Newport trials plastic collection and expands composting

Newport council is taking several steps to reach exemplar status including changes to its kerbside collection scheme. In two weeks' time, 10,000 properties will have plastic added to their kerbside collections in a trial funded by 17,000 provided by the council. Over the next couple of months the council is looking to add cardboard and plastic to 20,000 properties' collections with funding from the Welsh Assembly.

The city council has already exceeded the Welsh Assembly's 2003/04 recycling and composting rate target of 15%. Its recycling rate increased from 12% to 17% last year, the equivalent of 9,700 tonnes. Of the city's 57,000 households, 52,000 have access to kerbside recycling.

Newport is one of five Welsh local authorities who have signed up to aim to divert 50% of waste from landfill by 2006. If the councils achieve this the Assembly will give them exemplar status and use them as examples of best practice (see letsrecycle.com story).

Compost scheme
The council invested 32,000 on the Komtech Farwick 'Joker' screening equipment with money from the Welsh Assembly's Sustainable Waste Management in Wales Fund.

The equipment will sort material by size, separating larger particles for further decomposition from the smaller particles ready for use. It can process up to 70 tonnes of compost an hour and it is hoped the site will turnover 3,500 tonnes per year.

Last year the council produced 3,400 tonnes of compost. Material comes from the city's green spaces and parks, and garden waste bought to the civic amenity site at Dock's Way landfill site. There are also two trial kerbside green waste collections being carried out covering 10,000 households. The year-long trials are comparing different collection methods: a biodegradable bag versus a separate wheelie bin.

The compost produced at the site has been analysed by an independent laboratory for its suitability as a growing medium. The council is now looking to test the compost at a variety of places including schools, allotments and Newport's University of the Third Age.

Councillor Graham Dally, cabinet member for transport and sustainable development, said: “The compost facility enables us to reduce the amount of green waste that is buried in the landfill site and we are now a step closer to using it in a range of projects across Newport.”