Old Colwyn (East) Residents’ Association

Open Meeting Wednesday 8th July 2009. Minute of a talk by Cllr Mike Priestley and Andrew Wilkinson Conwy CBC on the subject of

Recycling Food Waste and Plastic

The Chair welcomed the speakers and Councillor Mike Priestley recalled that he had been to speak to the residents before and started the proceedings by introducing himself, and the subject. He stated that the improvements were as a result of the last elections when he was knocking on doors and speaking to residents who accepted alternate week collections but plastic was an issue and food waste was an issue. The food smelt and there were health and safety fears. Plastic was also bulking up the waste in the bin. Soon after the election a task and finish group was established to look at recycling.

Cllr Mike then introduced Mr Andrew Wilkinson, Head of Waste Services, Conwy CBC who was to speak about where the project is now and the future plans and then there would be a question session.

Mr Wilkinson also recalled that he had spoken to the residents previously when he was a coastal defence engineer speaking about the Colwyn Waterfront Project. He has now been promoted to Head of Waste Services. Recycling and Refuse is a very important service, used by everyone.

The feedback from residents is that they want more recycling, and different waste products such as light bulbs and batteries, yoghurt pots and different kinds of cardboard. It is realised that there is an understanding in the community of all the materials used in production and packaging and the fact that to put it in landfill is a waste of resources. All the waste products can be made into new products and reduce for instance the need to use new timber for paper and new sand for glass production.

In the same way recycled cans reduce the need for raw products and the energy required for mining and other processes.

So there is a sound reason for recycling, it is not just because it saves the council money or because there are Government targets, the issue has real benefits for society to save the product and make something new.

The Food and Plastic kerbside recycling trial project started in May 2009 in a total of 7000 households over ten different types of housing areas in the County so that in addition to cans, glass and paper in those areas the two new waste products are collected. Plastic bottles are now collected in a large bag similar to the crest garden waste container. It is a bag with a weight in the bottom and a Velcro seal.

Only bottles are collected at this stage in nine of the ten areas (a) because they are higher value and (b) because the council needs to study the amount of plastic out there. They need to study container sizes and vehicle sizes and so in one of the ten areas all plastic is collected (except plastic bags which can jam the vehicle rollers).

The signs are and the intention is when the project rolls out to the whole County next year that all plastic will be collected. The vehicles trialled can cope and the people who buy the waste like the look of the mix and think that it has value.

Andrew then demonstrated the food waste recycling boxes and bags; one small container for the kitchen into which the food waste is placed in a compostable plastic bag which are supplied by the council. The “in vessel” composting machine which the council uses to process the waste will dissolve anything including chicken carcases. When the bag is fairly full, tie it up and place it in the larger box which is designed to be kept outside, the normal usage makes the large box half full. The large food waste box will be collected every week. Larger bins will be made available for flats with communal bins.

People are giving feedback that they are noticing how much food waste they have and it is amending their behaviour.

The Chair asked if raw food can be put in the box and Andrew replied that any food waste can be placed in the box.

Cllr Mike added that the bags are an essential part of the process. They are an expense for the council but some authorities have asked for people to pay for the bags and what happens is that supermarket bags are used; such bags do not compost. Participation rates are higher where the Authority gives out free bags.

He went on to describe that a grant for food waste was spent on two purpose made vehicles with a roller inside that tins will go through one week and plastic the next. The plastic has to be crushed to reduce volume.

People are asking for smaller bins as they are not now filling the wheelie bins and they can have them.

Andrew related that 700 houses in Deganwy were trialling for one month, a “slim bin”. Out of 650 houses, in an area where the council is also collecting plastic, only 7 have asked for their old bin type back.

Slim bins do not take up the same space as a normal wheelie bin and so don’t block paths in front of properties.

Waste dumped at Llandulas is costing the council about £3million a year in Landfill charges which will continue to rise as the Landfill escalator rises. If the same amount of waste continues to be dumped at Llandulas, the increase will fall to the council tax payer.

Councillor Mike added that £300,000 has been put into the next year budget just to pay the Landfill tax escalator. £8 per ton each year is the escalator plus fees equals about £10 per ton per year. About 36,000 tons is dumped per year. There is a built in deficit and therefore the council requires as much recycling as possible to take place.

Andrew stated an intention for the results of the trial to be evaluated in about five month’s time and then the ten to twelve vehicles will be ordered with a planned rollout for June 2010.

Councillor Mike said that there will also be a little Velcro pouch for used household batteries which will strap to one of the other boxes.

 In answer to a question did the batteries go to China, Andrew replied that the only thing that goes to China is plastic.

Councillor Mike added that a new company is thinking of going to Mochdre industrial park to recycle plastic into posts for street signs, decking, fence posts etc. so that is possibly on the horizon.

Everything else that we collect is used and Manchester is about the furthest processing plant. Paper waste is recycled at Shotton, for the Weekly News, Daily Post, Trinity Mirror. Investment has been made in Shotton and they can now take white/ grey card and envelopes including windows envelopes. Brown cardboard cannot be used because of the fibres used.

Andrew responded to a question by saying that brown cardboard kerbside collection is difficult to contemplate because people do not produce it every week. Kerbside collection requires investment in vehicles and the production of that waste has to be regular to make the cost viable.

It was discussed by Andrew and Mike that there are future possibilities for the collection of brown cardboard but that is not the pressing issue at present.

