The document has been made available ahead of new waste regulations due to take effect from January 1 2015, requiring councils and businesses to separately collect paper, metal, plastics and glass unless it is not technically, environmentally and economically practicable (TEEP) to do so.
The guidance makes clear that councils can meet separate collections ‘through a mixture’ of household sort and kerbside sort, as well as from bring bank sites and civic amenity sites.
It continues that each waste stream should be assessed in turn, with commingling of certain materials accepted, ‘provided that the quality produced would be similar to that resulting from separate collection’.
The guidance reminds waste collectors that a TEEP assessment of their collection services must be carried out prior to the legislation coming into effect from next month, with the cost implications of switching to kerbside sorting taken into account.
It adds that failure to comply with the new legislation from January 1 may result in a fine on conviction.
Contamination
The Welsh Government states that separating materials for recycling avoids contamination and ensures that they can be recycled to a ‘higher standard’, creating more valuable products and more opportunities for Welsh manufacturers to make use of the materials.
Minister for Natural Resources Carl Sargeant said: “I want it to be as simple as possible for everyone in Wales to recycle the four materials to a high quality, so we can continue to improve our recycling rates and continue to lead the way with the highest recycling rates in the UK.
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“This guidance aims to support organisations that collect materials for recycling by focusing on high quality materials, because these will obtain a better price on the market. Growing Wales’ market for recycled materials can only benefit Welsh companies. This is why our overarching strategy, Towards Zero Waste, lays out a policy of separate collection for recyclable waste.”
‘High bar’
The final guidance follows the Welsh Government’s decision to publish a draft version in April this year – which warned that the regulations set a ‘high bar’ for local authorities to overcome if they want to justify commingled collections (see letsrecycle.com story).
And in England, the Environment Agency is finalising a briefing note to stakeholders which lays out how it will be overseeing the requirement to separately collect recyclable materials from next month. It also asks councils to supply data on their collection arrangements by the end of March 2015 (see letsrecycle.com story).
Throughout the year, Welsh councils have been assessing how they can comply with the TEEP requirements, alongside the need to alter services in light of budget cuts.
Cardiff city council – which carries out commingled collections of recyclables on a weekly basis – is assessing whether to switch to a kerbside sort system, or to collect glass and paper separately through a ‘twin stream’ system (see letsrecycle.com story).
Related Links
Statutory Guidance on the Separate Collection of Waste Paper, Metal, Plastic and Glass
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