Latest News
Enhancing our waste collection and recycling services
Published: 12/10/2016
天涯社区 residents could soon be benefiting from enhanced
waste and recycling services that will support people who are conscientious in
their recycling habits and help those who do not yet fully participate to do
more.
A special Environment Overview and Scrutiny Workshop will take place on Tuesday
11 October, for County Councillors to fully debate the proposed enhancements.
In 2011 the Council fundamentally changed the way it collected household waste
as a result of stringent national targets set by Welsh Government (WG) to
reduce the levels of domestic waste going to landfill.
These targets have been increasing year on year and by 2025 70% of all waste
collected by Councils in Wales will need to be recycled. A 拢200 charge can be
levied against the Council for every tonne of waste that exceeds its landfill
target and another 拢200 for every tonne under its recycling target. To put this
into context should the Council fail to meet these targets by only 1% of the
total waste it collects (85,000 tonnes) then it could be served with penalties
totalling 拢340,000.
天涯社区 residents have been rising to this challenge and the targets set for
2012/13 and 2015/16 (52% and 58%) have been met and we are well on the way to
meeting the 2019/20 target (64%). The target for 2025 (70%) however is more
challenging and further enhancements to waste collection services are needed.
Over the past five years households in 天涯社区 have increased by around 5000
and existing waste collection services are now nearing capacity. Household
numbers will further increase over the next five years and the proposals now
being considered are designed to provide sustainable solutions without
increasing the number of waste collection vehicles out and about on our roads.
The leases for the Council鈥檚 existing fleet of recycling vehicles are nearing
their end and following a successful trial it is being recommended that the
Council place an order for the purchase of new Recycling Recovery Vehicles
(RRV鈥檚), utilising WG Capital Change Programme funding, ready for delivery in
September 2017.
RRV鈥檚 are lightweight, more fuel efficient and equipped with multi-compartments
that allow for the collection of a wider range of recyclable materials, along
with food waste, in one visit. Without changing the frequencies of
collection, their introduction would not only help to increase the volume and
quality of recyclable materials collected but reduce fuel costs and also assist
the Council in reducing its carbon footprint.
A target for the recycling of 90% of all material deposited at Household
Recycling Centres (HRCs) also needs to be met. Earlier in the year,
responding to the views of local residents, the Council鈥檚 Cabinet approved the
provision of five localised HRCs. Design work is underway for improvements to
the sites at Buckley and Mold that will provide consistency in the standard of
facilities and recycling opportunities offered at Greenfield and Sandycroft.
It is anticipated that this work, also funded by WG鈥檚 Capital Change Programme,
will commence early in the New Year. Plans to provide an enhanced facility for
the communities of Flint and Connah鈥檚 Quay are being developed but until such
time as a site has been secured and development work completed, the existing
sites will remain open.
Cabinet Member for Waste Strategy Councillor Kevin Jones said:
鈥淎t a time when continuing national cuts to budgets are putting pressure on
essential front line services such as social services and education, we cannot
afford to incur penalties for failing to meet recycling and landfill targets.
This one off injection of funding from Welsh Government is welcomed and it is
important that it is spent wisely and in a way which will deliver the most
significant benefits for the Council, local communities and residents.
I would like to thank all those residents who regularly recycle most, if not
all, of their waste, but there is still more to do. We all have a part to
play and these proposed enhancements to the service will help to make it easier
for everyone to do their bit.鈥