Number: WAG10-10954

Welsh Assembly Government

Consultation Document Towards Zero Waste One Wales: One Planet

Draft Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector Plan for Consultation March 2011

Date of issue: 10 March 2011 Action required: Responses by 10 June 2011

Overview The Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector Plan covers the management of all waste in Wales. This plan supports Towards Zero Waste, the overarching waste strategy document for Wales. It does this by detailing outcomes, policies and delivery actions for this sector. These proposals seek to deliver sustainable outcomes. They contribute to the delivery of our commitments and targets. The plan identifies where improvements in recyclate collection are needed and where opportunities to develop infrastructure and recyclate markets exist. The plan should help to develop infrastructure by demonstrating such investments are needed. We want your views on the consultation document and recommend that it is read in conjunction with the Sustainability Appraisal (incorporating the Strategic Environmental Assessment). Other relevant documents which should be considered, include: the Health Impact Assessment (HIA); Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA); and the evidence base. How to respond You may respond in a variety of ways by sending your written response to the address below or by email to the email address provided. Further information and related documents Large print, Braille and alternate language versions of this document are available on request. Contact details For further information: Jennet Holmes Welsh Assembly Government Waste Strategy Branch Department for Environment, Sustainability and Housing Welsh Assembly Government Ty-Cambria 29 Newport Road Cardiff CF24 0TP Email: wastestrategy@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Data Protection: How the views and information you give us will be used Any response you send us will be seen in full by Welsh Assembly Government staff dealing with the issues which this consultation is about. It may also be seen by other Welsh Assembly Government staff to help them plan future consultations. The Welsh Assembly Government intends to publish a summary of the responses to this document. We may also publish responses in full. Normally, the name and address (or part of the address) of the person or organisation who sent the response are published with the response. This helps to show that the consultation was carried out properly. If you do not want your name or address published, please tell us this in writing when you send your response. We will then blank them out. Names or addresses we blank out might still get published later, though we do not think this would happen very often. The Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 allow the public to ask to see information held by many public bodies, including the Welsh Assembly Government. This includes information which has not been published. However, the law also allows us to withhold information in some circumstances. If anyone asks to see information we have withheld, we will have to decide whether to release it or not. If someone has asked for their name and address not to be published, that is an important fact we would take into account. However, there might sometimes be important reasons why we would have to reveal someones name and address, even though they have asked for them not to be published. We would get in touch with the person and ask their views before we finally decided to reveal the information.

Crown Copyright 2011

Photograph supplied by BiogenGreenfinch 2011

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Ministerial Foreword
In Towards Zero Waste, the overarching waste strategy document for Wales, we set bold objectives for Wales to bring our use of the earths resources into line with the earths capacity to sustain us. One part of that objective is to make the Welsh economy resource efficient and, in doing so, to create opportunities for jobs and new business opportunities. The draft Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector Plan sets out our medium term plans for the waste collection services, reprocessing infrastructure and recyclate markets for Wales which we need if we are to move Wales from a wasteful nation to a resource-efficient one. It has been drafted through dialogue and engagement with a range of stakeholders in both the private and public sector, and is presented now to encourage further discussion, debate and elaboration. The plan addresses the wastes produced after waste prevention efforts have been applied. The other sector plans that are in development are aimed at waste producers, and these will focus on preventing waste. This is primarily a plan for the waste management industry in all its forms, including Local Authorities, private waste management companies and social enterprises. The proposals it sets out will contribute to Wales sustainable development goal, the central organising principle of the Welsh Assembly Government. The valuable materials in our waste are global commodities; their management and recovery bring both challenges and opportunities, and demand strategic solutions. Some waste-producing sectors are performing well and recycling significant amounts of the waste they generate. They are well served by the waste industry. But this is not the case for all sectors There are significant amounts of waste from the household and commercial sectors that could easily be recycled that are still being sent to landfill. Utilising waste materials is already important to the Welsh economy with major centres for recycling metals and paper well established here, for example. The challenge set by this sector plan is to develop the opportunities to expand our capacity to make use of more secondary materials, which will create employment directly and provide raw materials for our future manufacturing businesses. Too much valuable recyclate is exported from Wales, much of it poor quality because we have not got the collection systems right. Yet there are Wales-based reprocessors crying out for quality recyclate that they cannot source enough of from Wales. This plan is intended to help deliver sustainable development in Wales through the provision of the services and infrastructure we need to help us build a resourceefficient economy. High recycling will result in cost savings for businesses, local authorities and the rest of the public sector. Even further savings will be achieved if our prevention targets are met.

The plan goes far beyond landfill diversion and delivering high recycling rates which are important, but not sufficient, for sustainable development. It is a plan that is focussed on the delivery of high quality recycling, and retaining in Wales the value of the materials in waste. Where waste is produced it should be prepared for reuse or recycled using closed loop methods. That is the way to reduce our ecological and carbon footprints. We should strive to ensure that this closed loop recycling take place in Wales for the benefits that it will bring us. Where this is not possible, we should aim to export materials in a form which retains as much of their value as possible for Wales and of a quality which means that they can be closed loop recycled elsewhere. This sector plan highlights specifically the need for action in respect of recyclate collection services for the commercial sector, which sends the largest tonnages of recyclable materials (or resources) to landfill. The plan makes a number of proposals to address this issue. Until we reach our goal of a zero waste (one hundred percent recycling) society we will continue to collect some wastes that cannot effectively be recycled. For these wastes, efficient energy recovery for heat and electricity in properly controlled facilities is generally preferable to continued landfilling. In recognising this, we are aware that there is a difficult balance to be struck to ensure that we have sufficient capacity to deal with our waste arisings in the short term in a way which does not impede the achievement of our long term goals. This draft plan seeks to achieve more than the environmentally efficient management of resources, however. There are massive opportunities to create green jobs in the expanding secondary materials sector. There is opportunity for this to grow in Wales, creating new Welsh jobs and retaining and re-circulating wealth within the Welsh economy. This will only happen if we collect clean materials carefully and present them to market in a way that reprocessors want and for which they are willing to pay optimal prices. The creation of Welsh based reprocessing facilities and the associated jobs - both direct and indirect - helps not only support local communities financially, but creates opportunities for training and for community regeneration. These social benefits, allied with the known financial, economic and environmental benefits, illustrate the opportunities that the principles and policies in this draft plan can deliver. Everyone has a role to play in achieving the goals set in this plan. For its part, Government recognises its responsibility to help all sectors meet the targets set in Towards Zero Waste and proposed in this sector plan. The Welsh Assembly Government will do all in its power to support Local Authorities, businesses and social enterprises in Wales, and the specific actions that it proposes to take are set out here. This plan presents an opportunity for the waste industry in Wales to turn itself into a resource management industry. It needs to be an industry that provides a holistic service to its customers that also includes advice on how to prevent waste. My vision is for this resource management industry in Wales to be recognised as world class in

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delivering a sustainable service, respected and in demand the world over. I also want Wales to be an attractive place for inward investment, and to retain Wales-born industries as a result of the quality of the sustainable services our resource management industry offers. In a market place where the need for both security of supply of materials and supply chain drives for resource efficiency are becoming ever more paramount, we fail to take action on this at our peril. I am proud to present the Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector Plan to the future resource management industry of Wales. It is you who will contribute to a better, more sustainable economy in Wales, and you who will help Wales play its part in creating a better world; one where we can proudly say that the resource management industry has made its contribution towards the goal of zero waste and One Planet living.

Jane Davidson AM Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing

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Summary
What are the Main Issues
The Collections Infrastructure and Markets sector plan seeks to create the conditions for a sustainable approach to resource management by ensuring that a high volume of clean, source segregated recyclate is collected and delivered to reprocessors (based in Wales as far as possible), and that closed loop end markets are developed for the recyclate (within Wales as far as possible). The draft plan aims to ensure, as far as possible, that that the economic value of the recyclate is retained within the Welsh economy. The evidence presented demonstrated that there are still significant amounts of recyclable material being sent to landfill, especially from the household and commercial Sectors. There is also some evidence that some materials are accessing end markets which are not the most sustainable option for Wales. The quality of collected recyclate needs improving. The plan identifies where improvements in recyclate collection are required and where opportunities to develop infrastructure exist. The draft plan aims to facilitate developments in infrastructure by demonstrating need for such investments. Waste prevention is the top priority, but it is being covered in the other sector plans.

Reasons for this Consultation

The purpose of this consultation is to seek the views of interested parties on the draft Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector Plan which covers the management of all waste in Wales regardless of sector. This plan supports Towards Zero Waste, the overarching waste strategy document for Wales, by detailing outcomes, policies, targets and delivery actions for this sector. It forms part of the suite of documents that overall comprise the waste management plan for Wales in accordance with the plan making requirements enshrined in UK and EU legislation.

Outline of Proposals
The proposals contained in this document seek to deliver the sustainable development outcomes identified in One Wales, in the Sustainable Development Scheme One Wales, One Planet and in Towards Zero Waste. They contribute to the delivery of the Welsh Assembly Governments commitments (including targets) set under relevant EU Directives in a way that meets and delivers key overarching policies and strategies on sustainable development and climate change, as well as those set by other Welsh Assembly Government functions.

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The Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector Plan looks at the current situation for three elements of the waste hierarchy and focuses on some priority materials based on their ecological footprint. The proposed actions in the draft plan have been developed based upon the analysis of the current position and in consideration of where specific gaps need to be filled and market failures addressed in order to meet future targets and the sustainable development policies and outcomes laid down in Towards Zero Waste. Action for waste prevention The plan concerns wastes that have been produced; waste prevention will be covered in detail in the other sector plans. Actions for reuse There are six proposed actions to improve reuse set in the draft plan. Four of these are set around improving collection arrangements to enable preparation for reuse, with one set for improving infrastructure and one set for improving market access for reused materials. Actions for recycling - collections Ten distinct actions are set in respect of the collection of recyclates from the Local Authority collected Municipal Solid Waste (LAMSW) sector. These are aimed at increasing the range, quantity and quality of materials collected from this sector. Seven distinct actions are set in respect of the collection of recyclates from the Commercial and Industrial sectors. Again, these are aimed at increasing the range, quantity and quality of materials collected from these sectors. There is an action already underway identified in respect of the Welsh Assembly Government commissioning a further study to consider instruments that could be used to facilitate businesses recycling their waste. This may include new interventions such as: Statutory requirement for local authorities to offer a comprehensive separate waste recyclate collection service for businesses (which would be chargeable) to extend to further waste streams (eg, food and cardboard) in addition to the revised Waste Framework Directive requirement to provide for businesses a separate collection service for paper, metal, plastic and glass by 1 January 2015. A requirement placed on waste producers to keep recyclable materials separate at source to facilitate their collection and recycling to a high quality; Extending the revised Waste Framework Directive requirement for all waste collection companies to provide a separate collection service for food and cardboard as well as for paper, metal, plastic and glass; Introduction of landfill bans for specific materials with food and cardboard a priority (using provisions under the Waste (Wales) Measure 2010); Introduction of energy-from-waste bans for specific materials with food and cardboard a priority.

There is a key action proposed on supporting and encouraging on the go recyclate collection. Actions for recycling infrastructure Seven actions are identified in respect of improving the recycling infrastructure in Wales. These are aimed at improving the provision of CA and bring facilities, providing capital support for the improvement of the existing merchant recycling infrastructure, providing material specific interventions, improving recycling reporting, development of a network of AD facilities to treat food wastes, ensuring protection of human health and the environment, and ensuring that waste infrastructure is responsive to the need to adapt to climate change. Actions for recycling markets Eight specific actions are identified in respect of developing the market for recyclates in Wales. These are aimed at working with Welsh manufacturers to increase recycled content in target materials, to improve the incorporation of recycled content in products and packaging (through the development of agreements, standards and protocols), to support business in regard to the above, to enhance the procurement of materials with recycled content by public bodies, to improve the application of the existing packaging recovery note (PRN) system, and to ensure adequate markets for compost and digestate in Wales. There is also an action to promote generic support for recycling companies in Wales by the Department of Economy and Transport, and through the Green Jobs Strategy and the Economic Renewal Programme (specifically support for the Energy and Environment Sector. Actions for Other recovery of wastes Three specific actions are set in relation to the Other recovery of wastes. These are set for the development of energy recovery options in respect of certain difficult wastes, in respect of the landspreading of certain wastes, and in respect of the practice of disposing of certain wastes via sink macerators (ie. food wastes.)

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Actions for the recovery and disposal of residual wastes Thirteen specific actions are set in respect of the recovery and disposal of residual wastes. These are set out as follows : Adapting to climate change, including business continuity planning Arrangements to tackle flytipping Arrangements to collect and manage waste arising from civil emergencies Protecting human health, the environment (including living organisms and biodiversity) Procurement support for the treatment of residual LAMSW Support for the treatment of other residual waste Achieving high efficiency for Energy from Waste facilities in Wales Community engagement for residual waste Remaining landfill need The proximity principle Landspreading of compost like output Treatment of hazardous waste Facility closure

Actions for market development for the outputs from residual waste facilities Two actions are set in respect of the development of markets for outputs from energy from waste facilities. Ensuring that these are properly implemented is key to ensuring that the sustainability of these facilities is optimised. The first action is in respect of optimising the recovery of energy through the development of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) options for energy recovery installations. The second action is in respect of developing markets for the utilisation of IBA.

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The Consultation Questions

Consultation question 1 : Do you agree with the findings and conclusions of the sustainability appraisal? If no please explain your reasons? Consultation question 2: Do you agree with the proposed priority order of options for the management of the following waste streams (please indicate yes or no against each waste stream): a) glass, b) paper/card, c) metals, d) plastics, e) food, or f) residual waste If no for any of these, what changes would you wish to see and why (please provide evidence to back up your views). Consultation question 3: Do you agree that it should be the role of all waste companies in Wales to provide advice to their customers on steps they can take to prevent waste? If yes, how could this be implemented? Consultation Question 4: Should preparing for reuse be included as counting towards the recycling targets set in Towards Zero Waste for industrial and commercial waste? Consultation Question 5: Do you consider that there is scope to increase the amount of reuse of wastes produced by businesses? If yes, what items should be targeted as a priority, and how could better services be put in place to achieve more reuse? Consultation question 6: Do you agree that it is feasible for all businesses to keep each of these four key waste steams separate at source (please indicate yes or no against each waste stream)? a) paper and card, b) plastics and cans, c) glass, d) food If not, why not. Which types of business do you think will face the biggest challenges and why? Consultation Question 7: Do you agree that the types of instruments proposed above will facilitate the further collection of recyclates from businesses to meet the targets in Towards Zero Waste? If not, why not? What other instruments could be considered, and why?

