WAG unveils funding to support source separation

The Welsh Assembly Government has today (September 1) given its strongest support to date for source separate collections by making a £3.16 million fund available to councils to underwrite projects based around separation at source.

And, it is also making £1 million available to help finance the development of a mixed plastics recycling facility, which will be run by a social enterprise and used to service material collected by local authorities.

The two streams of funding, announced by environment minister Jane Davidson, come in the wake of the country's ambitious Towards Zero Waste strategy – which detailed a preference for material separation at the source of collection (see letsrecycle.com story).

The funding is intended to be used by the local authorities to fund recycling infrastructure for materials currently not capture by existing recycling streams, such as carpets and mattresses, which the WAG said could help boost council revenues through the sale of extracted recyclates such as metal springs.

And, the WAG claims that councils could also use the money to target “niche” waste streams such as waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), household hazardous waste and street litter.

Ms Davidson said: “We cannot afford to continue sending waste to landfill, which is why this funding will give local authorities the chance to invest in the infrastructure needed to achieve high levels of recycling.

“This funding is a real boost for local authorities. It also demonstrates our commitment to reaching the ambitious targets we have set ourselves, and to delivering economic and environmental benefits to the whole of Wales.”

The issue of the WAG's stance on source-separation was highlighted last month, when one of the leading councils for recycling and composting – Denbighshire council – launched an online campaign to voice concern that the WAG would force it to cease its commingled recycling service (see letsrecycle.com story).

In addition, the financial support for source-separation comes after both WAG and Defra gave apparent support to the approach in the consultation document on the draft regulations for the implementation of the Revised Waste Framework Directive, published in July (see letsrecycle.com story).

Mixed plastic

The Welsh Assembly Government said that the £1 million being made available to develop a mixed plastic recycling facility would be put out for tender shortly and described the plant as a “key infrastructure requirement” for councils to help increase their recycling rates.

The tender process for the facility funding will be run by Charity Bank, with technical information and support being supplied by the Waste & Resources Action Programme Cymru.

Once operational, the facility would be used to treat mixed plastics such as yoghurt pots, margarine tubs and other food containers and, the WAG claims it could save £3.8 million on associated landfill costs for the country by diverting this material to the recycling stream.

Earlier this year, Ms Davidson visited the Plastics Sorting Limited (PSL) recycling facility in Ebbw Vale as an example of plastics recycling capacity in the country. PSL received WAG financial support to develop the plant, which, at a potential 24,000 tonnes-a-year capacity, is the largest plastic bottle recycling facility currently operating in Wales (see letsrecycle.com story).

The Government also used the proposed development as a platform to advocate the use of alternate weekly collections. A spokeswoman said: “[The plant] will also mean a significant reduction in residual waste, making fortnightly collections of household residual waste a more attractive proposition.”