Shrewsbury & Atcham
Borough Council

Appendix 8

 

Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council

 

RECYCLING PLAN 2002 -2005

3rd Revision 06/12/2002

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prepared by Environmental Initiatives Officer 2003

 

1. Introduction
2. Scope of Plan
3. Waste Inventory
4. Current Waste Collection
5. Current Recycling Schemes in Operation
6. Recent Developments in SABC's Recycling
7. Development of Collection Systems to Meet Targets
8. Financial Analysis of Current and Proposed Recycling Initiatives
9. Strategy for the Development of Recycling
10. Consultation, Publicity and Education
11. Summary

 

Introduction

This Recycling Plan (The Plan) has been prepared in compliance with Section 49 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Section 49 obliges every Waste Collection Authority (WCA) to prepare such a plan and submit it to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Statutory performance standards have been set by Central Government, for household waste recycling and composting for 2003/04 and 2005/06 as published in Waste Strategy 2000.

For Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council (SABC) these are 18% by 2003/04 and 27% by 2005/06. Performance projected for 2002/3 is around 12.5% so there is some way to go in order to achieve these targets.

This Plan sets out the Authority’s proposals to increase recycling within the Borough and will take into account Best Value Performance Indicators, public opinion and cost effectiveness. Where practicably possible the plan will facilitate the introduction of the Joint Waste Management Strategy for Shropshire, the first draft of which was produced in Spring 2002.

The Recycling Plan will be made available to the general public and their comments encouraged and considered. The Recycling Plan will need reviewing periodically and amending according to developments in technology, changes in legislation and market conditions. Such changes will be in accordance with Section 49 of the EPA 1990.

The Recycling Plan will not be effective without public support. The objective is to obtain this support and the commitment of both the public at large and the various environmental groups that exist. This support must not be just at the initial consultations but also through the implementation and review stages of the Plan.

Public concern for the environment and commitment to recycling has never been greater. SABC need to encourage and capitalise on this in order to achieve targets. To realise this potential SABC needs:

• to consult, encourage, co-ordinate and advise where necessary the public, private sector and voluntary groups involved in recycling;

• To promote through publicity and education the recycling philosophy.

Fundamental to all of this is SABC’s own green image. Public opinion of the sustainability of SABC is of key importance. SABC must at all times be seen to be acting in the most sustainable manner as is practicably possible. How can the public at large be encouraged to recycle if we are not ourselves environmental champions?

Scope of The Recycling Plan

Geographical Area

The geographical area considered in this report is the area covered by SABC.

The Borough is approximately 230 square miles (60,260 hectares) in area and situated in the centre of the county of Shropshire, bordering on Wales to the West and on the local Authorities of Oswestry, North Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and South Shropshire.

The Borough area is predominantly rural with the exception of the County town of Shrewsbury, which lies in the heart of the Borough.

The Borough is well serviced by road communications. The A5, A49 and A53 all give easy access to neighbouring Authority boundaries, all of these converge on Shrewsbury and are linked by an excellent by-pass network. Both the A5, (which links to the M54) and M54 are part of the proposed Trans European Highway. The M54 gives easy access to the industrial areas of the West Midlands.

Shrewsbury has it’s own Railway Station which provides services to London via the Midlands, the North via Crewe, the South/South West via Bristol and mid Wales.

Population & Properties

SHREWSBURY AND ATCHAM CONSTITUENCY
			Properties
	Bagley Ward		1999
	Battlefield & Heathgates Ward		1994
	Bayston Hill Ward		2155
	Belle Vue Ward		2237
	Bowbrook Ward		2463
	Castlefields & Quarry Ward		2670
	Column Ward		1950
*	Condover Ward		912
	Copthorne Ward		2023
*	Hanwood & Longden Ward		990
	Harlescott Ward		2057
*	Haughmond & Attingham Ward		1024
*	Lawley Ward		1029
	Meole Brace Ward		1973
	Monkmoor Ward		2308
*	Montford Ward		1026
*	Pimhill Ward		879
	Porthill Ward		2195
*	Rea Valley Ward		2131
*	Rowton Ward		1082
*	Severn Valley Ward		919
	Sundorne Ward		2096
	Sutton & Reabrook Ward		1879
	Underdale Ward		2344
* Denotes a rural ward

The Borough consists of 9,992 rural properties and 32,343 urban properties.

The population is now about 98,700, the highest population for a Shropshire District; this is an increase of 6,400 (6.9%) since 1991, 87.5% due to migration.

Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough have the greatest density of population in Shropshire at 1.64 person per hectare but this is still less than half of the national figure of 3.81 persons per hectare.

The population is estimated to rise by 1.8% (1,800) to 100,500 by 2005.

Source Shropshire County Council (SCC).

Waste Inventory

Waste is collected from 42,335 households and around 1,200 commercial and other establishments.

A commercial refuse collection round operates in the town and surrounding business parks, however this also collects some domestic waste from town centre residential properties. This service operates 6 days per week Monday – Saturday. In the Rural areas a small amount of commercial waste is collected by the domestic rounds.

Table 1

Quantities of Household and Commercial Waste Arising during 2001/2

No of Properties 42,335

Population 98,727

Domestic Waste Collected including recycling 2001/2 42,749 tonnes

Waste per property (Average) 1.00 tonnes per annum

Waste per head (Average) 0.433 tonnes per annum

Total No of Commercial Properties 1,200

Estimated Commercial Waste Collected 4,106 tonnes per annum

Waste per Commercial Property (Average) 3.4 tonnes per annum

Table 2

Breakdowns of recycling tonnage collected during 2001/2 and estimates of remaining tonnage available for recycling.

Type of Waste	% of Waste	Household Waste (Tonnes) inc. recycling 42,749	Collected for Recycling (Tonnes)	Tonnes available to Recycle	Capacity available to be Recycled %
Kitchen and Garden Waste	44.1	18,852	50	18,802	99.5
Paper and Card	23.0	9,875	2,252	7,623	77.1
Plastics	9.5	4,061	0	4,061	100
Other / Misc.	9.5	4,061	0	4,061	100
Glass	6.1	2,607	1000	1,607	61.6
Metals / Cans	4.7	2,009	31.6	1,977	98.4
Textiles	3.0	1,282	40	1,242	96.8

Source National Estimate % composition by weight from DETR & Environment Agency Data 2000. SABC in partnership with the other Authorities of Shropshire are looking to undertake analysis of the local waste stream during 2003.

Current Waste Collection

Waste Collection Service (Domestic)

This service is presently operated directly by the Council’s labour force. The service embraces domestic, commercial, bulky household collections on request (for which there is a charge), and the servicing of 11 of the 33 recycling bring sites.

Household collections are from the kerbside by the use of a wheeled bin, the standard size being 240 litres. 140 litre and 360 litre bins are available in certain circumstances. In addition to this around four thousand properties are still using black sacks, this is generally where the use of a wheeled bin is impracticable. Such properties are issued with 104 sacks annually (2 per week) free of charge. All domestic properties are serviced on a weekly frequency.

An additional service is provided by ‘Freddie the Freighter’, which collects domestic waste from residents who bring items to the vehicle. This service visits between 18 and 30 locations per day and operates Monday – Friday and half day on Saturday. This service is provided Borough wide and collects in the region of 1420 tonnes per year.

 

Civic Amenity Site

There is only one civic amenity site within the District operated by Shropshire Waste Management (SWM), Sita holdings. This is situated at Betton Abbots in the heart of the Borough within four miles of Shrewsbury Town Centre.

This site is expected to reach its current permitted capacity in 2003. SWM have received planning consent to extend the landfill which would prolong the life expectancy of the site until 2013 based on current waste inputs. However the continued use of the facility is contingent upon improvements to the site access roads. These improvements have not received the necessary consents and it therefore appears that the landfill facility at Betton Abbots will close in the summer of 2003, for up to 3 years. SABC’s waste is likely to be directed by SCC to an alternative facility for the duration of the closure.

Waste Collection Service (Commercial)

SABC operates a Commercial Refuse Collection service, and a Commercial Waste & Marketing Officer is employed by the Borough. The Officer gives advice on commercial refuse disposal, arranges contracts, sells green trade refuse sacks, polices inappropriate commercial refuse disposal and commercial fly tipping.

Commercial waste can be stored in the following containers ready for collection:

Bulk Bins

Available in the following sizes: 240 litre, 360 litre, 660 litre 1,100 litre and 1,280 litre wheeled bulk bins. Contracts are adapted to suit the customer, i.e. multiple bins or collections. Payment is available by monthly standing order, quarterly or annual invoice.

Green Trade Refuse Sacks

Used by customers who have limited storage i.e. some town centre shops, or whose volume of refuse is minimal. They are sold in multiples of 25 with amounts of 100 plus being delivered to the premises. The base cost is currently £0.82 per sack, with a 5% discount on orders of over 100 sacks

One-Off Collections

A one-off collection service is also available which is charged at an hourly rate, plus tonnage multiplied by disposal costs, plus VAT.