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Consultation Question 8: Would the use in WasteDataFlow of a standard default percentage for rejects help local authorities that are unable to obtain accurate figures for reject rates? If your answer is no, what other mechanism could be applied to ensure the accurate reporting of reject rates from all facilities handling recyclate from Welsh local authorities? Consultation Question 9: Do you agree that certain separated wastes that are difficult to recycle should be sent for energy recovery rather than to landfill? Consultation question 10: Do you agree that it is undesirable for untreated food waste to be spread on land in Wales, even under a permit, but instead be treated by AD? If yes, should the Welsh Assembly Government introduce legislation to specifically prevent the landspreading of untreated food waste? Consultation Question 11: Do you agree that the proposed landfill limitation targets for industrial and commercial waste are appropriate? If no, what targets do you suggest should be set? Consultation Question 12: Do you agree that the proposed energy from waste ceiling for industrial and commercial waste is appropriate? Consultation Question 13: Do you agree that the suggested energy efficiency levels for EfW facilities in Wales are desirable and achievable? If no, please explain your reasons. Consultation Question 14: Do you consider that the Welsh Assembly Government should seek powers to set minimum energy efficiency levels for EfW plants operating in Wales. Consultation Question 15: Do you agree that the RWP spatial strategy should be reissued and rolled forward as part of TAN 21? If no, please explain your reasons? Consultation Question 16: What planning challenges can be foreseen in making the transition between the current RWPs and the Collection, Infrastructure and Markets Sector Plan? What further guidance and information do you consider will be necessary? Consultation Question 17: We have asked a number of specific questions. If you have any related issues which we have not specifically addressed, please raise them in your response.

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How to respond
Please reply online: www.wales.gov.uk/consultations/www.cymru.gov.uk/ymgynghoriadau (under Environment and Countryside). Responses can also be submitted by letter, fax or e-mail to: Waste Strategy Branch Department for Environment, Sustainability and Housing Welsh Assembly Government Ty-Cambria 29 Newport Road Cardiff CF24 0TP Email: wastestrategy@wales.gsi.gov.uk Fax: 02920 466413 Tel: 02920 466090 If you are responding in writing, please state whether you are responding as an individual or representing the views of an organisation. If responding on behalf of an organisation, please make it clear whom the organisation represents and, where applicable, how the view of members were assembled. The Welsh Assembly Government intends to publish a summary of the responses to this document. Normally, the name and address (or part of the address) of its author are published along with the response, as this gives credibility to the consultation exercise. If you do not wish to be identified as the author of your response, please state this expressly in writing to us.

CONTENTS Ministerial Foreword .....................................................................................................i Summary ....................................................................................................................iv The Consultation Questions ..................................................................................... viii 1 Setting the Scene ................................................................................................ 1 1.1 How Towards Zero Waste and this Sector Plan fit together........ 1 1.2 Scope of the Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector Plan 1 1.3 Who the Sector Plan is for.............................................................. 2 1.4 Status of the Plan ............................................................................ 2 1.5 Key Drivers ...................................................................................... 2 1.5.1 Key drivers ............................................................................................ 2 1.5.2 Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) ............................................ 2 1.5.3 Outcomes and milestones set in Towards Zero Waste ......................... 3 1.5.3.1 Outcomes....................................................................................... 3 1.5.3.2 Milestones...................................................................................... 4 1.6 Approach.......................................................................................... 6 1.7 Links to other Sector Plans ............................................................ 7 1.8 Evolution of this Sector Plan.......................................................... 9 2 The current situation and future trends.............................................................. 10 2.1 Waste arisings ............................................................................... 10 2.1.1 Local authority collected municipal waste (LAMW) ............................. 10 2.1.2 Industrial and commercial waste ......................................................... 10 2.1.2.1 Industrial waste ............................................................................ 10 2.1.2.2 Commercial waste........................................................................ 12 2.1.3 Construction and demolition waste ..................................................... 13 2.1.4 Quantity of wastes containing priority materials produced in Wales.... 13 2.1.4.1 Paper and Card............................................................................ 14 2.1.4.2 Plastic .......................................................................................... 14 2.1.4.3 Metal ............................................................................................ 14 2.1.4.4 Glass............................................................................................ 15 2.1.4.5 Food............................................................................................. 15 2.1.4.6 Hazardous waste ......................................................................... 16 2.1.4.7 Packaging waste .......................................................................... 16 2.1.4.8 Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) ..................... 16 2.1.4.9 Batteries....................................................................................... 16 2.1.4.10 ELV .............................................................................................. 16 2.2 Waste management....................................................................... 17 2.2.1 Management of local authority collected municipal waste................... 17 2.2.2 Management of industrial waste.......................................................... 18 2.2.3 Management of commercial waste...................................................... 18 2.2.4 Management of Construction and Demolition waste ........................... 19 2.2.5 Management of priority materials in Wales ......................................... 20 2.2.5.1 Paper and Card............................................................................ 20 2.2.5.2 Plastic .......................................................................................... 20 2.2.5.3 Metal ............................................................................................ 20 2.2.5.4 Glass............................................................................................ 21 2.2.5.5 Food............................................................................................. 21 2.2.5.6 Hazardous waste deposited in Wales .......................................... 22 2.2.5.7 Packaging .................................................................................... 23

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2.2.5.8 WEEE .......................................................................................... 24 2.2.5.9 ELV .............................................................................................. 24 2.2.5.10 Batteries....................................................................................... 25 2.3 Collection systems........................................................................ 25 2.3.1 Municipal Waste.................................................................................. 25 2.3.1.1 Collections for reuse .................................................................... 25 2.3.1.2 Collections for recycling and composting/anaerobic digestion ..... 25 2.3.1.3 Collections for the disposal of residual waste .............................. 27 2.3.2 Industrial and commercial waste ......................................................... 27 2.3.2.1 Collection for reuse ...................................................................... 27 2.3.2.2 Collection for recycling ................................................................. 27 2.3.2.3 Collection of residual waste for disposal ...................................... 28 2.3.3 Collection of priority materials in Wales............................................... 29 2.3.3.1 Hazardous waste ......................................................................... 29 2.3.3.2 Packaging materials..................................................................... 29 2.3.3.3 WEEE .......................................................................................... 30 2.3.3.4 ELV .............................................................................................. 30 2.3.3.5 Batteries....................................................................................... 30 2.4 Infrastructure and Capacity.......................................................... 31 2.4.1 Number of permitted facilities.............................................................. 31 2.4.2 Preparing for reuse ............................................................................. 32 2.4.3 The storage and treatment of waste prior for recycling ....................... 32 2.4.4 Other recovery (not of energy) ............................................................ 34 2.4.5 Other treatment ................................................................................... 34 Incineration.......................................................................................... 34 2.4.6 2.4.7 Disposal of residual waste................................................................... 34 2.4.8 Priority materials ................................................................................. 35 2.4.8.1 Food waste .................................................................................. 35 2.4.8.2 Hazardous waste ......................................................................... 35 2.4.8.3 WEEE, ELV and Batteries............................................................ 35 2.4.9 Markets for reuse, recyclate and compost/AD digestate ..................... 36 2.4.9.1 Markets for preparing for reuse.................................................... 36 2.4.9.2 Markets for dry recyclates ............................................................ 36 2.4.9.3 Markets for outputs from composting and anaerobic digestion .... 37 2.4.9.4 Markets for processed Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) ................... 39 2.4.9.5 Markets for heat from energy from waste..................................... 41 2.5 Future trends ................................................................................. 42 2.5.1 Overview of waste arisings.................................................................. 42 2.5.2 Future arising of priority materials from all sectors.............................. 44 2.5.3 Future trends in waste management and infrastructure capacity need 45 2.5.3.1 Trends in the management of priority materials ........................... 46 Hazardous Waste .......................................................................................... 51 3 Moving forward .................................................................................................. 55 3.1 Costs and Benefits........................................................................ 55 3.2 Waste Hierarchies ......................................................................... 59 3.2.1 Consideration of the waste hierarchy in respect of specific materials 60 3.2.1.1 Glass............................................................................................ 60 3.2.1.2 Paper/Card................................................................................... 61 3.2.1.3 Metals .......................................................................................... 62 3.2.1.4 Plastic .......................................................................................... 63

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3.2.1.5 Food............................................................................................. 65 3.2.1.6 Residual waste............................................................................. 67 3.2.2 Hazardous waste ................................................................................ 71 3.3 Actions ........................................................................................... 73 3.3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................... 73 3.3.2 Preparing for Reuse ............................................................................ 74 3.3.2.1 What is preparing for reuse? ..................................................... 74 3.3.2.2 The benefits of preparing for reuse .............................................. 74 3.3.2.3 Specific Objectives....................................................................... 75 3.3.2.4 Preparing for reuse roles and responsibilities............................ 76 3.3.2.5 Targets......................................................................................... 78 3.3.2.6 Actions ......................................................................................... 78 3.3.2.7 Indicators and review of progress ................................................ 83 3.3.2.8 Summary of preparing for reuse actions ...................................... 84 3.3.3 Recycling............................................................................................. 86 3.3.3.1 The benefits of recycling .............................................................. 87 3.3.3.2 Specific objectives........................................................................ 89 3.3.3.3 Roles and responsibilities ............................................................ 90 3.3.3.4 Targets......................................................................................... 93 Table 21: UK packaging recycling targets for specific materials .................... 96 3.3.3.5 Actions ......................................................................................... 97 3.3.3.6 Need for additional evidence...................................................... 127 3.3.3.7 Monitoring and Measuring.......................................................... 127 Review ....................................................................................... 129 3.3.3.8 3.3.3.9 Summary of actions for the Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector plan................................................................................................... 130 3.3.4 Other recovery of source separated wastes...................................... 145 3.3.4.1 Introduction ................................................................................ 145 3.3.4.2 Definitions .................................................................................. 145 3.3.4.3 Benefits ...................................................................................... 145 3.3.4.4 Specific Objectives..................................................................... 146 3.3.4.5 Actions ....................................................................................... 146 3.3.4.6 Summary of actions for other recovery of source separated wastes 148 3.3.5 Recovery and Disposal of residual wastes........................................ 149 3.3.5.1 Definitions .................................................................................. 149 3.3.5.2 The benefits of diverting residual waste from landfill sites and recovering energy ........................................................................................ 150 3.3.5.3 Specific Objectives..................................................................... 151 3.3.5.4 Roles and responsibilities .......................................................... 152 3.3.5.5 Targets....................................................................................... 153 3.3.5.6 Actions on the collection and recovery and disposal of residual waste 158 3.3.5.7 Monitoring and Measuring.......................................................... 175 3.3.5.8 Review ....................................................................................... 175 3.3.5.9 Summary of actions for the Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector plan................................................................................................... 176 4 Other Considerations....................................................................................... 182 4.1 Landuse Planning / TAN21 ........................................................... 182 4.2 Training and Jobs.......................................................................... 184

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4.2.1 What Waste Activities Create Jobs? ................................................. 184 4.2.2 Numbers and types of jobs that can be created by the recycling targets in Towards Zero Waste.................................................................................. 185 4.3 Waste management and reducing greenhouse gas emissions ..... 187 4.3.1 Baseline Data.................................................................................... 187 4.3.2 Wider context .................................................................................... 188 4.3.3 Headline figures and actions to reduce emissions ............................ 188 4.3.4 Comparison with other sectors.......................................................... 189 5 Links to other Sector Plans.............................................................................. 191 6 Summary ......................................................................................................... 193 7 Monitoring, Measurement and Evaluation ....................................................... 197 Glossary ................................................................................................................. 198

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1 Setting the Scene

1.1 How Towards Zero Waste and this Sector Plan fit together
Towards Zero Waste - the overarching waste strategy document for Wales - is a long term high level strategic framework which describes the social, economic and environmental outcomes that resource efficiency and waste management will achieve and how these contribute towards a sustainable future. It also details the Welsh Assembly Governments high level principles, policies and targets. The policies for waste set in Towards Zero Waste are based on those developed in Wise about Waste1, and take full account of the principles and objectives enshrined in the revised EU Waste Framework Directive with its drive for waste prevention and to make the EU a high recycling society to deliver sustainable development outcomes. Sector plans are implementation plans that form part of the suite of documents that comprise the overall waste management plan for Wales as required under EU, UK and Wales legislation. When completed, they will describe the role of the sector, the Welsh Assembly Government and others in delivering the outcomes, targets and policies in Towards Zero Waste. The sector plans will be web based living documents and there will be linkages between them, where the actions of one sector will affect and/or support those of another. They will be evidence based and link to best practice case studies as far as possible.

1.2

Scope of the Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector Plan

The draft Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector Plan covers the collection and subsequent management of all wastes in Wales and focuses on the following priority materials that are identified in Towards Zero Waste and also in the Waste Framework Directive (in respect of collection for recycling): Food Metals Paper & Card Plastics Glass Hazardous

http://wales.gov.uk/about/programmeforgovernment/strategy/publications/environmentcountryside/20 96132/?lang=en

It includes coverage of markets for recyclate, compost and anaerobic digestion (AD) digestate. It also covers the collection and management of residual waste, that is, the waste that is left after recycling.

1.3 Who the Sector Plan is for

The Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector plan is aimed primarily at those who collect and manage waste including reprocessors, the waste industry and their Regulators, local authorities, the social enterprise sector and other delivery support bodies to facilitate delivery of the most effective collection systems and facilitate the development the infrastructure and capacity, and markets needed.

1.4

Status of the Plan

The draft Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector Plan provides a record of the proposed objectives, targets and actions for the collection and management of waste within Wales. When finalised following consultation it will form part of the suite of documents that together comprise the statutory waste management plan for Wales as required by UK and EU legislation.

1.5 Key Drivers

1.5.1 Key drivers The key drivers for this sector plan are: The Welsh Assembly Governments goal that sustainable development should drive everything that we do in Wales. The imperative to ensure that the more sustainable management of waste helps contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions globally. The Welsh Assembly Governments stated goal to achieve One Planet living (in ecological footprint terms) within the lifetime of a generation. The need to become more resource self sufficient, in order to ensure resilience for our economy in terms of the security of supply of affordable material resources. The revised EU Waste Framework (see below) and other relevant EU waste Directives.

1.5.2 Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) The revised EU Waste Framework Directive lays down measures to protect the environment and human health by preventing or reducing the adverse impacts of the generation and management of waste, and by reducing the overall impacts of, and improving the efficiency of, resource use. Revisions to the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) were adopted in December 2008, to be implemented by December 2010. The revised Directive includes requirements for member states to:

Apply the waste hierarchy in waste management legislation and policy. Promote the high quality recycling of waste materials as part of the overall aim to make the EU a recycling society. Ensure that separate collection is set up for at least the following: paper, metal, plastic and glass by 2015 (for all waste producing sectors). Ensure that the preparation for reuse and the recycling of waste materials such as at least paper, metal, plastic and glass from households is increased to a minimum of overall 50% by weight by 20202. Ensure that the preparation for reuse, recycling and other material recovery of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste is increased to a minimum of 70% by weight in 2020. Establish an integrated and adequate network of waste disposal installations and installations for the recovery of mixed household waste. Ensure that waste management is carried out without endangering human health and without harming the environment. Establish waste management plans. Establish Waste Prevention Programmes describing existing prevention measures, evaluating the usefulness of other measures and determine benchmarks for measurement of adopted prevention measures.

1.5.3 Outcomes and milestones set in Towards Zero Waste This section describes the outcomes that we are seeking to achieve in our overarching strategy document Towards Zero Waste and through the sector plans. Building a sustainable future is fundamental to our approach. This means we will consider the environmental, social and economic implications of our actions. Each is considered in turn below. 1.5.3.1 Outcomes

A sustainable environment Towards Zero Waste shows how we will reduce the impact of waste in Wales to within our environmental limits by focussing on reducing the ecological footprint of waste to One Planet levels by 2050. This approach will reduce the impact of climate change from waste activities, achieve sustainable consumption and production, sustain our economy and manage and conserve the planets resources. To do this we need to: Focus on waste prevention, and more sustainable ways of consuming and producing.

