The partnership – which manages waste and recycling authorities for all the councils in Somerset – has produced an “End-Use Register” for 2007/08, which outlines where jars, cans, newspapers and other materials are sent.
The document follows increasing pressure on councils to reveal where recyclables go, in the wake of national media reports last year which claimed that some household recyclables were being unwittingly dumped abroad.
Waste disposal authorities are also obligated to reveal details of UK facilities in their Wastedataflow returns (see letsrecycle.com story).
The SWP register reveals that over 90% of materials collected in Somerset were recycled in the UK, with just 8% – mainly textiles and mixed paper and cardboard – being sent overseas. Recycling also reduced carbon emissions by 118,000 tonnes compared to burying the materials in landfill.
With recycling markets currently under pressure, the SWP hopes the document will help prove to residents that “recycling still works”.
Councillor Nigel Woollcombe-Adams, chair of Somerset Waste Board, welcomed the End-use Register. “The End-use Register is real evidence that recycling in Somerset is reducing carbon emissions and conserving natural resources. It's pleasing to be able to show that efforts made by local people are paying off for the environment and, with 163,000 tonnes recycled saving us almost £7 million in disposal costs and landfill tax, it's good for our pockets as well.”
Details
The End-use Register encompasses materials collected at the kerbside, at Household Waste Recycling Centres, at bring-banks, and by third parties to whom the SWP paid recycling or reuse credits.
For kerbside collections, it shows that Somerset's contractor, Norfolk-based services firm May Gurney, sent paper including Yellow Pages to Aylesford Newsprint in Kent for reprocessing into newsprint. Mixed paper and card was sent to Severnside in Somerset for reprocessing into new card.
Brown, clear and green glass was sent to O-I Manufacturing UK in Harlow, Essex, where it was made into new glass bottles and jars. Mixed glass was sent to Recresco in Bristol, who sold it into European markets.
Cans and aluminium foil were sold to AMG Limited, based in South Wales, who then sold steel to Corus for making new steel, and sold aluminium to Novelis.
Food waste was sent to Viridor's in-vessel composting (IVC) facility at Dimmer in Somerset, Eco-Composting's IVC plant in Dorset and Greenfinch's anaerobic digestion facility in Shropshire. Garden waste was sent to three local Viridor sites.
Meanwhile, May Gurney sold textiles and footwear to Somerset-based sorter MJ Bowers, who sent them for reuse in third world countries or recycling.
Plastic bottles and plastic bags were sent to AWS Eco-plastics in Leicester and J&A Young in Leicester. Batteries were sent to G&P in the West Midlands and engine oil was sent to Chemical Recoveries in Avonmouth.
Somerset Waste Partnership plans to publish the Recycling End-use Register annually.
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