Scope for Commercial recycling

A trial was conducted during November 2001 to assess the recyclable content of the Town Centre commercial waste. It was taken wholesale to a Materials Reclamation Facility (MRF) for separation. It was found that without separation at source the recyclables became too heavily contaminated. As yet an appropriate, cost effective, method of separating waste at source, whilst being able to offer customers a financial benefit for doing so has not been found.

Current Recycling Schemes in Operation

Glass Recycling

The collection of glass through the provision of 33 bring site locations is now well established and has been in operation since 1987. During 2001/2 1,119 tonnes of glass was collected in total by SWM and SABC. All glass is transported to Betton Abbots for bulking up and delivered by SWM to British Glass Recycling in Sheffield. Contractual arrangements are in place that divide the commodity value for this between SWM and SABC. Commodity values fluctuate but are between £0-£30 per tonne when delivered.

Can Recycling

The collection of cans both steel and aluminium has been established since 1996. Cans are collected from 30 bring site locations that are accessible by the public. In addition to this a small number of educational establishments have been collecting cans, although the infrastructure is not well developed.

Cans are collected by SWM and SABC from the bring site locations and are also collected by SWM using the kerbside collection system. During 2001/2 21 tonnes were collected from the bring sites and 48 tonnes were collected via the kerbside.

All cans are transported to Betton Abbots for bulking up and delivered by SWM to AMG Resources in Llanelli. The cans are collected mixed and not separated into steel and aluminium, therefore the commodity value is much lower than it would otherwise be. Values fluctuate but are in the region of £0-£50 per tonne when delivered. Cans sorted into aluminium only would command a price of up to £500 per tonne when delivered.

In addition to the banks serviced by SWM and SABC, Kan-A-Can UK Service One bank at Sainsburys, Meole Brace Retail Park. Collections throughout the year are in the region of 4.6 tonnes.

Textile Recycling

Textiles are collected by SWM via the kerbside collection system but currently amount to a negligible quantity. Textile banks are located at a number of the bring site locations, mainly the supermarket sites and are generally operated by the following charities – Salvation Army, Oxfam, Scope and British Heart Foundation. The placement of these textile banks seems rather ad-hoc and appear and disappear frequently.

Staffordshire Textiles have recently started to place textile banks at bring site locations and appear to have a more consistent approach. It is not uncommon to have up to three banks from different operators at one location.

SABC play no part in the servicing of these textile banks. Collection figures received from the charities and Staffordshire Textiles covering a nine-month period indicate that around 62 tonnes are collected over a 12-month period.

In addition to this 8 shoe recycling banks exist, which are serviced by The European Recycling Company Ltd. Collections during 2001/2 totalled around 6 tonnes. Again SABC play no part in the servicing of these banks.

Paper Recycling

The collection of paper has been established since 1988. Papers are collected through the provision of 31 bring site locations and via the SWM kerbside collection round. Types of paper collected include newspapers, magazines, junk mail, catalogues, periodicals, comics and yellow pages. During 2001/2 in excess of 2,650 tonnes were collected from both the bring banks and kerbside collection round by SWM and SABC.

All paper is transported to Betton Abbotts for bulking up and then delivered by SWM to Shotton Paper Mill in Clwyd. Contractual arrangements are in place that divide the commodity value for this between SWM and SABC. Values fluctuate but are presently around £30 per tonne when delivered

In addition to this a very small number of organisations have paper banks, for instance St Mary’s Church, Eaton Constantine has a paper bank serviced by Parry & Evans of Welshpool. The church benefits by receiving the landfill tax credit of £27.28 (2002/3) from Shropshire County Council for each tonne they collect. SABC presently plays no part in such arrangements, and as such is not claiming any income or accessing weighbridge tickets to include towards the statutory recycling targets.