With the agreement of the European Commission, the UK will be applying the 50% target to all wastes from households, and not just the materials specified.

Focus on very high levels of recycling of the waste that is produced, and make sure that it is the right type of recycling (i.e. closed loop). Send food waste to anaerobic digestion plants to generate valuable renewable energy and fertiliser.

A prosperous society Towards Zero Waste shows how our actions on resource efficiency and waste management will support the development of a prosperous society that: Provides more green jobs within the waste and resource management industry across a range of skill levels in Wales and increase the number of high skilled, high value green jobs. Is resilient against future competing demands including, rising costs and security of supply of global material resources, saving money and maintaining or increasing profit through more efficient resource management.

A fair and just society The sector plans will implement the targets, actions and policies in Towards Zero Waste in a manner in which citizens can, through actions on waste prevention, reuse and recycling: Achieve their full human potential. Enrich their communities. Contribute towards the wellbeing of Wales. Improve their local environment. Actively improve the quality of their life.

There will be equality of opportunity for all citizens of Wales to contribute to waste prevention, reuse and recycling irrespective of where they live, their health and ability, mobility or personal circumstances. 1.5.3.2 Milestones

To implement our outcomes, Towards Zero Waste sets the following two key milestones. 2025 Towards Zero Waste By 2025, there will be a significant reduction in waste (27%), and we will manage any waste that is produced in a way that makes the most of our valuable resources. This means maximising recycling and minimising the amount of residual waste produced, and achieving as close to zero landfill as possible.

This is an intermediate step on the way to our 2050 target of achieving zero waste and living within our environmental limits3. This is needed because reducing the impact of waste in Wales to One Planet levels will require big changes in the way that products and services are designed, and the actions that consumers and businesses take. Towards Zero Waste will require: Waste prevention - Waste arisings need to be reduced by around 1.5 per cent (of the 2007 baseline) each year across all sectors in order to achieve the One Planet goal for 2050. We will move from a product orientated society, to a service orientated society where products are leased / rented with repair centres being the norm. Citizens will be empowered to buy smarter and they will take responsibility for the consequences of their purchases, avoid producing waste, and reuse products as far as possible. Reuse of unwanted items will be encouraged. As far as possible, items that are discarded as waste are prepared for reuse and are able to continue to be a resource and reused by others. Retailers will sell products that generate significantly less waste and the lifespan of products will be increased. A strong economy in resource management - This means that recyclates will be collected and managed with supply to Welsh manufacturing in mind. We will need: High levels of clean recyclates to drive the market - all sectors in Wales will be recycling at least 70 per cent of their waste this includes businesses, households and the public sector. Waste collection systems will enable high levels of high quality recycling to be achieved, so that the recyclate can feed as far as possible into reprocessing facilities in Wales (retaining the economic value of recyclate within Wales). There will be a focus on serving local recyclate markets that are closed loop recycling systems to achieve the best environmental benefits. Strong markets for recyclates and anaerobic digestion digestate.

Residual waste will be minimised - substantially less residual waste will be produced than at present, and it will be phased out of landfill sites to high efficiency energy from waste plants. Landfill will be eliminated as far as possible - to reduce Wales greenhouse gas emissions and make the most of our valuable resources we need to divert waste from landfill, and manage the emissions from existing landfill sites.

Environmental Limits Our Vision of a Sustainable Wales is one where Wales: lives within its environmental limits, using only its fair share of the earths resources so that our ecological footprint is reduced to the global average availability of resources, and we are resilient to the impacts of climate change (Source: One Wales: One Planet: A new sustainable development scheme for Wales).

Legacy wastes will be tackled - alternative ways of treating these will be found, and efforts will be made to ensure that products are redesigned so that they do not become problematic legacy wastes in the future.

2050 Achieving zero waste By 2050, we will have reduced the impact of waste in Wales to within our environmental limits. Residual waste will have been eliminated and any waste that is produced will all be recycled. This means that the ecological footprint of waste in Wales will be at One Planet levels. It will be achieved by continuing and enhancing our current efforts on: Achieving One Planet levels of waste Living within our environmental limits - Greater effort will be made to challenge waste at all stages of its production. All products will use as little material as possible, with the majority of it sourced from recyclate, with as few virgin resources used as possible. Resources will be highly valued to a level that none will be wasted. Aiming to phase out residual waste and achieve zero waste through ensuring that all waste is reused or recycled - Any waste that is produced, will be reused, recycled, composted (for green waste) or anaerobically digested (for food waste). All products and packaging will be designed for disassembly and reuse or recycling, and the collection services and facilities to recycle all of the material will be in place. All recycling operations will be closed loop, or employ upcycling4. As far as possible, recyclate will be used directly in Welsh manufacturing processes. This means there will be far less need for residual waste treatment facilities such as energy from waste plants with the number and/or capacity required progressively reducing from 2025 to 2050.

1.6 Approach
The approach being followed in this Sector Plan is to take forward actions in respect of the following elements of the waste hierarchy: Preparation for reuse. Recycling - including composting of green waste and anaerobic digestion of food waste. Other recovery (non residual waste). Other recovery and disposal of residual waste (Waste prevention is covered by the sector plans for municipal and business waste).

Upcycling - upcycling happens where high embedded energy raw materials are substituted by lower embedded energy secondary raw materials that can be subsequently be closed loop recycled.

For each part of the hierarchy, the plan evaluates current management, collection systems, infrastructure and capacity and end markets for recyclates. It then identifies what steps are required to enable the waste management policies, outcomes and targets in Towards Zero Waste and the Waste Framework Directive to be met. Current arrangements and proposed new actions for delivery are then identified. The sector plan seeks to ensure that a high volume of clean, source segregated recyclate is delivered to reprocessors (based in Wales as far as possible), and that end markets are developed for the recyclate (within Wales as far as possible). It also aims to extract the maximum value from residual wastes, to the benefit of Wales. The sector plan identifies where improvements in recyclate collection are required and where opportunities to develop infrastructure exist. The plan should act to facilitate developments in infrastructure by demonstrating need for such investments. The sector plan provides the framework for the joined up infrastructure required to deliver the waste management and prevention targets that meet sustainability goals. This means that a sustainable infrastructure will be developed for a waste material regardless of source, to achieve economies of scale (e.g. paper recycling from municipal / household and commercial / industrial waste sources). The sector plan identifies the role of planning guidance (TAN 21) and identifies the contribution that this plan makes in the context of the current Regional Waste Plans. The plan details the requirement for high energy efficiency energy from waste infrastructure for the treatment of the residual waste stream. The plan also evaluates the skills gap to achieving the desired outcomes, and how the requisite training may be provided and evaluates the impact of the proposals in terms of direct greenhouse gas mitigation. A Sustainability Appraisal (including a Strategic Environmental Assessment), a Habitats Regulation Assessment and a Health Impact Assessment have been published to accompany this draft sector plan. Consultation question 1 : Do you agree with the findings and conclusions of the sustainability appraisal? If no please explain your reasons?

1.7 Links to other Sector Plans

The Municipal Sector Plan - Part 1 (MSP 1) sets the agenda for the management of local authority collected municipal wastes for the next fifteen years and beyond. MSP 1 covers only the waste collected specifically by municipalities, that is all of the Welsh Local Authorities. The sector plan does not cover other municipal waste that is not collected by local authorities, and which is collected instead by private or social economy waste management companies. These wastes will be covered in other sector plans. The plan focuses on actions for: Waste prevention, including the role of local authority service provision to influence householder behaviours.

Preparing for reuse, including opportunities to improve the reuse of bulky wastes. Delivering a recyclate collection service focused on quality and not just quantity, with kerbside sort being the preferred best practice option identified. Managing collected recyclate, food waste and residual waste in a sustainable way that maximises job creation in Wales and contributes to global and local environmental improvements.

The Plan is accompanied by the publication of a Collections Blueprint that identifies the most sustainable approach for the collection of recyclate from households the kerbside sort system. The Municipal Sector Plan Part 2 (MSP 2) will focus specifically on household hazardous waste. MSP 2 will provide the municipal sector with a delivery document that will guide local authorities and other stakeholders to taking action to achieve a pathway towards zero household hazardous waste. The Industrial and Commercial Sector Plan will focus specifically on: Commercial waste arising from any premises which are used wholly or mainly for trade, business, sport recreation or entertainment (excluding household and industrial); Industrial waste arising from any factory and from any premises occupied by an industry (excluding mines and quarries); Products (and associated packaging) produced or sold from the industrial and commercial sector that eventually become waste in accordance with the principle of extended producer responsibility.

The Plan scope is likely to cover: Waste prevention including of wastes produced by the sector, and in relation to producer responsibilities in respect of products produced by the sector (with a focus on eco-design). Preparation for reuse. Source segregation of food waste and diversion of food waste from landfill to anaerobic digestion plants. Source segregation and separate collection of key recyclate streams, including paper, card, metal, glass and plastic. Eco-design of products and packaging produced and/or sold by the sector in order to increase reuse and recyclability, and increase the recycled content. Sustainable management of residual waste.

The Commercial and Demolition Sector Plan will cover the waste generated by the Construction and Demolition (C&D) Sector. It will contain a number of proposals for discussion on how we manage and treat C&D waste to achieve more sustainable

and affordable outcomes. It focuses on the key role that the Construction and Demolition sector plays through working with their clients, customers, suppliers, trades people and the wider communities to achieve the twin goals of One Planet living and zero waste. The Food Manufacture, Service and Retail Sector Plan addresses waste management and resource efficiency in the following three sectors: Food and drink manufacturing. Wholesale and retail. Services, including hospitality (e.g. restaurants, hotels, events). The Plan will target food manufacturers, retailers and the service sector to reduce and recycle more of their own food and packaging waste as well as influencing waste food and food packaging in the household and other commercial and industrial waste streams. The Public Sector Plan will establish how the public sector in Wales will manage resources efficiently, develop sustainable procurement activities and prevent waste production arising from provision of services in relation to health care, education, local government, justice administration and emergency response in Wales. It will set out a challenging action plan which will aid the public sector to provide leadership to all other sectors and become a driver of change. The Agriculture Sector Plan will focus on wastes produced by the agriculture sector in Wales up until the farm gate. It will focus on primary food production. It will identify opportunities for waste prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling (including composting and anaerobic digestion) and sustainable residual waste management.

1.8 Evolution of this Sector Plan

At an early stage in the consideration of this draft a stakeholder steering group was set up to guide its development. Four meetings of the steering group were held and representatives from the following organisations were invited to attend: Welsh Assembly Government Waste Strategy Branch Welsh Assembly Government Waste Procurement Programme Office Welsh Assembly Government Planning Environment Agency Wales (EAW) Wales Local Government Association (WLGA) Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) Wales Environmental Services Association (WESA) Wales Community Recycling Network (Cylch) A representative of the paper and plastics reprocessing industry

2 The current situation and future trends

2.1 Waste arisings
Wales produces approximately 17.4 million tonnes of waste a year from all sources. 12.2 million tonnes (70%) arise from the construction and demolition sector. The remaining 30% is split fairly evenly between industry (1.9 million tonnes), commerce (1.7 million tonnes) and local authority collected municipal waste (1.7 million tonnes). Further details of the types and quantities of waste arisings in different sectors is provided in Annex 1. 2.1.1 Local authority collected municipal waste (LAMW) The quantity of local authority collected municipal waste produced in Wales peaked in 2004-05, since when it has decreased by an average of 2.7% per year to its current level of 1.7 million tonnes. A compositional study of LAMW in Wales was undertaken in 20095 and revealed that (Figure 1): Around 61% is biodegradable waste, notably paper and card, food and garden waste. Hazardous household waste and WEEE, some of which may be hazardous, account for 3% of the total arisings. Most of these arisings (80%) are WEEE. The remaining household hazardous waste consists mainly of paints and varnishes, clinical waste and batteries. 74% of LAWM is material that can be easily recycled or composted/digested.

2.1.2 Industrial and commercial waste The Environment Agency last surveyed industry and commerce in 20076. The results indicate that 3.6 million tonnes of waste was produced. Hazardous waste accounts for 7% of arisings, split between commerce (58%) and industry (42%). 2.1.2.1 Industrial waste

The following were the key features of industrial waste production in Wales in 2007: The type and quantity of industrial waste is highly variable and heavily influenced by the sector type. The sectors that produce the greatest quantities of waste are the food manufacturers (25%), metals industry (21%), and the supply of electricity and gas (21%). 86% of the waste arises as discrete fractions, with only 14% arising as mixed waste.

5 6

The composition of municipal solid waste in Wales, WRAP (2010) Survey of Industrial and Commercial Waste in Wales 2007, Environment Agency Wales (2009)

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Of the hazardous wastes produced, mineral wastes such as asbestos, contaminated soils, polluted dredging spoils, and combustion wastes predominate. Chemical wastes such as used oils, spent solvents and chemical deposits are also significant.

Figure 1: Composition of local authority collected municipal waste 2009

Rubble (C&D waste) 5% Plastic 9% Glass 7% Wood 4% Metals 4% Garden waste 14% HHW & WEEE 3% Other 19% Other organics 3% Food waste 16% Paper & card 22%

Textiles & footwear 3% Disposable nappies 2% Fines 2% Furniture 1% Other noncombustibles 1% Other Combustibles 4%

Total arising = 1.7 million tonnes

Source: Environment Agency Wales Note: HHW = household hazardous waste WEEE = Waste electrical and electronic equipment

A summary of the composition of industrial waste in Wales in 2007 is shown in Figure 2. Figure 2: Composition of Industrial Waste produced in Wales 2007
Chemical wastes 5% Healthcare wastes Comm on 0.2% sludges 4% Discarded equipment 0.2%

Mixed ordinary wastes 14%

Mineral wastes 29%

Metallic wastes 14% Animal & vegetable wastes 18%

Non-metallic wastes 16%

Total arisings = 1.9 million

Source: Environment Agency Wales

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2.1.2.2

Commercial waste

The following were the key features of commercial waste production in Wales in 2007: The sectors that produce the greatest quantities of commercial waste are the wholesale and retail sector, including repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (39%) and accommodation and food services (19%). 51% of the waste arising from commerce is mixed waste, which contains valuable resources that can be recycled. Of the 557 thousand tonnes of non-metallic wastes, waste paper and card accounts for 383 thousand tonnes. Of the hazardous wastes produced, mixed wastes predominate. Chemicals and discarded equipment, such as discarded vehicles, batteries, WEEE and other equipment are also significant.

A summary of the composition of commercial waste in Wales in 2007 is shown in Figure 3. Figure 3: Composition of Commercial Waste produced in Wales 2007

Non-metallic wastes 33%

Mineral wastes 3%

Chem ical wastes 2% Discarded equipm ent 2%

Other 15%

Healthcare wastes 1% Common sludges 1% Metallic wastes 4%

Mixed ordinary wastes 51%

Animal & vegetable wastes 3%

Total arisings = 1.7 million tonnes

Source: Environment Agency Wales

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2.1.3 Construction and demolition waste A study of the composition and management of construction and demolition waste produced in Wales was undertaken in 20067. It showed that: Construction and demolition waste is dominated by aggregates and soils, accounting for a combined total of 10.8 million tonnes of waste. Despite its significance in terms of tonnage, its management is generally sustainable and its ecological footprint is low, which is why it is not a key material for this plan. Other wastes produced in high quantities are wood (369 thousand tonnes), hazardous wastes (182 thousand tonnes), metals (162 thousand tonnes) and insulation & gypsum (153 thousand tonnes).

