The claims come despite the draft waste strategy for Wales, entitled ‘Towards Zero Waste', putting source separated collections at the heart of its plan to boost municipal recycling and composting rates to 70% by 2025 (see letsrecycle.com story) in a bid to improve material quality.
The strategy, which is currently out for consultation, outlines a requirement for 80% of recycling and composting to be collected source-separated by local authorities from 2009/10.
Currently in South Wales, Newport city council, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf county borough council, Torfaen county borough council and Monmouthshire county council operate a source separated system. Commingled collections are operated by councils in Caerphilly, Cardiff, Camarthenshire, Ceredigion, Merthyr, Swansea and Vale of Glamorgan.
Review
A recycling officer for Neath Port Talbot council, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the council was currently in the middle of a service review for its recycling collections and it had discussed commingled collections.
He said: “One of the things that has been highlighted at the moment is whether to use one bag for the dry recyclables. [Commingled] is a possible service and we are in the middle of the review but it is possible.”
“We would have to consider whether we think it would increase participation levels and whether it does make members of the public participate more but as I said it is under review. Nothing has been decided yet with regards to the service review,” he added.
However, the officer said the council would not be contradicting the draft waste strategy by moving to single stream collections and claimed that the definition of source separation could be extended to include the “separating of recyclable material from waste at the kerbside”.
Bridgend council, which is currently retendering its recycling collection contract, refused to rule out the possibility of commingled collections but remained tight-lipped over whether source-separated would be forsaken. The council instead opted to say there was the possibility that the service could be altered “dramatically”.
Gail Lewis, recycling officer at Bridgend, said: “I don't know whether it will involve commingled collections. I have no idea what the Cabinet is going to go for, it is just in the proposal stages and we will know more about it in October and November time.”
Ms Lewis said that the new contract for the region would come into effect in April 2010 once a contractor had been assigned to its three separate contracts for waste collections, recycling collections and the running of its four civic amenities sites.
Criticism
The possibility that councils in Wales could be moving towards commingled kerbside collections was criticised by local source-separated campaign groups such as CYLCH and the Campaign for Real Recycling (CRR).
A spokesman for CYLCH, the Wales community recycling network, said: “The strategy has taken a long time to come out and has been very carefully thought out and it hasn't been rushed and it has also taken into consideration a wide range of views from everyone involved in the sector and if we are going to have a plan and we are going to have guidance let's follow it, why fly in the face of it?”
Echoing the sentiments, Phil Hurst of the CRR, said: “My initial reaction is to recommend that any local authority that has considered going commingled should look very carefully at the costs involved. Those councils also need to look very carefully at the participation rates and not just introduce it so as participation rates are not widely recorded.”
Register for free to comment