Question As a consumer it is often difficult to know what can be recycled. Some plastic containers state this is not recyclable. There are obviously different compositions.

Andrew That is correct, when I started, there were three symbols and now there are eight symbols. A lot of food trays are made out of the same material as the bottles that we collect. The intention is to roll out the kerbside collection of all plastic except plastic bags. The waste has to pass through two parallel spiked rollers to pierce and crush the bottles; this enables the waste to be compacted into the smallest space possible. Plastic bags wrap around the rollers so they are not to be put in the plastic waste containers. The bags inside cereal boxes are mostly made of thin plastic; some people think that they are greaseproof paper. They should not go in paper or plastic waste.

Councillor Mike stated that local government has targets and the Assembly and Westminster are tackling other issues such as the amount of packaging coming into the home. The Minister is looking for zero waste by 2050.

To reach the 70% target by 2025, we need more participation. Conwy has not used the sanctions used by other Authorities to enforce recycling such as fining people. There are recycling officers in Conwy who can enforce if necessary if people will not recycle when all other options have been tried. Some people want to use the bring-bank pods to clear their house every day and that is supported as long as the pods are there.

Andrew At present we knock on doors where the recycling take-up is low in the area. Once the take-up reaches about 70% we find that it catches on with most people. There is a big school program also to educate children who will take the information into their homes.

A resident said that she has always taken all her plastic, card to Mochdre on the way to the shops and was happy to continue.

Councillor Mike replied that he would prefer to collect it at the kerbside as the council has to pay the contractor at Mochdre site to recycle what is taken there.

Andrew added that as long as the waste is recycled it is what suits the customer. In terms of carbon footprint the method described by the resident was efficient because it was a journey that she was making anyway and combining the recycling with that journey at no extra cost.

As the Council has to have a vehicle passing people’s houses anyway, it is more efficient to collect waste at the kerbside.

The secretary said that in Austria there is a crusher provided in supermarkets for people to return their plastic bottles and it is a natural thing for local people to do.

Andrew replied Austria has, famously one of the highest recycling rates in the whole of Europe.

The secretary said further that in Austria they have different recycling bins on many street corners, nicely presented and emptied regularly. In this area we are having problems which we are voicing through our councillors that so many people are leaving their wheelie bins out on the street, even when they could take them onto their own property. It looks awful; it affects Britain in Bloom results as it ruins the streetscene. Now there will be more bins, what are we going to do about it?

Andrew replied by law we have to collect waste, as part of that law, we can specify how we collect, at what time and in what receptacle. The rules are bins out by 7am on the day of collection and not earlier than 7pm on the day before and it should be taken in by 7pm on the day of collection. If people do not do that we can serve a notice on the people to make them comply with the rules.

There was a discussion about a local successful serving of such a notice and also about numbers of bins stored untidily and in the public view on private land in Old Colwyn.

Councillor Mike said that possibly the local councillors could talk to the residents to see if there is a way of working together to a reasonable conclusion.

Andrew added that this type of problem was the reason that Conwy had not gone down the road of other Authorities to issue more wheelie bins for the various types of waste but instead issue smaller variable size suitable containers that can be fitted easier into an area.

Councillor Mike said in response to a question about cost of collections, carbon footprint, jobs etc that recycling costs are supported by grant which is absorbed into the settlement from the Welsh Assembly. Grants are a difficulty because they can stop.

Andrew added that landfill will not be economically viable. Landfill tax will be £100 a ton in four years time because of the escalator. When the council rolls out after the pilot, there will be another ten drivers and another thirty loaders. Vehicle uses have been combined to prevent duplication of vehicle for different waste. Methane given off in Landfill is 21 times more harmful than carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, much of it is captured now because technology has improved.

Councillor Mike said that Conwy uses in-vessel composting in partnership with Anglesey and Gwynedd.  The waste is heated up and composts quickly. He would like to see an anaerobic digestion process for food waste mix it with liquid, take the gas off and get hot water and electricity out of the process. At present it costs £40 a ton to take it to the processing plant against £74 a ton in Llandulas. At present Conwy is working towards a partnership agreement with Denbighshire, and Flintshire to look at an anaerobic digestion plant. Conwy is looking at the costs of such a plant before opting in fully.

In reply to a question about timings of different collections and collectors throwing the bins down causing damage to them, Councillor Mike replied on your collection day it might be tin, bottles and paper one week with food waste and wheelie bin and food waste the next. There will be an information program happening before it rolls out. He accepted that there was some work to be done on the damage to the bins and whether it should be put back inside the property.

A resident said that he was glad that food recycling was coming in and told of a neighbour feeding the seagulls with bread, cake and buns every day on a flat roof.

The speakers agreed that it could well be a matter to be reported to Public Protection Department is it is a nuisance on the health side.

A resident said that when wheelie bins were first introduced it was an instruction to leave it on the edge of your property with the handles facing out and it would be returned to the same place. Now it is always left outside the property.

Councillor Mike accepted the point and said he would look at it. He summed up by saying that he felt that recycling was a culture shock changing people’s habits.  Now it is a matter of improving the operation and his feeling is that Conwy is getting it right having come a long way in the process. He wants to hear problems and sort out ways of curing the problems so that people are happy.

The Chair thanked Councillor Mike and Andrew for speaking to the meeting and being so informative. He said that we look forward to the roll-out. There was a round of applause