A summary of the composition of construction and demolition waste in Wales in 2005 is shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4: Composition of Construction & Demolition Waste in Wales 2005

General site waste (including mixed waste skips) 1% Biodegradable waste 1% Plastic 1% Paper & Cardboard 1% Glass 0.1% Hazardous waste (including chemical, solvents and oily waste) 2% Wood 3% WEB (WEEE, ELV, Batteries) 0.1%

Soils 40%

Insulation & Gypsum based materials 1%

Metals 1% Other 12%

Aggregate 49%

Total arisings = 12.2 million tonnes

Source: Environment Agency Wales

2.1.4 Quantity of wastes containing priority materials produced in Wales The following describes estimates of the annual arisings of priority materials identified in Towards Zero Waste from all sources.

Building the Future. A survey on the arising and management of construction and demolition waste in Wales 2005-6. Environment Agency

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2.1.4.1

Paper and Card

Approximately 1.3 million tonnes of waste paper and card are produced in Wales from the following sources: Local authority collected municipal waste contains 348,500 tonnes of paper and card. 70% of this is paper and 30% is cardboard. Industrial waste: 202,600 tonnes. 55% of this waste arises as a separate fraction, and no differentiation between paper and card was made in the survey. 45% of the waste arises in the mixed waste stream, of which 45% (approximately 45,000 tonnes) consists of cardboard boxes and containers. Commercial waste: 691,600 tonnes or 53% of all paper and card waste produced in Wales. 55% of this waste arises as a separate fraction, and no differentiation between paper and card was made in the survey. 45% of the waste arises in the mixed waste stream, of which 47% (approximately 147,000 tonnes) consists of cardboard boxes and containers. Construction and demolition waste: 61,000 tonnes were produced, but it is not possible to determine with any accuracy the split between paper and card. Plastic

2.1.4.2

Approximately 527,000 tonnes of waste plastic are produced in Wales from the following sources: Local authority collected municipal waste contains around 155,000 tonnes of plastic. 58,000 (63%) is dense plastic and 97,000 (37%) is plastic film. Industry produces 90,500 tonnes of plastic waste. 46,000 tonnes is produced as a separate stream. The remaining 44,500 (49%) arises as part of a mixed fraction, of which 56% is dense plastic and 44% is plastic film. Commerce is the sector that produces the greatest quantity of plastic, approximately 171,000 tonnes. 127,740 tonnes (around 75%) arise as part of the mixed stream of which 61,280 tonnes is film and 66,460 tonnes is dense plastic.

Construction and demolition waste contains approximately 110,500 tonnes of waste plastic. 2.1.4.3 Metal

Approximately 632,500 tonnes of metals are produced in Wales from the following sources: Local authority collected municipal waste contains around 73,100 tonnes of waste metal. Cans account for around 32,300 tonnes; these are split roughly 75% ferrous to 25% aluminium cans. There are 40,800 tonnes of other metal, including aluminium foil, ferrous and non-ferrous aerosol cans and other metal. Industry produces the greatest quantity of metal, at approximately 281,500 tonnes. 95% of it arises as a separate stream, and the data does not specify

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the proportion of ferrous and non-ferrous metal. The remaining 5%, or around 14,900 tonnes, arise as part of the mixed fraction, and of this ferrous metal accounts for 12,300 tonnes (86%). Commerce produces almost 100,000 tonnes of metal, two thirds of which arise as a separate stream for which we have no data on the proportion of ferrous to non-ferrous metal. The remaining one third arising as part of the mixed stream, of which 77% is ferrous metal and 23% is non-ferrous. There are over 10,000 tonnes of food and beverage cans in the mixed waste produced by the commercial sector. Approximately 178,000 tonnes of metal are produced by the construction and demolition sector. Glass

2.1.4.4

Approximately 277,000 tonnes of glass are produced in Wales from the following sources: Local Authority collected municipal waste contains 124,100 tonnes of glass. 115,600 tonnes (93%) is packaging glass and the remaining 8,500 tonnes (7%) consists of a mixture of all other glass. Industry produces around 35,300 tonnes of glass. Of the 33,000 tonnes (94%) arising as a separate waste stream it is not possible to differentiate between packaging and other waste glass. There are only 2,300 tonnes in the mixed waste stream, of which 1,800 tonnes (78%) is packaging glass. 108,000 tonnes arise in commercial waste. Approximately 61%, or 65,750 tonnes, arise as a separate stream from which it is not possible to differentiate between packaging and other glass. The remaining 42,300 tonnes is split 78% packaging glass and 22% non-packaging glass. 9,400 tonnes are produced in the construction and demolition sectors. 2.1.4.5 Food

Approximately 872,000 tonnes of food waste are produced in Wales from the following sources: Local authority collected municipal waste contains 276,000 tonnes of food waste. Approximately 376,000 tonnes are produced by industry, 68% of which arises as a result of food manufacture and preparation. Commercial waste contains around 220,000 tonnes, with kitchen waste in the mixed waste stream accounting for 171,000 tonnes (78%). Food waste is produced by the construction and demolition sector, but it is mixed in the general site waste and cannot be accurately accounted for as a separate fraction.

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2.1.4.6

Hazardous waste

During 2009, almost 210,000 tonnes of hazardous waste were produced in Wales, generated from over 9,000 businesses. Hazardous waste production has fallen by 68 per cent (443,920 tonnes) since 2004. 2.1.4.7 Packaging waste

There is no Wales specific data on packaging waste arisings. Data is collated at a UK level and published by Defra. In 2009, there were 10,786,827 tonnes of packaging waste produced in the UK, consisting of: 3,757,500 tonnes of paper 2,686,000 tonnes of glass 147,500 tonnes of aluminium 676,000 tonnes of steel 2,442,000 tonnes of plastic 1,055,607 tonnes of wood 2.1.4.8 Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)

WEEE is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK. Some waste electrical and electronic equipment is classified as hazardous waste for example, if it contains substances such as asbestos, cadmium, lead, or PCBs. Figure 5 shows the following in respect of quantities of WEEE in each major waste stream: In 2009 43,000 tonnes of WEEE from municipal waste was produced. Most of this was separated for recovery, recycling or reuse. 9,000 tonnes of WEEE was produced in the construction and demolition sector. 22,000 tonnes was produced by commerce and 3,000 tonnes by industry. Some of this was separated, but much still remains within mixed waste. Batteries

2.1.4.9

Commerce produces around 14,000 tonnes of batteries, and industry 1,000 tonnes of batteries in Wales (Figure 5). There is a significant quantity of lead acid batteries in mixed waste in the commercial sector. Batteries are a large proportion of household hazardous waste. 2.1.4.10 ELV Commerce produces around 7,000 tonnes of ELV in Wales (see Figure 5).

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Figure 5: WEEE, Batteries and ELV waste produced in Wales.

50000 45000 40000 35000 30000 25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0 TotalELV Total Lead/acid Total Total Batteries batteries WEEEin WEEE separate inmixed separate mixed fractions waste fractions waste
Source data: WRAP (municipal data) and Environment Agency Wales (all other sectors)

Tonnes

Municipal Commercial Industrial C&D

2.2 Waste management

2.2.1 Management of local authority collected municipal waste The key statistics for the management of local authority collected waste in Wales are: Reuse - over 5,000 tonnes of waste was collected and sent for (preparing for) reuse in 2009-10. Furniture predominated, along with textiles and WEEE.. Recycling/composting - the rate has increased from 7% in 2000-01 to 39% in 2009-10. In 2009-10, 12% of household hazardous waste was recycled. (Rates of reuse are significantly lower). Disposal - the quantity of waste disposed of in landfills was 931 thousand tonnes in 2009-10. Trends in the amount of municipal waste collected and managed by local authorities are shown in Figure 6.

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Figure 6: Trends in the arising and management of local authority collected municipal waste
2 1.8

W aste arisings (m illion tonnes)

1.6 1.4 1.2 1 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10

Year

Landfill Recycled Other

Incineration with ER Composted

Incineration without ER RDF

Source data: Welsh Assembly Government (WasteDataFlow data)

2.2.2 Management of industrial waste The key statistics for the management of industrial waste in Wales are: Reuse - Further work is needed to understand the extent that waste from industry is, and can be, prepared for reuse. Reuse/recycling/composting the rate was 59% in 2007. Disposal - around 550,000 tonnes (29%) was disposed of to landfill, of which combustion wastes (approximately 219,750 tonnes) and mixed wastes (213,250 tonnes) were the dominant fractions.

2.2.3 Management of commercial waste The key statistics for the management of commercial waste in Wales are: Reuse -further work is needed to understand the extent that business waste is, and can be, prepared for reuse. Reuse/recycling/composting - the rate was 37% in 2007. Disposal - over 847,500 tonnes (50.5%) was disposed of by landfill, and of that around 756,000 tonnes were classified as mixed waste. Over 146,000 tonnes of cardboard boxes and containers are landfilled in the mixed waste fraction.

The quantities of industrial and commercial waste managed in 2007 according to the waste hierarchy are show in Figure 7.

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Figure 7: Management of Industrial and Commercial Waste in Wales 2007

1,200 1,000 Thousand tonnes 800 600 400 200 0 Reuse, recycling & composting Other recovery Disposal Other

Waste Management Industrial Commercial

Source data: Environment Agency Wales Note: Other recovery includes land recovery & incineration with energy recovery Disposal includes land disposal and incineration without energy recovery

2.2.4 Management of Construction and Demolition waste The key statistics for the management of construction and demolition waste in Wales are (see Figure 8): Reuse - large proportion of soils and aggregates are reused on or off site. Further work is needed to understand the extent that other wastes are and can be (prepared for) reuse. Reuse/recycling/composting - the rate was 85% in 2005-06. Disposal - approximately 1.27 million tonnes (10.5%) was disposed of by landfill.

Figure 8: Management of Construction & Demolition Waste in Wales 2005-06

8,000 7,000 Thousand tonnes 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 Re-used - ON SITE Recycled Re-used - OFF SITE Waste Management Landfill Transfer & Other

Source data: Environment Agency Wales Note: Transfer & Other includes transfer station, treatment plant and don't know

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2.2.5 Management of priority materials in Wales 2.2.5.1 Paper and Card

Of the 1.3 million tonnes of paper and card produced in Wales 606,000 tonnes (46%) is recycled8. In terms of the different sources: The paper and card from the Local Authority collected municipal waste stream is recycled at a rate of 44%. Newspapers and magazines are recycled at the highest rate within this stream (72%). Only a quarter (25%) of other paper and around a third (34%) of card is recycled. Industry recycles paper and card at a rate of 90% where these wastes are separate at the production sites. However when they arise as fractions within a mixed waste stream only 2.5% is recycled, bringing the total recycling rate down to 50%. Commercial businesses recycles paper and card at a rate of 86% where the wastes are separated by the business and only 2.6% where it arises within a mixed waste stream. This results in an overall recycling rate of 49%. The construction and demolition sector has the lowest recycling rate for paper and card, at 20%. Plastic

2.2.5.2

Of the 527,000 tonnes of plastic produced in Wales only 120,000 tonnes (23%) is recycled. In terms of the different sources: Local Authority collected municipal waste has the lowest recycling rate for plastics at 13%. Around half of all plastic bottles are recycled, but there are significant quantities of plastic film (57,800 tonnes), plastic packaging (30,900 tonnes) and other dense plastic (27,200) which are not recycled. Industry recycles approximately 42,200 tonnes (47%) of the plastic waste that it produces. Where it arises as a separate stream within the site of production, it is recycled at a rate of 89% but where it part of a mixed stream the recycling rate is only 2.5%. The recycling rate of plastic in the commercial waste stream is 22%. A rate of 78% is achieved where the waste arises as a separate stream within the site of production, but where it is part of then mixed stream only 2.6% is recycled. Of the approximately 110,500 tonnes of plastic waste arising from the construction and demolition sector, only 20,900 (19%) is currently recycled. Metal

2.2.5.3

Approximately 81% of the 632,500 tonnes of metal produced in Wales is recycled. In terms of the different sources:

For all materials, the recycling rate quoted is the total rate accounting for preparation for reuse, recycling, composting and anaerobic digestion.

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Local authority collected municipal waste recycles the lowest percentage of its metal wastes, at 46%. Metal cans are recycled at a rate of 47% and other metal at a rate of 45%. Industry recycles 91% of the waste it produces, and 96% of that which arises as a separate fraction. This is the highest recycling rate of all sectors. Metals within the commercial waste are recycled at a rate of 66%. Where metal arises as a separate stream, 98% is recycled, but around a third of the metal from commerce is contained in the mixed fraction, which has a very low recycling rate of around 2.5%. The construction and demolition sector recycles 86% of the waste metals that it produces. Glass

2.2.5.4

64% of the approximately 277,000 tonnes of glass produced in Wales is recycled. In terms of the different sources: Glass arising in Local Authority collected municipal waste is recycled at a rate of 66%. Packaging glass is recycled at a rate of 71%. Glass produced by industry is recycled at a rate of 87%. Where it arises as a separate stream 93% is recycled, but there is around 2,300 tonnes in mixed waste which is only recycled at 2.5%. Glass arising in the commercial waste is recycled at a rate of 55%. Where separated at source, its recycling rate is high at 89%. There are around 42,000 tonnes in the mixed waste (33,000 tonnes of which is packaging glass) and this is recycled at a low rate of approximately 2.5%. The construction and demolition sector recycles only 42% of the 9,400 tonnes of glass it produces. It is likely that there will be a lower proportion of packaging glass arising from this sector than others, and therefore there may not currently be recycling opportunities for much of this waste. Food

2.2.5.5

Around 333,000 tonnes of food waste is recycled, accounting for 38% of the total arising in Wales. In terms of the different sources: The recycling rate for food waste from Local Authority collected municipal waste was only 7% when the baseline data was collected during 2009-10. This situation is improving rapidly as separate collections for food waste are introduced by Local Authorities across Wales (around 80% of Welsh households now have a separate food waste collection service). Industry recycles 77% of its food waste on average, and a rate of 82.5% is achieved when the waste is separated from other fractions. Around 28,000 tonnes of food waste from industry is mixed with other wastes and only achieves a recycling rate of 2.5%. Commerce only recycles 12% of the food waste it produces, largely because around 171,000 tonnes of the 219,500 tonnes arising from commerce is

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kitchen waste that is mixed with other wastes, and is only recycled at 2.5%. Therefore over 166,000 tonnes of food waste from commerce is not recycled. 2.2.5.6 Hazardous waste deposited in Wales

Environment Agency permitted site return data shows that over 250,000 tonnes of hazardous waste was managed in Wales in 2009. This includes hazardous waste imported from other parts of the UK, and excludes hazardous wastes produced in Wales that were exported to other parts of the UK. Most of the hazardous waste managed at Welsh waste sites is recycled, recovered or reused (48%), and a further 27% was treated. Only 5% was incinerated and 1% was landfilled in Welsh sites. Since 2006, the quantity of waste treated, recycled, recovered or reused in sites in Wales is falling, a trend which is consistent with an overall fall in deposits at hazardous waste management sites in Wales. The proportion of hazardous waste recycled is remaining fairly steady. The amount incinerated with energy recovery capacity is increasing and the quantity landfilled in Wales has remained steady after a large fall in 2004-6. A survey undertaken by Environment Agency Wales of waste management facilities show that because of the nature and variability of hazardous waste, its management in Wales is very specific to the type of waste material produced, as follows: For chemical wastes, spent solvents are mainly incinerated in cement kilns, although some recycling and treatment takes place. Oils are mainly recycled, with some treatment taking place. Sludges are managed by chemical treatment. Mineral Wastes are usually reused within a process or recycled, except for wastes such as asbestos, blast furnace slag, combustion wastes, contaminated C&D wastes, contaminated soils and polluted dredging spoils which are usually disposed of to landfill. Healthcare wastes are primarily disposed of through incineration with and without energy recovery. Some of the resulting residues are disposed of to landfill. Mixed hazardous waste is mainly sent to landfill, although some recycling occurs.