 

RECYCLING BRING BANK LOCATIONS

	Location	Glass	Cans	Paper	Textiles/or Shoes
1	ABBEY FOREGATE, SHIREHALL	J	J	J	T
2	ASTLEY, DOG IN THE LANE PUB	J	J	J
3	BAYSTON HILL, THE BEECHES PUB	J
4	BELLE VUE, OAKLEY MANOR	J	J	J
5	BETTON ABBOTS, CIVIC AMENITY SITE	J	J	J	S & T
6	BICTON HEATH, THE GRAPES PUB	J	J	J
7	BOMERE HEATH, THE RED LION PUB	J	J	J
8	BUILDWAS, BUILDWAS SCHOOL	J	J	J
9	CASTLEFIELDS, SHOP CAR PARK	J	J	J
10	CRESSAGE VILLAGE HALL	J	J	J
11	CRUCTON HALL SCHOOL	J	J	J
12	DORRINGTON, THE HORSESHOES INN	J	J	J
13	FRANKWELL CAR PARK	J	J	J	S & T
14	GAINS PARK COMMUNITY CENTRE	J	J	J
15	HALFWAY HOUSE INN	J	J	J
16	HANWOOD, THE COCK INN	J	J	J
17	HARLESCOTT, MORRISON’S	J	J	J	S & T
18	HARLESCOTT, TESCO’S	J	J	J	S & T
19	HOOK-A-GATE, THE NEW INN	J
20	LEEBOTWOOD, THE POUND INN	J
21	LEIGHTON, KINNERSLEY ARMS PUB	J	J	J
22	LONGDEN COMMON, RED LION PUB	J	J	J
23	LONGNOR VILLAGE HALL	J	J	J
24	MEOLE BRACE GOLF COURSE	J	J	J
25	MEOLE BRACE, SAINSBURY’S	J	J	J	S & T
26	MINSTERLEY COMMUNITY CENTRE	J	J	J
27	NESSCLIFFE VILLAGE HALL	J	J	J
28	OLD POTTS WAY, SAFEWAY	J	J	J	S & T
29	PITCHFORD VILLAGE HALL	J	J	J
30	PONTESBURY, STATION ROAD	J	J	J
31	RADBROOK, CLAVERTON ROAD	J	J	J	T
32	ROWTON CASTLE APARTMENTS (PA)	J		J
33	SUTTON FARM, CO-OP CAR PARK	J	J	J	S & T
34	UPTON MAGNA VILLAGE HALL	J	J	J
35	WESTBURY VILLAGE HALL	J	J	J

(PA – Private Access)

 

 

Recent Developments in SABC's Recycling

 

Garden Waste

The most recent development in recycling in SABC is the introduction of a service for the collection and composting of garden green waste from domestic properties.

This was implemented during the summer of 2002 and extended to all properties within the Borough on a fortnightly frequency. Collections were carried out over a 15-week period and the scheme collected in the region of 1,500 Tonnes during the 15 weeks, which equates to 3.17 % of domestic waste arising projected for 2002/03 (excluding recycling).

Each property was issued with 4 re-usable plastic sacks into which the householder placed their green waste.

Prior to the scheme commencing sacks were issued along with a leaflet explaining details of how to participate in the scheme, and a schedule of collection dates for each household.

Collections were made utilising temporary labour, each crew consisting of a driver and two collectors. There were four crews, each using a spot hired vehicle and collections were made on a fortnightly frequency over a 15-week period. The collected green waste was transported for on-farm composting within the Borough.

Bring Banks and Schools Recycling

3 new bring sites have been added during 2002, at Hook-A-Gate, Leebotwood and Rowton, and this has brought a further c1,000 properties within a 2.5 mile radius of a bring site. Approximately 87% of the Boroughs population now live within a 2.5 mile radius of a bring site and there is one site location per 1,282 households.

There would appear little scope to improve on the tonnage collected from the expansion of existing bring sites, the effect of increasing the number of locations may be that of distributing the existing collected tonnage farther and wider bringing with it associated inefficiencies.

However there is a programme of introducing bring style banks to the schools within the Borough of which there are over 60 in number. This is to capture for recycling the waste that is generated at the school, which is currently entering the domestic waste stream. These bring sites may of course be utilised by parents on the 'school run' according to where the banks are situated at the school.

The provision of bring banks to schools is very much in its infancy at the time of finalising this Plan, and much will be learnt over the coming months as to how it will develop. It is hoped that by encouraging children/students to be environmental champions of the household they can exert pressure onto parents to recycle. It is hoped that this will bring forward new, first time recyclers.

The materials collected from schools are limited to paper and cans.

At present there are just a handful of schools partaking at this pilot stage, however the programme will be expanded upon throughout 2002/3 subject to funding.

Kerbside Dry Recycling

The Kerbside Collection round has been expanded to include Hook-A-Gate, Annscroft, Longden and Longden Common during 2002. This is an additional c1,250 properties, which equates to an increase of 3.5% to this service. The Kerbside Collection round now covers some 87% of domestic properties. Properties not serviced are those in extremely rural and remote areas of the Borough.

