collection arrangements when its contract – currently held by Veolia – is next up for renewal in 2019.
At present, recyclables are collected commingled on a weekly basis, with residents using wheeled bins, boxes or plastic sacks to store the material, depending on the location and type of property they live in.
An assessment of the council’s compliance with the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 was carried out by consultancy firm White Young Green and presented to councillors at a meeting late in December.
The regulations state that separate collections of at least paper, metal, plastic and glass for household and commercial waste are a legal requirement, unless it is not technically, environmentally or economically practicable (TEEP) or necessary to allow high quality recycling of the material.
Commingled
According to Windsor and Maidenhead, WYG had demonstrated that by collecting dry recyclables as four separate waste streams, instead of through the council’s current commingled system, recycling tonnages would drop by approximately 5,800 tonnes per year. The council added that this would lead to an increase in disposal costs, estimated to be at around £500,000 per year.
Windsor and Maidenhead stated: “In addition, given the complexities of collecting different waste streams and, in particular the impact on vehicle and staffing efficiencies WYG estimated that any change in the current collection system could impact costs by a further £200,000 per annum.
“WYG therefore concluded that the current collection and disposal system was more technically, environmentally and economically practicable than collecting four separate waste streams. This would need to be kept under review.”
At the meeting in December, councillors also asked why the effect of the regulations, which stem from the revised Waste Framework Directive – which was adopted by the EU in 2008, had not been challenged when first discussed.
In response, councillor Jesse Gray, the council’s lead member for the environment, commented that discussions over the regulations were “quite historic and would have fallen under the previous Labour government”.
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