Trends in the management of hazardous waste at Welsh hazardous waste facilities are shown in Figure 9.

22

Figure 9: Trend in the management of Hazardous Waste in Wales 2006-09

400,000 350,000 300,000 250,000 Tonnes 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 2006 Incineration with energy recovery Landfill Transfer (Short term) Other 2007 2008 2009

Incineration without energy recovery Recycling/Reuse Treatment Total hazardous waste produced in Wales*

Source data: Environment Agency Wales

2.2.5.7

Packaging

There is no specific data on the performance of Welsh businesses with regard to packaging waste management. Defra collate data at a UK level to monitor compliance with the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007, as shown in Table 1 below:

23

Table 1: Achievement Data for UK compliance with Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 Total Recycling Directive % waste flow 2009 Target Recycled Indicator 2009 Paper 3,757,500 3,147,483 60% 83.9% paper composting 4,260 Glass 2,686,000 1,658,467 60% 61.7% Aluminium 147,500 60,982 41.3% Steel 676,000 390,926 57.8% Metal (total) 823,500 451,818 50% 54.8% Plastic 2,442,000 588,238 23% 24.1% Wood 1,055,607 811,143 15% 76.9% Wood composting 817 Total recycling EfW (all waste types) Total other recovery TOTAL RECOVERY
Source data: Defra

6,662,316 536,787 536,787 10,786,827 7,119,103

55%

61.8%

60%

66.7%

The UK has met the Directive target for 2009, but it is notable that glass and plastic packaging recycling rates exceed the target by less than 2%. The National Waste Packaging Database is operated by the Environment Agency, and administers the registration of packaging dealers and the accreditation of packaging reprocessors. 2008 data from this database indicates that a total of 532,523 tonnes of packaging waste were recovered in accredited reprocessing facilities in Wales, including 220,575 tonnes of metal, 62,000 tonnes of paper, 75,977 tonnes of glass, 3,116 tonnes of plastic and 170,855 tonnes of wood. An additional 10,173 tonnes of packaging was recovered through treatment at Energy from Waste facilities. 2.2.5.8 WEEE

In 2009 49% of Municipal WEEE in Wales was recycled. Rates of reuse are significantly lower. Most WEEE in industry and commerce is recycled and treated, however the recycling rate is significantly higher where the waste is separated. 2.2.5.9 ELV

83% of all ELV in the UK was being reused and recovered in 2007, and 82% reused and recycled. Most ELV in the commercial sector is recycled (74%), but only 19% is recycled by industry.

24

2.2.5.10 Batteries The Industrial and Commercial waste survey carried out by Environment Agency Wales indicated that in 2007 most batteries in industry (98%) and commerce (36%) are recycled; however the recycling rate is significantly higher where the waste is separated. Only 2% were recycled by commerce where the arisings came from mixed waste.

2.3 Collection systems

2.3.1 Municipal Waste 2.3.1.1 Collections for reuse

There is a lack of comprehensive data on collection systems for preparation for reuse in Wales. Local authorities provide collections and civic amenity sites for waste materials such as bulky wastes and WEEE that could be (prepared for being) reused. Some authorities have arrangements with local social enterprises for waste items to be collected from households for preparation for reuse. WasteDataFlow allows for the range and quantities of waste collected and sent for reuse by Local Authorities in Wales to be recorded; Figure 10 shows data for 200910. Figure 10: Amount of material collected and sent for reuse by Welsh local authorities 2009-10
3000 2500 2000 Tonnes 1500 1000 500 0
Furniture Composite w ood materials Textiles & footw ear WEEE Cathode Ray Tubes Bric-abrac WEEE Large Domestic App WEEE Fridges & Freezers Other

Collected for reuse

Sent for reuse

Source data: WasteDataFlow

2.3.1.2

Collections for recycling and composting/anaerobic digestion

Almost every household in Wales is provided with a separate collection service for recyclable wastes. There are variations in the range of waste types collected, the degree to which the wastes are collected as mixed or separated fractions, and the frequency of collection, between and within local authorities. The situation is frequently changing as local authority contracts are renewed or services upgraded;

25

Table 2 below shows the type and frequency of collection at the end of September 20109: Table 2 Collection method and frequency of collection from householders in Wales Number of Local Authorities Collection Method Weekly & Fortnightly Weekly Fortnightly Total Co-mingled 4 1 2 7 Kerbside sort Source segregated Twin Stream Kerbside &Twin stream Co-mingled & twin stream Co-mingled & source segregated TOTAL
Source data: WLGA

6 0 2 1 0 1

1 1 2 0 1 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

7 1 4 1 1 1

14

22

The kerbside collection of dry recyclates is as follows for the priority materials (correct at end of September 2010): All 22 local authorities reported that they collect paper and metal cans. 20 out of 22 local authorities collect glass, primarily glass jars. 19 out of 22 local authorities collect plastic, primarily plastic bottles. 19 out of 22 local authorities collect cardboard. Additional materials reported as being collected by more than one authority include aerosols (7 authorities), textiles (7 authorities), metal foil (5 authorities), and tetrapaks (5 authorities). Food waste collections are provided by all local authorities to some of their householders, either as separate collections or as a collection of mixed food and garden waste. As of then end of December 2010, 80% of all households in Wales were provided with a separate collection service for food waste, and this proportion is increasing as more local authorities roll out collection schemes. Civic Amenity sites (sometimes called Household Waste Recycling Centres) are places that local authorities provide for their residents to deposit their household

Survey of municipal waste services provided by Local Authorities . WLGA (unpublished)

26

waste for reuse, recycling or disposal. 2009-10 data shows that there are a total of 87 such sites in Wales collecting 313,767 tonnes of waste, of which 188,329 tonnes were recycled or composted. Performance of CA sites is improving overall but remains highly variable. Average preparations for reuse and recycling rates at CA sites in Wales have increased from 49% in 2006-07 to 60% in 2009-10. In 2009-10, performance varies significantly between authorities, with a range from 38% to 78%10. The Bring Bank is the simplest form of static recycling provision provided by local authorities to collect certain dry recyclates from householders, usually found in council or supermarket car parks. There are around 1,000 bring banks in Wales11, excluding bring facilities at Civic Amenity sites, collecting a total of nearly 58,000 tonnes of waste. The range of waste types and quantities of wastes collected at these sites is highly variable. As a general rule, rural authorities collect the greatest quantity of recyclates through bring sites (averaging 3,603 tonnes per authority) and the six local authorities that collect the highest tonnage are all rural authorities. 2.3.1.3 Collections for the disposal of residual waste

Mature arrangements exist for the collection of residual waste in Wales covering all waste producing sectors. Twenty Local Authorities run the residual waste collection service in house, with the remaining two Local Authorities contracting out their residual collection services to the private sector. All Local Authorities in Wales offer a residual waste collection service to the commercial sector through their trade waste collection arrangements, as required under Section 45 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. However, the uptake of this is not that significant in terms of tonnage, with the collection of trade waste running at around 10% of the collection of residual municipal waste. 2.3.2 Industrial and commercial waste 2.3.2.1 Collection for reuse

There is a lack of comprehensive data on collections for preparation for reuse in Wales. 2.3.2.2 Collection for recycling

The provision of recycling collection services to businesses in Wales is not equal, with the result that some businesses cannot realise the recycling potential of their waste. Separate food waste collection services are often not provided for small and medium sized companies.

WasteDataFlow 2009/10 Data from Waste Awareness Wales bring bank locator. This is an online search facility for the public to find bring banks in their local authority that collect specific waste types. http://banklocator.wasteawarenesswales.org.uk
11

10

27

Two key barriers to businesses recycling their waste, particularly among small and medium sized companies, is the lack of a local recycling collection service (21.5%) and the quantities of different waste types produced being too low for the local service to collect (15.3%)12. A survey of local authorities and 28 private waste companies13 indicates that the bulk of industrial and commercial wastes collected from business premises for recycling in Wales is collected by private waste management companies rather than by local authorities (Table 3). Note that due to the limited number of replies from private waste companies the data should be seen as indicative of the spare capacity to collect more waste in the future. Table 3: Collection of recyclate from businesses in Wales 2007/08
Commercial (tonnes)
Organisation type Collected Total capacity

Industrial (tonnes)
Spare capacity

Spare Total Collected capacity capacity

Local Authority Private Sector (28 companies) TOTAL

Source data: WRAP

18,580 190,148 208,728

31,660 363,303 394,963

13,080 173,155 186,235

0 46,708 46,708

0 164,483 164,483

0 117,775 117,775

The survey showed a considerable level of spare capacity for additional collections of recyclate from businesses and public sector bodies at roughly an extra 100% over current usage. 35 out of the 87 Civic Amenity sites operated by Welsh local authorities offer local traders the option of using these facilities as disposal or recycling facilities, 18 of which require the trade users to purchase a permit to use the sites. Other factors that limit the use of CA sites by businesses include height barriers at entrances and charges for use. Access to bring banks for commercial waste producers in Wales is variable. Some local authorities have no firm policy on the use of bring banks, whereas others actively discourage commercial waste producers from using these facilities. The nature of waste produced by commerce lends itself well to bring banks, as it contains similar waste types to household waste. 2.3.2.3 Collection of residual waste for disposal

There is good provision for collection of waste for disposal from all sectors.

Survey of Industrial and Commercial Waste in Wales 2007, Environment Agency Wales (2009) Separately collected Commercial, Industrial and Agricultural Wastes in Wales 2007/08, WRAP (2011)
13

12

28

All local authorities in Wales offer a residual waste collection service to the commercial sector through their trade waste collection arrangements, although the uptake of this is not that significant in terms of tonnage, with the collection of trade waste running at around 10% of the collection of residual municipal waste. Most residual waste from the commercial sector, and almost all residual waste from the industrial and construction and demolition sectors is therefore collected by private operators in Wales. This collection is generally undertaken by operators who are small or medium-sized enterprises - although larger national waste management companies are active within Wales, there is proportionately a greater coverage by local and regional operators. Historically, collection from all sectors has generally involved the collection of residual waste from producers on a round, and direct consignment to landfill. There has been some bulking or transfer operations for areas which are more remote from the nearest landfill site, although this is not as common as direct consignment. 2.3.3 Collection of priority materials in Wales 2.3.3.1 Hazardous waste

In terms of the types of businesses producing hazardous waste, there is a polarisation with the largest quantities of hazardous waste being produced by a small number of companies, and a much larger number of small producers producing small amounts. Two very different forms of collection are therefore apparent within the hazardous waste production sector. For the larger producers, it is common to have frequent repetitive loads that are transported to either a single or a small number of different management options, including recycling. This is an area where economies of scale are often sought, and so there are, for example, only nine facilities identified as treating hazardous oils and fuels in Wales in 2009 (based on the hazardous waste returns to the Environment Agency). However, the production of oily wastes is quite common, and although there are several large producers (e.g. the metalworking sectors, the refinery sectors and those concerns involved with tank storage and bunkering activities), there are also a much larger number of smaller producers (e.g. garages and vehicle servicing operations). Both forms of oily waste production are served by bulking and transfer operations, although for the larger producers this involves shuttle-runs between producer and management option, whereas for the smaller producers, this generally involves milk-run collections and transfer to interim storage or treatment options prior to subsequent consignment to larger treatment or recovery installations. Wales is well served by facilities for the collection and temporary storage of hazardous waste materials prior to further management (including recycling), with around 168 facilities able to take at least one hazardous waste stream for bulking and temporary storage. 2.3.3.2 Packaging materials

The UKs arrangements to ensure that enough waste packaging is collected to meet the recycling requirements of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive consist

29

of the setting up of Packaging Compliance Schemes and Accredited Reprocessors. The compliance schemes purchase Packaging Recovery Notes (PRNs) from the Accredited Reprocessors sufficient to meet their recycling and recovery obligations as required under the Directive. The PRN revenue is intended to help fund the collection of recyclate. The packaging can be collected from either the municipal or industrial and commercial waste streams, usually both. The key packaging materials targeted for collection and recycling and other recovery under the Directive and UK implementing regulations are: Cardboard Metal Glass Plastic Wood 2.3.3.3 WEEE

The UKs arrangements to collect WEEE to meet the recycling requirements of the EC WEEE Directive require the setting up of WEEE compliance schemes and accredited reprocessors. The obligated WEEE producer must join a compliance scheme, which purchases evidence of the reprocessing of an amount of WEEE from an accredited WEEE reprocessor sufficient to meet the producers obligations under the Directive. The revenue from this is intended to fund the collection, treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of the WEEE. The WEEE is collected via a combination of designated collection facilities provided at civic amenity sites and some retail premises, and commercial, local authority and third sector WEEE collection from household and business premises. 2.3.3.4 ELV

The UKs arrangements to ensure that vehicles at their end of life (known as End of Life Vehicles (ELVs)) are collected and treated appropriately to meet the recycling and recovery requirements of the End of Life Vehicles Directive (2003) consist of ensuring that each producer establishes a collection system of authorised treatment facilities of sufficient capacity that they can meet the producers obligations under the Directive, for example free vehicle take back and recycling and recovery targets. In practice, this has been achieved by a largely pre-existing network of facilities such as breakers yards and fragmetisers. The producers must provide evidence on an annual basis to the Secretary of State of how their obligations have been met. 2.3.3.5 Batteries

The UKs arrangements to collect batteries to meet the recycling requirements of the Batteries and Accumulators and Waste Batteries and Accumulators Directive (2006/66/EC) consist of: For portable batteries, each obligated producer must join a compliance scheme which purchases evidence of the reprocessing of an amount of

30

batteries from an accredited battery reprocessor sufficient to meet the producers obligations under the Directive, and provides evidence of this to the Environment Agency on an annual basis. The revenue from this is intended to fund the collection, treatment and recycling of the batteries. In addition to this certain retailers must provide a take-back scheme. For industrial batteries, each producer must offer free take back from end users. For automotive batteries, each producer must set up collection schemes for spent automotive batteries not covered under schemes established under the End of Life Vehicles Directive (see above).