Monitoring

Monitoring of the Kerbside Green Waste and Kerbside Dry Recyclates Collection Schemes was undertaken during the latter part of 2002. A customer survey was also carried out on SABC recycling services in general, and the Green Waste scheme in particular. The data gathered will inform the recommendations on the future of these schemes, which will be brought forward to SABC's members early in the 2003/4 financial year.

Development of Collection Systems to Meet Targets

SABC are, at the time of finalising this plan (2002/3) recycling approximately 12.5% of domestic waste arising. This figure has been achieved over a 15-year period generally by bolt-on additions to the recycling operations. The targets of 18% by 2003/4 and 27% 2005/6 will not be achieved by such an ad-hoc approach; a clear strategy must be developed and implemented over the next 5-year term.

This strategy must take into consideration the current position and the targets which require achieving, yet retain a level of flexibility to allow for changes in new technology, legislation and market conditions.

Table 3 set out the tonnage of recyclates which must be recycled over the next few years to meet SABC's statutory recycling targets.

 

Table 3

Actual and Projected Domestic Waste Arising 2002 – 2005 Against Quantity required to be Recycled to Achieve Target

	2001/02	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06
Domestic * Waste Arising	42,749	46,024*	47,404**	48,826**	50,290**
Quantity Required to be Collected	4,274	6,443*	8,532	10,985	13,578
%	10	14	18	22.5	27

*Projected from mid-year actual 2002

**Assumes a growth of 3% pa for waste arising

Green Waste Kerbside Collection

This service was first offered in 2002 to all domestic households in the Borough, some 42,394 properties.

The service collected approximately 1,500 tonnes in 2002/3, representing around 3.17% of the domestic waste arising projected for that year.

In future years the green waste collection scheme could be enhanced by:

1. Removing the restriction of four bags of waste only from each household on each collection
2. providing collections on a weekly rather than fortnightly frequency
3. extending the period of operation.

For example, were the scheme duration extended to 32 weeks It is estimated that this would double the tonnage collected during the 2002/3 year. This could easily equate to some 3,000 tonnes of green waste in 2003/4, or approximately 7% of domestic waste (excluding recycling) projected for that year.

Introduction of Collection Scheme from Schools

The small number of schools from which collections are presently made are being serviced by SWM, these are being accommodated within the existing kerbside collection round Contract. Collections are made on a fortnightly frequency, crews consist of a driver and one collector utilising a caged vehicle. A bid was made in 2002 to the DEFRA Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund for purchase of containers to allow more schools to participate. These containers will be deployed in late 2002. As the programme rolls out to include further schools, a separate collection round may have to be established. This is dependent on the uptake from the schools.

As the school collection scheme has the potential to collect a reasonable tonnage of aluminium cans it may prove beneficial for SABC to operate this collection and therefore retain the high commodity value that aluminium cans command. One driver and vehicle could possibly achieve a collection round from sixty schools on a fortnightly frequency, which could be of a transit style van.

It is estimated that a service for all commodities could collect 350 tonnes 0.8% of current waste arisings in 2002/03.

Introduction of Glass to the Kerbside Collection Round

The kerbside collection round of dry recyclates is currently undertaken by SWM on a 10 year Contract until 2006. For this service two caged vehicles are used making collections on a fortnightly frequency. The addition of glass collections to this service would require vehicles of a different type to those presently used.

The best option for increasing tonnage collected by this service is to broaden the range of materials that can be put out for collection. Presently papers, cans and textiles are collected. Glass by nature of its high density is the obvious choice for inclusion to the scheme, but his would require the use of collection boxes rather than carrier bags that are used at present. Extension of the scheme to cover all properties would also increase the scope for participation by all SABC residents.

Work carried out by Enviros Consultants indicated that a borough wide box based kerbside collection of dry recyclates could increase kerbside recycling from 1877 tonnes (2001/2) to 4791 in 2003/4. This would increase SABC’s kerbside dry recyclable percentage from 4.4% to 10.7%.

SWM have submitted a proposal to SABC for the introduction of glass to the kerbside collection scheme. This is based on SABC providing boxes to each household currently served by the scheme. The box would be used for containing all dry recyclables and may well provide the catalyst to start households recycling for the first time.

SABC, as part of the Shropshire – wide partnership bid (September 2002), applied for funding of the purchase of these boxes from the DEFRA Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund. The bid also sought year one running costs. The bid was unsuccessful and alternative means of funding this purchase will have to be explored. If funding can be identified from external sources, SABC members will be requested to endorse this scheme by agreeing to fund running costs from year one onwards.

