Cumbria was one of the first councils to announce that it would no longer collect waste upholstered domestic seating at HWRCs after the Environment Agency began enforcing regulations around persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on 1 January (see letsrecycle.com story).
The disposal of waste upholstered domestic seating such as sofas was halted while the council sought alternative arrangements from landfill, where the material was previously sent. This practice has now been banned under new guidance.
In an announcement this week (6 February), Cumbria said it will now have a separate space for waste upholstered domestic seating at seven of its 15 HWRCs. Residents have been urged not chop up or expose the seating before bringing it to the centres. They have been instructed to cover damage with tape or wrap damaged parts up in a bin bag.
This, according to the council, will help Cumbria comply with the guidance which says the waste must be sorted and stored in a way that prevents:
- Damaging it
- Release of POPs
- Contamination with other waste
This material will now be sent to waste transfer stations with contractors in the North West, where the material will be prepared for use in the refuse derived fuel (RDF) markets, the council told letsrecycle.com, as part of its 25-year deal with Renewi.
Residents who can not make it to a HWRC which accepts the material have been instead urged to book a bulky waste collection.
‘Good news’
Cumbria county council’s cabinet member for environment, Cllr Celia Tibble, said: “It is very good news that we now have a longer-term solution for separating, managing and disposing of waste upholstered domestic seating.
“It is a credit to the efforts of our contractors and staff that we have been able to put alternative arrangements in place so quickly.
“Our centres may be busier than normal this week as people start to bring these bulky items for safe disposal again so please bear this in mind or if you can, wait a week or so longer to visit.
“Thanks to all our residents who have remained patient in holding on to your items for the past few weeks.”
Guidance
The Environment Agency says it has been in discussions with local authorities for a number of years on the issue of POPs in waste upholstered domestic furniture.
It wrote to local authorities in August 2022 explaining that, effective immediately, waste upholstered domestic seating containing POPs must not be landfilled, mixed with other non-POPs-containing wastes, reused or recycled.
The Agency said at the time that it will undertake an assessment of compliance “across the sector” from 1 January 2023.
This week, the regulator again wrote to the sector reminding them of the requirements, explaining that Agency will start monitoring compliance from “early 2023”, with a “more formal” audit campaign planned for August (see letsrecycle.com story).
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