2.4 Infrastructure and Capacity

2.4.1 Number of permitted facilities The main installations for the treatment of waste operate within the conditions of an Environmental Permit issued by the Environment Agency. Environment Agency Wales publishes an annual record of the number and type of permitted site managing waste in Wales. A summary of this data is provided in Table 4. An additional 116 permitted sites were recorded in 2009 compared to 2008. The main changes are 45 additional metal recycling sites, 38 additional transfer stations and 32 additional treatment facilities. This may be in part due to the amendments to the Environmental Permitting Regulations that lowers the minimum annual tonnage for permitted activities. Maps showing the geographical spread of the main types of facilities in Wales are provided in Annex 2. There are some operations which do not require a permit. These are generally lower risk activities, leading to the recycling or recovery of the wastes. Of these there were 28 composting facilities registered as of the end of 2009.

31

Table 4: Number of permitted waste management sites in Wales in 2009 compared to 2001-02 and 2008. Number of facilities Main types of waste management facilities 2001-02 53 89 18 2 0 0 0 42 .. .. .. 204 71 50 .. 21 275 End of 2008 86 136 34 25 11 7 4 100 4 3 1 393 32 22 1 7 425 End of 2009 87 174 66 23 11 8 3 145 4 3 1 510 31 23 1 7 541

Civic amenity / household waste recycling centre Transfer stations Treatment Material recycling facilities Total Composting In Vessel Composting Open Windrow Metal recycling sites (including End-of-Life Vehicles) Total Incinerators with energy recovery without energy recovery Total facilities (not including landfills) Total Non-hazardous Hazardous Inert

Landfill Total

Source: Environment Agency Wales .. = data not available. In 2001-02 there was no legislation requiring the separate disposal of hazardous waste in specialist landfill sites. The 50 non-hazardous landfills recorded here were classed as co-disposal sites, taking hazardous and non-hazardous wastes.

2.4.2 Preparing for reuse Existing infrastructure for reuse and preparing for reuse activities include local authority civic amenity sites, along with provision by the private and third sectors for example charity shops, furniture reuse organisations, building reclamation yards, small private sector repair services and second-hand retailers. 2.4.3 The storage and treatment of waste prior for recycling There is a well developed infrastructure in Wales for the storage and treatment of waste prior to recycling. Preparatory mechanical treatment of waste, such as sorting, shredding and bailing, are often carried out at transfer stations and occasionally at civic amenity sites. Material recovery facilities separate mixed waste into separate fractions so that they can be recycled.

32

There are almost 600,000 tonnes of spare capacity in CA sites in Wales14, which could be accessed without the need to invest in additional staff or equipment. Excess capacity exists across all regions of Wales as shown in Table 5 below. Table 5: Capacity and quantity received at CA sites in Wales 2008 Total capacity Throughput Spare capacity (tonnes per during 2008 (tonnes per annum) (tonnes) annum) North 394,087 124,503 269,584 South East 257,393 108,055 149,338 South West 282,329 115,204 167,125 All Wales 933,809 347,762 586,047
Source Data: Environment Agency Wales

Whilst there may be considerable spare capacity in CA sites across Wales the spatial provision of CA sites is highly variable. Per capita provision ranges from one site per 15,440 people (Ceredigion) to one site per 140,100 people (Newport). Geographical provision ranges from one site per 35km2 (Cardiff) to one site per 866km2 (Powys) as would be expected based on population densities. Spare capacity also exists in transfer stations in Wales without the need for additional investment in staff or equipment. Environment Agency Wales estimates that there are 2.4 million tonnes per annum of total capacity in Household, Commercial and Industrial Transfer Stations. Throughput of around 1.3 million tonnes per annum means that there are 1.1 million tonnes of spare capacity. These transfer stations accept segregated and mixed waste, and often carry out basic mechanical sorting and bulking up of waste. There are also around 100,000 tonnes of spare capacity at transfer stations for inert wastes; total capacity is 222,000 tonnes with a throughput of around 125,000 tonnes. Some sites specifically operating to physically prepare material for recycling are exempt from the need to operate under permit conditions, but register with the Environment Agency as exempt facilities. The types of activities covered include bailing, shredding and sorting. The Environment Agency estimates that there are a total of approximately 243,000 tonnes of capacity in Wales, and that there are facilities registered to treat all of the priority waste types. There are 11 facilities permitted under the category of material recovery facilities (MRFs) in Wales recorded in the Environment Agency Wales capacity report, that process mixed waste (6 sites) or co-mingled (mixed) recyclable materials (5 sites) and that separate those materials to be prepared for reuse, recycled or otherwise recovered. The combined current capacity for these facilities is around 258,000 tonnes.

An Evaluation of the Capacity of Key Waste Management Sites in Wales (2008). Environment Agency Wales.

14

33

The total permitted capacity for metal recycling in Wales is 650,000 tonnes. In addition to 484,000 tonnes of scrap metal, there is also capacity in theses facilities for 96,000 tonnes of end of life vehicles and 51,000 tonnes of waste electronic and electrical equipment. The remainder is for other wastes which may contain metal. 2.4.4 Other recovery (not of energy) An example of other recovery is the spreading of wastes on land for agricultural or ecological benefits, or for land reclamation. The Environment Agency reported the capacity of land spreading operations registered with them in 2008 & 2009, and reported that the total tonnage registered for management was 200,000 tonnes through spreading on land for agricultural or ecological benefit and another 200,000 tonnes for land reclamation. Exempt facilities for the manufacture or treatment of construction materials such as waste wood, concrete and bricks were also reported, with a total capacity of 400,000 tonnes. A total capacity of 275,000 tonnes was registered for the use of waste in construction. Capacity was also registered for a total of 32,000 tonnes of waste wood (primarily in the form of sawdust) to be recovered through use as animal bedding material. 2.4.5 Other treatment A range of chemical, physical and physical chemical treatment plant is in place with a combined capacity of 1.8 million tonnes. These treat a range of wastes including 810,000 tonnes of chemical waste. These may result in the recovery of some materials; in other cases they are treatments prior to disposal. Around 700,000 tonnes of the physical treatment is designed to treat ashes and slags from industrial processes and aggregates. 2.4.6 Incineration In Wales, there is one waste incinerator with energy recovery taking municipal and other wastes. It is located in South West Wales and is permitted to receive 52,500 tonnes of waste per year. There is also a dedicated clinical waste incinerator in North Wales that is permitted to treat 6,000 tonnes per year. Two cement kilns are permitted to co-incinerate chemical wastes; the capacities are approximately 180,000 in North Wales and 25,000 tonnes in South East Wales. There is one gasifier in South East Wales, with a capacity of 20,000 tonnes, which primarily manages chemical waste. Seventy seven small scale incinerators are regulated by local authorities, and they have a total capacity to manage approximately 340,000 tonnes of waste oil and 14,000 tonnes of animal waste. 2.4.7 Disposal of residual waste There were 25,093,058 tonnes of remaining capacity at merchant landfill sites that accept non-hazardous waste as of 31 December 2010. A further 2,954,422 tonnes of

34

remaining capacity exists in sites that accept only inert wastes. There are no merchant hazardous waste landfills in Wales. Restricted user landfill sites also operate in Wales; these are located at large industrial sites and operated by the industry for their own waste. The capacity in these sites was 6,929,687 tonnes for non-hazardous waste and 176,662 tonnes for hazardous waste as of 31 December 2010. 2.4.8 Priority materials 2.4.8.1 Food waste

Food and garden waste can be treated by anaerobic digestion and composting. Environment Agency Wales confirm that there are no anaerobic digesters treating these waste types in Wales. Generally, composting operations produce compost which is then recovered by application to land. Where the compost reaches a standard (PAS 100) it is deemed to be a product. The use of this product would then result in the waste being recycled. Anaerobic digestion produces a digestate, for which there is also a standard (PAS 110). It also results in a gas being produced, which can be captured and used for a variety of purposes, as discussed in the section on markets. At the end of 2009 there were 11 permitted composting facilities in Wales, of which 8 were in vessel composting operations with a combined operating capacity of 278,500 tonnes. Approximately 50% of this could be used for food waste. The remaining 3 were open windrow operations with a combined operating capacity of 66,000 tonnes. Small scale composting also occurs without the need of a permit; operators register their activities with the Environment Agency. There are 30,000 tonnes of capacity registered in Wales across around 30 sites. 2.4.8.2 Hazardous waste

For solvents, oils and sludges, the combined permitted capacity is greater than arisings, although this capacity exists for a wide range of different waste types. For healthcare wastes, there is a slight deficit in treatment and incineration capacity. The picture for mineral waste capacity in Wales is less clear. There is a limited capacity in merchant landfill sites that have stable non-reactive hazardous waste cells for wastes such as asbestos (around 3.5 million cubic metres). Some treatment of waste occurs, but this is limited to specific wastes for example, treatment of black drosses from Aluminium production and washing contaminated stones and dredging spoils. There is also some limited capacity in restricted access hazardous waste landfills (around 180 thousand cubic metres), but this is not available commercially. 2.4.8.3 WEEE, ELV and Batteries

There is spare capacity within treatment and disposal facilities in Wales for WEEE and ELV. Further capacity needs to be developed for Batteries. The arisings,

35

treatment capacity and surplus or deficit in capacity for WEE, ELV and batteries is shown in Figure 11 below. Figure11 Capacity for WEEE, ELV and Batteries
350000 300000 250000 200000 Tonnes 150000 100000 50000 0 WEEE ELV Batteries

Capacity hazardous

Capacitynon hazardous

Arisings

TotalCapacity

50000

Source data: Environment Agency Wales

2.4.9 Markets for reuse, recyclate and compost/AD digestate 2.4.9.1 Markets for preparing for reuse

No comprehensive data is available on current markets for reused items. 2.4.9.2 Markets for dry recyclates

Recyclates are converted at reprocessors into new raw materials that are then either used directly at the site in a manufacturing process or dispatched for use in manufacturing operations elsewhere. The Welsh Assembly Government in association with WRAP, has investigated the market situation for key priority materials15 in Wales. Data was obtained on reprocessing capacity and throughput. Additionally, reprocessors were asked about the current status of the markets and the barriers reprocessors are currently experiencing. The WRAP Market Situation16 reports have also been used as a reference for up to date information on the markets for various materials. Table 6 identifies the estimated capacity at reprocessors in Wales. These figures are considered to represent the current available market for recyclate in Wales.

15 16

www.wrapcymru.org.uk/ciwastewales http://www.wrap.org.uk/recycling_industry/market_information/market_situation_reports/index.html

36

Surplus/Deficit inCapacity

There is a well established market for paper and ferrous metal in Wales. There does not appear to be a strong market for waste card, despite the waste material being produced in large quantities. The market for plastics is strongest for bottle plastics, and requires development for other types of rigid plastic and plastic film. The market for aluminium requires further investigation; there has been considerable volatility in this market in recent years. The market for glass is primarily either as an aggregate substitute (open loop recycling) or as up-cycling, for instance to produce glass fibre insulation, but there is a mature market for closedloop recycling in the UK, particularly for clear glass (via re-melt back into glass bottles). Table 6: Reprocessing capacity for recyclates in Wales Estimated Notes total capacity (tonnes per Waste type annum) In excess of 700,000 tonnes of this is capacity Paper & card 808,500 for waste paper. The vast majority of this is for plastic bottles Plastic 55,787 containing HDPE and PET. Ferrous metal reprocessing capacity dominates Metals 1,831,803 due to the large steel works in Wales. This is primarily capacity for creating secondary Glass 50,000 aggregate, which is not high on the waste hierarchy for glass. Total 2,746,090
Source data: WRAP

2.4.9.3

Markets for outputs from composting and anaerobic digestion

In-vessel composting and anaerobic digestion plants produce organic products (compost and digestate respectively). If produced to the appropriate standard (PAS100 for compost, and PAS110 for digestate), and the appropriate Quality Protocol, these outputs are classed as a product rather than a waste, and can be used freely within the open market as a result. These have a variety of potential uses (although the final use of PAS compliant products is constrained by the requirements of the relevant PAS). The main markets for the outputs of compost production are agricultural and horticultural applications, landscaping and land reclamation. For anaerobic digestion, the market is Bio-fertiliser for agricultural and horticultural applications and biogas for energy generation. Biogas is used to generate electricity for sale to the grid, and has potential to be injected into the gas grid or used directly as a vehicle fuel. A 2009 WRAP report summarising a study of organic waste arisings and the future market for compost and digestate in Wales over the period 2015 to 2025 considered the maximum predicted compost and digestate arisings up to 2025 and concluded that in principle there is more than enough land in Wales to benefit from this material. It also concluded that in the medium term (2015) there would be significantly more demand than supply capability in every region of Wales.

37

Table 7 shows the estimated available markets in Wales for compost and digestate for each of the sectors. Table 7 Potential market sizes for compost and AD digestate products in Wales
Max. Potential market size (tonnes pa) Est. Current Market Price per tonne ( ex. works)

Main Markets (Bulk)

Notes

Landscape & reclamation Industries (including landfill restoration)

>250,000

2-4

Agriculture : Compost Bio-fertiliser

1,200,000 430,000

4-10 0-4

Local Authority parks, Gardens, Highways

66,000

4-6

Domestic use Garden centres, garages, market gardens etc.

40,000

50-150

Soil Manufacture / Turf Suppliers

30,000

6-12

Horticulture

4,000

10-25

WRAP considers this to be a major growth market particularly for compost. Current baseline useage (2009) is approximately 50ktpa, however recent work by WRAP Cymru has shown that restoration requirements of mineral extraction and brownfiled sites, which typically have no topsoil availability, can be met by on site production of suitable soils using compost and bio-fertiliser addition and on site materials. Theoretical maximums based on quality recycled organics supplying all Welsh arable land with its annual requirements for Phosphate. In reality although this is unlikely, the market for pastureland addition is becoming increasingly important and this is potentially 3 times larger than the arable market Recent DEFRA peat reduction consultation suggests that english LAs reduce their own use of peat related products to zero in 4 years. A similar initiative in Wales could see local authorites increase use of locallly produced compost, highways works are a potentially significant emergent market. Assumes c.3,000 tonnes p.a. use by each authority Bagged compost market with associated increased product price due to capital investment in bagging technology and producing finer grade composts. Gradual replacement for peat based products in this sector suggests a 4-5 year development cycle before it becomes widespread. An increasing number of specialist busineses in Wales are involved in the manufacture of bulk delivery of bespoke soils as a topsoil replacement for construction sites, sports grounds etc. The Horticulture market is quite small in Wales although on average in the UK it accounts for 13% of the compost market. It uses more refined production grades and hence composts have a higher sale value.

Total Source: WRAP

>2,020,000

0-150

38

Anaerobic digestion plants also produce biogas. This is collected and used for energy generation. There are four potential markets for this.