Cardboard or plastics could also be added to the Kerbside Collection Scheme, while this would not capture significant tonnage owing to the low density of the materials SABC would then be able to offer a recycling option for most of the waste generated in the home.

This could have a significant impact on participation rates, residents currently not recycling at all would be presented with the option to recycle to a large degree and this may be enough to change the attitudes of some sceptics.

Kitchen Waste Composting

Kitchen waste was originally considered for inclusion in SABC's Green Waste scheme. However due to the uncertainty regarding processing of kitchen type wastes it was not feasible to include these wastes in that scheme for the 2002/3 year. However, given access to a suitable processing facility such waste could in future either be included or collected separately.

It could be feasible to introduce such a service at the same time as converting the refuse and recycling service to fortnightly collections (see below), using a wheeled bin for collection of garden and kitchen wastes.

Introduction of alternate fortnightly recycling and residual collections

With the provision of a kerbside green waste collection, the possible introduction of a box receptacle for recyclates and the subsequent inclusion of further materials such as glass to the kerbside collection service, scope exists to move to a fortnightly collection for residual refuse. The service could operate on alternate weeks for the residual and recyclable waste, bringing with it associated efficiencies and economics.

A relevant example is Oswestry Borough Council that has introduced such a system, and performance will be monitored in order to establish the feasibility of such systems for SABC.

As yet no meaningful costing or projected tonnage have been developed for this option.

Community Recycling Initiatives

Scope exists within the Borough for community recycling initiatives. The Shrewsbury Furniture Scheme (who receive grant aid from SABC) are looking to develop and expand on the current services which they are able to offer, this could be by way of offering localised kerbside plastics collections, community composting scheme or some other initiative. This is to be encouraged by SABC and supported where possible. Community recycling is well established in other areas of the country and has achieved notable successes in assisting Local Authorities reach high recycling rates. This area of recycling should not be overlooked by SABC.

Putrescible Waste

Collections of putrescible wastes are increasing throughout the country, they have been piloted in South Shropshire sponsored as a Biffaward project. As SABC has it’s own nursery operations (which are expanding), potential exists to have small-scale collections for anaerobic digestion, the products of which dovetail neatly to the requirements of nursery type operations, Biogas, quality compost and liquid high nutrient fertiliser. However recent concerns over animal by-products and catering waste mean that any scheme to handle this sort of waste will require specialist plant and systems. Given the tonnage yet to be tackled from the glass and paper streams this is not an option that is likely to be developed within SABC for the next 3 to 5 years.

Financial Analysis of Current and Proposed Recycling Initiatives

An analysis of current, projected and proposed schemes is set out in Tables 4 and 5.

It should be noted that all proposals, with the exception of the currently approved 15 week green Waste Service, are subject to Council Member approval and funding.

Table 4

Projection (assuming 40328.81 tonnes of Domestic Waste), excluding recycling.

Method	Tonnes	% Rate	Capital Cost	Revenue Cost	Yield % / £10 K	Yield T / £1	Cumulative %
Current Methods
Bring Bank	2048.16	4.45	£5,000	£62,100	0.7165	0.0329	4.45
Kerb Dry	2009.64	4.37	0	£33,050	1.3222	0.0608	8.82
Kerb Garden	1458.24	3.17	0	c£125,000	0.2536	0.0116	11.99
Third Party	180	0.39	0	N/A	N/A	N/A	12.38
Total	5696.04	12.38	£5,000	£220,150	0.5623	0.0258	12.38
Proposed Methods
School Collection (DEFRA funding)	225	0.49	£36,800	£13,000	0.0765	0.0035	12.87
Extend Kerb Dry To 100% coverage	650	1.4	0	£30,000	0.4666	0.0216	14.27
Extend Kerb Dry To Include glass	2914	6.3	£100,000	£100,000	0.63	0.0291	20.57
Extend Kerbside Garden by15 weeks to 30	1450	3.15	0	£100,000	0.315	0.0145	23.72
Extend Kerbside Garden to include kitchen waste	500	1.1	0	£0	N/A	N/A	24.82
WEEE Collection 4kg per person pa x 98,700	394	1.0	£40,000	100,000	0.09	0.00394	25.82
Potential Totals	12,103.04	25.82	£181,800	£563,000			25.82
Convert to Fortnightly Dry & Organic Recycling & Residuals	Costs and tonnage still to be determined.