Cleaned and injected back to the national gas grid Cleaned and compressed for use as road fuel (i.e. LPG/LNG replacement)

Used as fuel in gas engines for electricity generation Used as a fuel in its own right for heat generation on site 2.4.9.4 Markets for processed Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA)

Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) is the coarse residue left on the grate of the combustion chamber of traditional combustion energy from waste (EfW) plants. 2008 data from the Environment Agency (EA) on IBA production as a percentage of waste input for the permitted UK combustion incinerators suggests that, on average, 20.83% of input waste became IBA, although ranges of 16.6% to 29.3%17 have been reported. IBA is mainly composed of a mix of ceramics, slags, and glassy material, usually containing metal material too, primarily ferrous, and a proportion of unburnt material. The composition is around 15% of material unchanged by combustion (10% glass, 2% soil, 2% metals, and 1% organics). The rest is ash particles from combustion and melt products. The processing of IBA involves the removal of unburnt material, the recovery of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and the production of aggregates through screening and crushing (if required) to meet British/European aggregate standards. Once processed (through weathering and metal recovery), IBA is a highly compact material, with high strength under compaction, and suitable for use as an aggregate substitute. End uses of processed IBA are grouped as bound uses and unbound uses, with main areas of application in road construction (bound with either asphalt or concrete or compacted), in foamed concrete, foamed asphalt and masonry blocks. It is difficult at this point in time to project future arisings of IBA within Wales, as there is uncertainty over proposed residual waste management options. Assuming that current merchant facilities in Wales which have planning permission and could produce an IBA are developed and work to capacity, along with projected Local Authority MSW residual waste capacity developed as combustion based EfW, then future tonnages of residual waste used for energy recovery could be around 1,640,000 tonnes. This suggests that IBA arisings of up to around 342,000 tonnes could be produced in Wales. There is no certainty at the present time that these developments will come to fruition, nor that the Local Authority MSW residual waste management options will involve combustion based EfW. (The procurement of this capacity is technology-

17

Dataset from Environment Agency on IBA production by MWI, 2008

39

neutral and is ongoing at present, and it is not possible to make an accurate prediction of the form that this procurement will take.) The figure of 342,000 tonnes of IBA therefore represents a maximum projection, and it is not foreseen that there will be more processed IBA than this seeking a market in Wales. The end uses of processed IBA are for road construction, foamed concrete, foamed asphalt and masonry blocks. Where it is used for these applications, it displaces virgin aggregate. The main market for processed IBA is in unbound applications such as sub-base, bulk fill and capping (Table 8). Some processed IBA was being used in foamed concrete until mid 2010 when an accident occurred through hydrogen being created by the cement reacting with fine aluminium particles in the ash. The foamed concrete was being used to fill a well which was covered after placement. The accumulated hydrogen exploded injuring two workers. Block manufacturers had similar problems with reactive aluminium causing pop outs on the faces of blocks so the block market is insignificant at the moment. Table 8: Annual market breakdown for processed IBA in England Proportion (%) for each end use out of End use the total processed IBA used in England (range for 2006 & 2007) Sub-base Bulk fill Capping layer Asphalt Foamed concrete Pipe bedding; bulk fill Lightweight blocks Cement bound materials 3758% 728% 1114% 89% 68% 27% 26% 07%

Source: Jacobs Babtie (2007) Incinerator Bottom Ash Market Analysis. Unpublished report to the Environment Agency.

The unbound aggregate market for fills, capping and sub base in Wales is mostly served by crushed rock, slag and recycled aggregates. Table 9 shows the estimated potential market for processed IBA for each of the major markets. The estimated total potential market of 5.6 million tonnes p.a. is considerably in excess of the estimated maximum figure of 342,000 tonnes of processed IBA that could be produced in Wales.

40

Table 9 Potential type and scale of markets for IBA in Wales Potential use Quantity of % potential primary replacement aggregate by IBA produced in Wales (tonnes) Unbound applications: 6,814,000 75% Sub-base, capping, fills Other graded 1,642,000 15% aggregates Asphalt 2,108,000 10% TOTAL 10,564,000 52.7%
Source: WRAP

Potential market for IBA (tonnes)

5,100,500 246,300 210,800 5,567,600

However, it should be noted that transportation costs (by road) are a major factor determining where aggregate is sourced from in relation to its use, unless rail transport is feasible. Therefore, the actual market for processed IBA will be dependent upon the location of the IBA processing plants and the type of transportation available. Processed IBA is currently considered to be waste under Article 1[a] of the Waste Framework Directive. 2.4.9.5 Markets for heat from energy from waste

If all the residual waste currently produced in Wales were to be disposed of to energy from waste plant, the potential heat available would be approximately 2 million megawatt hours. This compares with a potential market size (current industry planned and identified heat use) of approximately 62 million megawatt hours18. There are 26 planned and actual users of steam or hot water in Wales sized above 20,000 megawatt hours per annum, corresponding to a total heat use of approximately 2.8 million megawatt hours18.

The Barriers To, & The Potential For, EfW CHP in Wales (CMEE Report for the Welsh Assembly Government, WSP Energy and Environment, Jan 2009)

18

41

2.5 Future trends

It is important to predict how the waste that Wales produces will change in the future, in order that adequate steps can be taken to ensure that an adequate and integrated network of facilities remains in place to manage that waste in accordance with the waste hierarchy. Future trends in production and management are dealt with here, and an analysis of capacity provision against future need is provided in the Gap Analysis section. 2.5.1 Overview of waste arisings The Welsh Assembly Government, in consultation with representatives of local authorities and the waste management industry, has looked at various scenarios for how much waste could be produced from different sources in the future. For the business as usual no additional prevention scenario, the predicated trends are: Local authority collected municipal waste would remain at current levels (i.e. 0% growth) to 2050. Commercial waste would rise at a rate of 1% of the tonnage produced in 2007 every year to 2050. Industrial waste would decrease at a rate of 1.4% of the tonnage produced in 2007 every year to 2050. Construction & demolition waste, excluding inert wastes such as soils and aggregates reused on site, will decrease at a rate of 0.5% of the tonnage produced in 2005-6 every year to 2050. Inert wastes used on site would remain at current levels.

If the no additional prevention scenario happens, this would result in the total amount of waste produced in Wales each year reducing from 17.4 million tonnes currently to 15.9 million tonnes in 2049-50. 6.7 million Tonnes of this total are aggregates and soil from the construction and demolition sector that is used on the site of production, which has a negligible ecological footprint and has been excluded from the waste prevention targets. The total excluding these aggregates and soil reduce from 10.8 million tonnes to 9.2 million tonnes. Towards Zero Waste has outlined a need for significant efforts in waste prevention to meet One Planet living levels by 2050, and the Welsh Assembly Government is consulting on the following targets for waste prevention in its sector plans: Household waste to reduce by 1.2% of the 2006/7 arisings every year to 2050. [All other local authority collected municipal waste would remain at current levels (i.e. 0% growth) to 2050.] Commercial waste to decrease at a rate of 1.2% of the tonnage produced in 2007 every year to 2050. Industrial waste to decrease at a rate of 1.4% of the tonnage produced in 2007 every year to 2050.
42

 Construction & demolition waste, excluding inert wastes such as soils and aggregates reused on site, to decrease at a rate of 1.4% of the tonnage produced in 2005-6 every year to 2050. [Inert wastes used on site assumed to remain at current levels.] For the additional prevention scenario (i.e. with additional effort applied to meet all the proposed waste reduction targets), the total amount of waste produced in Wales would reduce from 17.4 million tonnes to 11.6 million tonnes in 2049/50. The total excluding aggregates and soil that is used on the site of production (which has a negligible ecological footprint) will reduce from 10.8 million tonnes to 4.9 million tonnes. The predicted changes in tonnage by sector for each of the scenarios are given in Table 10 below. Table 10 Future waste production by sector from 2006-07 to 2049-50 (000s tonnes)
Year Scenario C&D aggregates used on site 6,672.35 6,672.35 6,672.35 6,672.35 6,672.35 6,672.35 6,672.35 6,672.35 6,672.35 6,672.35 Annual production of waste (thousands of tonnes) Other Industrial Commercial LAMW19 C&D Total

2012/13

2015/16

2019/20

2024/25

2049/50

no additional prevention with additional prevention no additional prevention with additional prevention no additional prevention with additional prevention no additional prevention with additional prevention no additional prevention with additional prevention

5,335.46 5,048.54 5,255.76 4,825.38 5,149.49 4,527.83 5,016.66 4,155.89 4,352.49 2,296.21

1,736.89 1,736.89 1,657.25 1,657.25 1,551.07 1,551.07 1,418.34 1,418.34 754.68 754.68

1,777.81 1,556.42 1,828.13 1,496.04 1,895.21 1,415.54 1,979.07 1,314.91 2,398.37 811.76

1,700.00 1,700.00 1,700.00 1,664.20 1,700.00 1,588.73 1,700.00 1,494.38 1,700.00 1,022.66

17,222.52 16,714.21 17,113.50 16,315.23 16,968.13 15,755.52 16,786.42 15,055.87 15,877.88 11,557.65

The compositional analysis of municipal waste in 2009 indicated that the total tonnage produced indicated that the waste prevention target for 2012/13 had been met. Consequently the tonnage provided here for 2012/13 with prevention relates to the 2009 total tonnage.

19

43

Future changes in composition of waste from different sources are too uncertain to accurately predict. For the purpose of this plan, there is an assumption that all waste types follow the same pattern of arising. 2.5.2 Future arising of priority materials from all sectors An estimation of the predicted future arisings of priority materials from all sources in the target years is given in Table 11 below. Table 11 Quantities of priority waste types arising in target years to 2049/50 Annual production of waste (tonnes)
Year Scenario no additional prevention with additional prevention no additional prevention with additional prevention no additional prevention with additional prevention no additional prevention with additional prevention no additional prevention with additional prevention Paper & card 1,326,680 1,232,114 1,338,009 1,188,822 1,353,115 1,125,411 1,371,998 1,046,148 1,466,410 649,833 Plastic Metals Glass Food Total

526,576 498,080 526,269 480,259 525,860 453,969 525,348 421,105 522,789 256,789

609,558 586,781 598,071 562,368 582,756 528,623 563,612 486,442 467,893 275,537

280,163 265,409 281,783 257,038 283,943 243,852 286,642 227,369 300,140 144,955

853,364 824,390 844,148 794,873 831,860 751,012 816,500 696,185 739,701 422,052

3,596,341 3,406,774 3,588,281 3,283,360 3,577,534 3,102,867 3,564,100 2,877,250 3,496,933 1,749,164

2012/13

2015/16

2019/20

2024/25

2049/50

In the additional waste prevention scenario (where all proposed waste prevention targets are met) it is not surprising that the quantities of all the priority materials will decrease with time. In the no additional prevention scenario (with varying levels of reduction, stablisation and growth for the major waste streams) the following trends are apparent: The tonnage of waste paper and card is predicted to increase. This is a reflection of the large quantity of waste paper, and particularly cardboard packaging, in the commercial waste stream which is predicted to increase in the no additional prevention scenario. Plastic waste is predicted to stay fairly constant as increases in arising from commerce is balanced by reductions from industrial, construction and demolition sectors.

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 Metals arisings are predicted to decrease because 41% of metals arise from industry, and industrial waste is predicted to decrease in the future. A further 28% arises in construction and demolition waste, which is also predicted to decrease. Waste glass is predicted to rise. This is because 39% arises in commercial waste which is set to increase in the absence of waste prevention activity. 45% of glass comes from Local Authority collected municipal waste, which is predicted to remain static. Food waste is predicted to decrease. This is a result of the predicted decrease in industrial waste, which is the sector producing the greatest tonnage of food waste. All of these materials, apart from food, are used in the production of packaging. Advances in packaging design are likely to influence the arising of waste but it is not possible to predict the extent of these changes. For instance, there is a move to replace some glass jars and metal cans with plastic pots or packets. There is also work underway to reduce the weight of packaging, for instance producing glass bottles that are made of thinner glass, and this may influence future arisings. 2.5.3 Future trends in waste management and infrastructure capacity need This section describes the future of waste management in Wales, and assesses indicative recycling rates for key waste streams. Two scenarios are described: Scenario 1: There is no concerted effort to prevent waste. Any reductions in waste being produced are a product of population and economic changes. The recycling targets set in Towards Zero Waste, which go beyond what is required by European legislation, are all achieved.

Scenario 2: Waste prevention actions are successful, such that the targets are met to 2050. All recycling targets in Towards Zero Waste are also met by the target years.

Towards Zero Waste sets out recycling targets for each sector for specific target years. Some materials are easier to capture and recycle than others, and an assessment has been made of the indicative recycling rates for each type of waste that would contribute to meeting the overall targets. Note that these are not statutory targets but reflect the estimated increase in recycling rates required to meet the overall targets for each sector.

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2.5.3.1

Trends in the management of priority materials

Paper and card For details of trends in the management of paper and card, please see two tables in the Annex 1, one for tonnages assuming no waste prevention action and another assuming waste prevention targets are met. To meet 2015-16 recycling targets, the following key changes to management need to occur: The recycling rate of card and paper other than newspaper and magazines from local authority collected municipal waste will increase substantially to a rate of 60%. This will result in an increase of around 70,000 tonnes in the quantity recycled compared to the baseline. The waste paper and card that is currently in the mixed fraction produced by industry will be segregated and recycled at a rate of 60%, resulting in 20,000 tonnes of additional paper and card being recycled. Commerce will also segregate and recycle the paper and card currently in the mixed waste, reaching a rate of 65% by 2015/16. This equates to an additional 200,000 tonnes with no prevention action and 100,000 if prevention targets are met. To meet 2019/20 recycling targets, the following key changes must occur between 2015/16 and 2019/20: Further segregation of the currently mixed waste from industry will result in a recycling rate of 85% of the paper and card currently mixed (and additional 6,500 tonnes). Commercial rates will reach 80%, or an additional 60,000 tonnes compared to 2015/16 if there are no waste prevention targets and approximately 7,000 if prevention targets are met. The recycling of paper and card from the construction and demolition sector will increase from the baseline 20% to 90%, an increase of 30,000 40,000 tonnes. Between 2019/20 and 2024/25, the following changes should take place for the 2024/25 targets to be met: The recycling of paper other than newspapers and magazines, and of cardboard, from local authority collected municipal waste will increase to 70%. This will add between 10,000 and 30,000 tonnes to the quantity recycled. The recycling of paper and card from industry will also increase slightly, but due to the anticipated reduction in arising from the sector the tonnage to be recycled will reduce slightly. Small increases in the recycling rate of paper and card from commerce will result in around 15,000 tonnes of additional tonnage being recycled if no prevention activity takes place, and where waste prevention targets are met there will be a reduction in tonnage of around 17,000 tonnes.

46

The tonnage of paper and card to be recycled will therefore exceed 1 million tonnes by 2024/25 if there are no prevention actions in place. By meeting waste prevention targets as well as increasing recycling, the quantity of paper and card being recycled will increase to a peak of around 827,000 tonnes in 2019/20 and will reduce thereafter. This compares to a baseline tonnage recycled of approximately 606,000 tonnes. Plastic For details of trends in the management of plastic wastes, please see Annex 1 for two tables, one giving tonnages assuming no waste prevention action and the other assuming waste prevention targets are met. To meet 2015/16 recycling targets, the following key changes to management need to occur: The average recycling rate of all plastics from local authority collected municipal waste will increase from a baseline 13% to 44%. This will result in an increase of almost 50,000 tonnes in the quantity recycled compared to the baseline and will include the targeting of plastics other than packaging bottles. The waste plastic that is currently in the mixed fraction produced by industry and commerce will be segregated and recycled. Commerce will have the greatest impact, resulting in an additional 35,000 to 50,000 tonnes of plastic being recycled by this sector. To meet 2019/20 recycling targets, the following key changes must occur between 2015/16 and 2019/20: Further segregation of the currently mixed waste from industry will result in an average recycling rate of 71% of all plastic arising from this sector (and additional 4,500 tonnes). Commercial rates will reach an average of 59% for all types of waste plastic, or an additional 25,000 tonnes compared to 2015/16 if there are no waste prevention targets and approximately 12,000 if prevention targets are met. The recycling of plastic from the construction and demolition sector will increase from the baseline 20% to 90%, an increase of 60,000 70,000 tonnes. Between 2019/20 and 2024/25, the following changes should take place for the 2024/25 targets to be met: The average recycling rate of plastic wastes of all types from local authority collected municipal waste will increase to 52%. This will add between 8,000 and 12,000 tonnes to the quantity recycled. The recycling of plastic from industry will also increase to an average of 79%, but due to the anticipated reduction in arising from the sector the tonnage to be recycled will remain fairly constant. There will be a greater tonnage of film in the recycled plastic as the rate for recycling packaging and other film reaches 40%.