 

Table 5

Performance of existing and proposed recycling schemes.

Year
Scheme	98/99	99/00	00/01	01/02	02/03	03/04	04/05	05/06
Household Waste Tonnes (not inc. recycling) (1) A	35044.00	37326.60	38022.10	38686.40	40328.80	41538.67	42784.83	44068.30
% Change on previous year +/-	2.2	1	1.8	1.7	4.2	3	3	3
Existing Schemes B
Bring Bank (Tonnes)	1614.96	1748	1836	1917.9	2048.16	2171.04	2301.31	2439.39
% change on previous year +/-		8.2	5	4.4	6.7	6	6	6
Kerbside Dry (Tonnes)	1668.02	1756.59	1789.69	1876.75	2009.64	2104.09	2202.98	2306.52
% change on previous year +/-		5.3	1.8	4.8	7	4.7	4.7	4.7
Kerbside Garden (Tonnes) (2)				45.09	1458.24	1531.15	1607.7	1688.09
Recycling 3rd Party (Tonnes) (2)	73.19	153.84	203.93	223.03	180	189	198.45	208.37
School Collections (Tonnes) (2)						225	236.25	248.06
Proposes Schemes C
Extended Kerb Dry (Tonnes) (2)
100 % coverage (Tonnes)						650	682.5	716.62
100% coverage and Including Glass (Tonnes)						2914	3059.7	3212.68
Extended Kerb Garden (Tonnes) (2)						1450	1522.5	1598.62
Kerbside Kitchen Waste (Tonnes) (2)						500	525	551.25
WEEE Collection (Tonnes) (2)						368	386.4	405.72
Education & awareness (2)
Total Recycling (Tonnes)	3356.17	3658.43	3829.62	4062.77	5696.04	12102.28	12722.79	13375.3
Total Household Waste (inc. recycling)	38400.2	40985.0	41851.7	42749.1	46024.8	*47,758.95	*49,331.62	*50,959.6
Recycling Rate %	8.74	8.93	9.15	9.5	12.4	25.3	25.8	26.2

(1) Assumes 3% growth from 02/03 onwards

(2) No valid trend data available. Assumes 5% growth from 02/03 onwards

* This calculation is (B+C)+A-C = As C already exists within the waste arising at A

 

Strategy for the Development of Recycling

The intention of the Council is to increase the recycling rate in line with the targets set out in National Waste Strategy 2000, 18% by 2003/4 and 27% by 2005/6. An in-depth review of the waste management service and recycling opportunities is being carried out throughout the latter part of 2002 and into 2003. A series of reports are being brought forward to members, on a monthly basis, exploring individual elements of the service and the opportunities for environmental improvements, including those options identified in this plan.

In addition a series of visits to examine high performing authorities (Oswestry and Lichfield) and alternative approaches (Stafford) to waste management have been organised for key members at SABC. Public opinion on a number of alternatives is also being canvassed by means of a questionnaire to a random sample of homes in the SABC area

It is intended that a report be brought to SABC members in May 2003 seeking approval of the most appropriate options identified by the review. At the time of finalising this Plan it is not possible to anticipate the outcome of this process. However, in summary SABC’s targets will be achieved by the most appropriate of the following recycling systems and approaches:

• Continuation and expansion where possible to bring bank locations.
• Continuation of the kerbside collection of dry recyclates.
• Expansion of the geographical coverage of kerbside collections.
• Introduction of the collection of glass from the kerbside via a box system.
• Expansion of the kerbside green waste collection.
• Conversion to alternate week recycling and residual waste collections.
• Introduction of bring banks to schools, youth clubs etc.
• Alternate BI- weekly domestic residual and recyclate collections.

In addition SABC will:

• Continue to facilitate third party recycling through information support and grant aid.
• Develop a programme to facilitate community-recycling networks.
• Further explore possibilities for the collection of plastics, cardboard and kitchen putrescible wastes from the kerbside.
• Continue to promote sales of compost bins at a county wide level.
• Develop and promote an internal office recycling best practice guide and supporting systems.
• Continue to foster demand for products containing recycled material, with the Council following the principle of using such products wherever practical.
• Continue actively promoting the recycling philosophy to all sectors of the community by school visits, media releases and continued use of the World Wide Web.
• Continue to monitor progress and developments through participation in recycling groups both regionally and nationally through involvement with Shropshire Local Authority Recycling Group (SLARG) and Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC).

In addition to the above points the following were raised at Council meeting (28/2/02) Performance and Improvement Plan 2002/03.

• That the use of starch bags and use of other products which can be generated by the agricultural industry to support waste minimisation and agriculture be explored to see how those systems can be implemented to benefit waste minimisation, product diversity, agricultural industry and employment opportunities within Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough.
• That every new dwelling that is constructed should have within its curtilage a compost bin and water butt.
• That every housing estate over 50 dwellings should have a facility for banks for paper, cans and bottles and a commuted sum paid for the collection of those.
• That a green award system be introduced for developers, employers and the Shropshire Star and Shrewsbury Chronicle where they promote good systems of recycling and reuse and waste minimisation.
• That an abandoned cars and fridge policy be evaluated considered and implemented.

Consultation, Publicity and Education

On 12 June 2002 SABC's Planning and Environment Committee considered a draft of this Plan. It resolved to inform the Cabinet that subject to targeting a move to weekly rather than fortnightly Green Waste collections, it supported the Plan's content. Following formal adoption of this plan by the Council it is intended to pursue a process of consultation with other public bodies including the Waste Disposal and Regulation Authority (SCC), the commercial sector, interested environmental parties, other interested groups and the public at large.

The plan will be available for the public at large to view and pass comment on. Opinions will be encouraged, considered and included in subsequent reviews of the plan where appropriate. Details of the plan will also be presented and discussed at public and private meetings and from time to time details will be released to the media.

It is considered vital to have this consultation period and to ascertain and evaluate public opinion, it is after all the public at large whose support is required for the plan to work.

For SABC to reach the levels of recycling required in this the first century of the new millennium the co-operation and commitment of all is required. In addition further financial support from SABC will be required to expand the services in future years.

The Recycling Message

There are four key elements to be included in the recycling message: -

• The need to reduce, reuse and recycle our earth’s resources wherever possible.

• The part that purchasing policies (irrespective of scale) can play in creating a market for recycled materials.

• The importance of recycling on a local and global perspective and raising awareness of the recycling options which are available.

• The overall strategy to be undertaken by the Council and its partners including detailed operational proposals.

It is important that the message contained in these key elements is explained. The objective must be to involve all sectors of the Community and to foster the understanding of how critical recycling is for present and future generations.

Target Audiences

The recycling message needs to reach every sector of the Community.

To achieve this there are five main target audiences: -

1. the public at large;
2. members and officers of the Council;
3. other public bodies;
4. voluntary groups;
5. Commercial sector.

Publicity and Education

The success of recycling is dependant on the public who must be encouraged to use the facilities available and due consideration must be given to increasing participation. Of significant importance is the fact that if all households were to recycle fully using the existing facilities recycling performance could well be in excess of 50%. Targets could effectively be met without excessive investment, the key to achieve this is education.

Awareness of recycling will continue to be raised by discussing the plan at public meetings, meetings of Parish Councils, at Schools, to interested environmental groups, voluntary groups and to other interested organisations.

Continued use will be made of the local Media and World Wide Web in order to spread the recycling message.

SLARG are jointly working to produce a one page per month ‘spread’ for the Shropshire Star during 2002 focussing on recycling and waste minimisation.

SABC produced the 2002 edition of ‘The Green Guide’ which gives information on recycling and sustainability, this is a free publication.

SABC made use of the Museums on the move ‘No Time to Waste’ exhibition for the West Mid Show, and displayed recycling information at Green Day during 2002.

Summary

The operational costs, for current and proposed recycling initiatives are set out in detail on page 17. Since the publication of the last Recycling Plan in 1992 much has changed in terms of the profile of recycling within the Council. It now has a full time dedicated Recycling Officer and budget.

The true costs of recycling are becoming more transparent and allow for more informed decisions to be made, however, the budget is still small for the service which is required and as mentioned previously future initiatives are all subject to Council Member approval and funding.

These opportunities must be seized by SABC in order to fund operations to achieve recycling performance targets, it has taken since 1986 (15 years) to achieve our current performance of 9.5% in 2001/2. To reach 18% and 27% by 2005/6 is a massive leap and will not be achieved with piece-meal methods, a more strategic approach will have to be employed

SABC cannot afford to overlook initiatives such as alternate BI-weekly collections for domestic residual waste and recyclates, community composting and recycling, materials reclamation facilities and in-vessel style composting if the Council is not to be left behind. Tough decisions will have to be taken over the course of the next few years, waste minimisation and recycling issues will have to be faced head on.