47

 Small increases in the recycling rate of waste plastic from commerce will result in around 12,000 tonnes of additional tonnage being recycled if no prevention activity takes place, and where waste prevention targets are met the tonnage recycled will remain at 2015/16 levels. As with plastic from industry, there is a greater proportion of plastic film in the mix by 2024/25. The tonnage of all waste plastic currently recycled is approximately 120,000 tonnes. If there are no waste prevention activities, this tonnage will reach 352,000 tonnes by 2024/25. By meeting waste prevention targets as well as increasing recycling, the quantity of plastic being recycled will increase to 284,000 tonnes by 2024/25. Metals For details of trends in the management of waste metals, please see Annex 1 for two tables, one giving the tonnages assuming no waste prevention action and assuming waste prevention targets are met. To meet 2015/16 recycling targets, the following key changes to management need to occur: Metals arising from local authority collected municipal waste will be recycled at an average rate of 59%. This includes increasing the rate at which metal cans are recycled from the current approximately 47% to 70%. This results in an additional 10,000 tonnes in the total quantity recycled, with 7,500 tonnes of this increase being cans. The waste metal that is currently in the mixed fraction produced by industry and commerce will be segregated and recycled. As the arising of metal from industry is predicted to fall there will be a reduced quantity of metal recycled (27,000 tonnes compared to the baseline) from this sector. Commerce will see an additional 7,000 to 23,000 tonnes of waste metal being recycled. To meet 2019/20 recycling targets, the following key changes must occur between 2015/16 and 2019/20: Further segregation of the currently mixed waste from commerce will result in an average recycling rate of 91% of all waste metal arising from this sector. This equates to an additional 3,000 tonnes if prevention targets are met and 13,000 tonnes without prevention activity. Slight increases in recycling rates from other sectors, and the anticipated changes in arisings, will result in an overall change in the tonnage of waste metal being recycled from all sectors of between a reduction of 6,500 tonnes and a 12,000 tonnes increase. Between 2019/20 and 2024/25, there are some small changes to the recycling rates, but the greatest effect on tonnages recycled is that of waste prevention. The total tonnage of waste metals recycled will be between approximately 444,000 tonnes and 513,000 tonnes. The tonnage of all waste metals currently recycled is approximately 510,000 tonnes. If there are no waste prevention activities, this tonnage will increase to a peak of

48

522,000 tonnes by 2019/20 before reducing thereafter. By meeting waste prevention targets as well as increasing recycling, the quantity of metal being recycled will decrease year on year to a level of 444,000 tonnes by 2024/25. Glass For details of trends in the management of waste glass, please see Annex 1 for two tables, one for tonnages assuming no waste prevention action and another assuming waste prevention targets are met. To meet 2015/16 recycling targets, the following key changes to management need to occur: The average recycling rate of all glass from local authority collected municipal waste will increase from a baseline 66% to 72%, including the commencement of recycling of non-packaging glass. This will result in an increase of almost 9,000 tonnes in the quantity recycled compared to the baseline. The waste glass that is currently in the mixed fraction produced by industry and commerce will be segregated and recycled. Commerce will have the greatest impact, resulting in an additional 15,000 to 30,000 tonnes of waste glass being recycled. To meet 2019/20 recycling targets, the following key changes must occur between 2015/16 and 2019/20: Further segregation of the currently mixed waste result in recycling of glass from commerce increasing from 78% to 83%, or an additional 10,000 tonnes compared to 2015/16 if there are no waste prevention activities. There will be little change in tonnage if prevention targets are met. The recycling of glass from the construction and demolition sector will increase from the baseline 42% to 90%, an increase of 3,000 4,000 tonnes. Between 2019/20 and 2024/25, the following changes should take place for the 2024/25 targets to be met: The recycling rate of waste glass from local authority collected municipal waste will increase from 72% to 77%. This will add between 1,000 and 7,000 tonnes to the quantity recycled. The recycling of glass from industry will also increase to an average of 96%, but due to the anticipated reduction in arising from the sector the tonnage to be recycled will remain fairly constant. Small increases in the recycling rate of waste glass from commerce will result in around 6,000 tonnes of additional tonnage being recycled if no prevention activity takes place, and where waste prevention targets are met the tonnage recycled will drop by 3,000 tonnes. The tonnage of all waste glass currently recycled is approximately 177,000 tonnes. If there are no waste prevention activities, this tonnage will reach 236,000 tonnes by 2024/25. By meeting waste prevention targets as well as increasing recycling, the
49

quantity of glass being recycled will increase to 197,000 tonnes by 2015/16 and will decline thereafter. Food For details of trends in the management of food waste, please see Annex 1 for two tables, one showing the tonnages assuming no waste prevention action and the other assuming waste prevention targets are met. To meet 2015/16 recycling targets, the following key changes to management need to occur: The recycling, via anaerobic digestion or composting, of food waste from local authority collected municipal waste will increase to 65%. The baseline in 2009 was 7%, but there has been considerable effort to improve this over the intervening period. By 2015/16 it is anticipated that between 176,000 and 179,000 tonnes of food waste will be recycled. An additional 70,000 to 90,000 tonnes of food waste will be segregated and recycled from the currently mixed commercial stream. The net result is that by 2015/16 between 530,000 and 555,000 tonnes of food waste will be recycled. To meet 2019/20 recycling targets, the following key changes must occur between 2015/16 and 2019/20: The food waste currently in the mixed commercial and industrial stream will continue to be segregated and recycled at a higher rate resulting in an additional 48,000 67,000 tonnes of kitchen waste being recycled. As a result of the changes above and slight increases in other sectors there will be between 578,000 and 636,000 tonnes of food waste being recycled. Between 2019/20 and 2024/25, the following changes should take place for the 2024/25 targets to be met: An additional 7,000 - 30,000 tonnes of food waste will become available for recycling from the commercial stream. Despite an increase in recycling rates, waste prevention activities may result in an overall 5,000 tonnes decrease in food waste recycled. If there are no prevention activities, there will be an increase of 30,000 tonnes between 2019/20 and 2024/25. The tonnage of all food waste currently recycled is approximately 333,000 tonnes. If there are no waste prevention activities, this tonnage will reach 668,000 tonnes by 2024/25. By meeting waste prevention targets as well as increasing recycling, the quantity of food waste being recycled will increase to 578,000 tonnes by 2019/20 and will decline thereafter. These tonnages include the food waste that is sent for animal feed production excluding this reduces the future recycling requirement by around 176,000 tonnes to between 402,000 and 492,000 tonnes by 2024/25.
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WEEE Given the limitations of current data, and uncertainties over future EU targets, it is not possible to identify future trends in the amount of WEEE being produced and managed in Wales. ELV Given the limitations of current data it is not possible to identify future trends in the amount of ELV being produced and managed in Wales. Batteries Given the limitations of current data it is not possible to identify future trends in the amount of batteries being produced and managed in Wales. Hazardous Waste Given the limitations of current data it is not possible to identify future trends in the amount of batteries being produced and managed in Wales. Residual waste Targets have been set for residual waste management in Wales. For municipal waste, there is a 5% cap on landfill by 2025, and a 10% cap by 2020. Tapered targets have been set for energy from waste plant, with a limit of 30% by 2025. For commercial and industrial wastes there will be 30% residual waste arisings by 2025 (after the 70% recycling target has been achieved), and for construction and demolition waste, the target is to reduce landfilling to 75% of that in 2007. Table 12 shows predicated estimates the amount of non-hazardous, non inert residual waste that may be produced in Wales according to different scenarios in respect of the achievement of recycling and waste prevention targets. Around 3 million tonnes of non-hazardous non-inert residual waste is currently produced from all sectors in Wales each year. In terms of likely trends in residual waste: If no action is taken to recycle or prevent waste, it is likely that residual waste arisings will remain at around 3 million tonnes in the future. If recycling targets are met, but no action taken on prevention, around 1.7 million tonnes of residual waste is needed each year from 2019. If both the recycling and waste prevention targets are met, capacity for around 1.4 million tonnes of residual waste is needed from 2021 each year. In this case, landfill capacity will run out at a later date because annual tipping rates of residual waste will decrease (because less is produced).

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Table 12 Predicted annual production of non-hazardous, non inert residual waste

Year Scenarios Annual production of non-hazardous, non inert residual waste (thousands of tonnes) Industrial no additional recycling or prevention 2012/13 recycling targets met, no additional prevention recycling and prevention targets met no additional recycling or prevention 2015/16 recycling targets met, no additional prevention recycling and prevention targets met no additional recycling or prevention 2019/20 recycling targets met, no additional prevention recycling and prevention targets met no additional recycling or prevention 2024/25 recycling targets met, no additional prevention recycling and prevention targets met no additional recycling or prevention 2049/50 recycling targets met, no additional prevention recycling and prevention targets met 635 635 635 606 536 536 567 447 447 518 372 372 276 198 198 Commercial 1,039 1,039 910 1,069 690 565 1,108 548 409 1,157 515 343 1,402 625 211 Municipal 1,033 790 790 1,033 667 653 1,033 654 611 1,033 576 507 1,033 586 352 C&D 596 596 563 587 587 538 575 253 222 560 247 203 484 213 109 Total 3,303 3,060 2,897 3,294 2,481 2,292 3,283 1,902 1,689 3,268 1,711 1,425 3,195 1,622 871

For inert waste, the likely future arising in 2024/25: if no action is taken to recycle or prevent, will be 1.2 million tonnes; with recycling action only, the tonnage will be 0.2 million tonnes; and If prevention AND recycling targets are both met, will be 0.2 million tonnes. In terms of the future availability of landfill capacity in Wales, there is currently nearly 39 million cubic metres of landfill void remaining (Table 13). If waste deposits at landfill continue at 2009 rates, non-hazardous landfills would reach the end of their life in 9.8 years, i.e. by 2019. Regional variations are shown in Figure 12 below:

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Table 13 Remaining landfill void in the regions of Wales

Facility Type No of sites Merchant Hazardous Restricted Hazardous Merchant Nonhazardous Merchant Nonhazardous with SNRHW cell Restricted NonHazardous Inert TOTAL 0 0 6 North Voidspace (m2) 0 0 5,760,198 South East No of sites 0 0 6 Voidspace (m2) 0 0 9,942,401 South West No of sites 0 1 6 Voidspace (m2) 0 176,662 9,390,459 All Wales No of sites 0 1 18 Voidspac e (m2) 0 176,662 25,093,05 8

3,517,491

3,517,491

1 5 12

92,898 824,326 6,677,422

2 3 12

4,637,790 1,850,096 19,947,778

1 1 9

2,198,999 280,000 12,046,120

4 9 33

6,929,687 2,954,422 38,671,32 0

Source: Environment Agency Wales

Figure 12: Remaining capacity for all landfill types and landfill life for non-hazardous landfills for the three regions of Wales

Source: Environment Agency Wales

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Residues from residual waste treatment Alternative residual waste management options (such as energy from waste plant) or intermediate plant (such as MBT), all produce residues that need further treatment or disposal. For energy from waste plant, this includes incinerator bottom ash (IBA) and air pollution control residues (APC). For MBT, a large proportion (over half) of the output needs to go either to landfill or be used as refuse derived fuel (RDF). Capacity for these residues also needs to be accounted for. The Assembly Government aims for all IBA to be processed for recycling. APC residues are currently landfilled at hazardous waste landfill sites. The preferred option is for MBT outputs to be used as RDF. This means that If no action is taken to recycle or prevent waste, capacity for around 60,000 tonnes of APC residues each year is needed from 2019. (This is assuming that all residual waste is managed at high efficiency energy from waste plant at that date). If all the residual waste is managed at MBT plant instead, capacity at either landfill, or plant using RDF is needed for around 1.6 million tonnes each year.

Similarly if recycling targets are met, capacity for around 34,000 tonnes of APC residues, or 900,000 tonnes of residue from MBT plant is needed each year from 2019. if both the recycling and prevention targets are met, capacity for around 28 000 tonnes of APC residues, or 750,000 tonnes of residue from MBT plant is needed each year from 2021. For IBA Depending on whether our recycling and prevention targets are met (or not), between 290,000 and 625,000 tonnes of IBA will be produced each year from 2019 (if all residual waste is managed at high energy efficiency energy from waste plant). If residual waste is all managed by MBT plant with residues that are used as RDF, then 150,000 to 330,000 tonnes a year from 2019.

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3 Moving forward
This section begins by describing the costs and benefits of investing in the waste collection and treatment infrastructure to meet the recycling and prevention targets in Towards Zero Waste. Proposed hierarchies for the management of waste food, plastic, paper and card, glass, metals and residual waste are described. The section concludes by outlining the key priorities for the development of the collection systems, infrastructure and capacity, and markets needed to meet the targets and policies in Towards Zero Waste the overarching waste strategy for Wales, and the Waste Framework Directive. Finally, detailed actions to address these priorities are described.

3.1 Costs and Benefits

Modelling work commissioned by WRAP20 projects that increased recycling associated with investments in collection and treatment infrastructure will lead to a reduction in overall costs compared with continuing with current systems. This is due, for the most part, to avoided disposal savings i.e. the reduction in residual waste requiring disposal. A move from landfill to Energy from Waste also leads to reduced waste disposal costs under the assumption that the unit costs for this technology are lower than the cost of landfill. Savings also arise through the generation of additional revenue from increased capture of recyclates. As would be expected, the modelling clearly demonstrates that were significant waste prevention to be achieved, this would lead to further cost reductions. The assessment of capital and operational costs indicates that key investments are needed in both collection and treatment systems, but this investment will lead to ongoing operational savings through avoided disposal. Figure 13 below shows the cost savings that could be achieved across all sectors if the recycling targets (scenario 1) and the recycling plus prevention (scenario 2) in Towards Zero Waste are achieved, compared to continuing as present.

Economic Assessment of the Welsh Assembly Governments Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector Plan. WRAP (2011)

20

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Figure 13: Net annualised costs and benefits of meeting the recycling and the recycling plus prevention targets.
-20,000,000 -40,000,000 -60,000,000 -80,000,000 -100,000,000 -120,000,000 -140,000,000 -160,000,000 -180,000,000 -200,000,000 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026 2028 2030 2032 2034 2036 2038 2040 2042 2044 2046 2048 2050 Sc.1 Net Annualised Costs Relative to BAU Sc.2 Net Annualised Costs Relative to BAU

Source: Eunomia

From the assessment of the individual waste streams, the following may be said about local authority controlled waste (see Figure 14): Carrying on as currently will lead to higher costs compared to 2010. This is, in the main, due to lower disposal costs experienced today compared to in the future. From current levels, the steep disposal cost increases resulting from the landfill tax escalator are only expected to be tempered marginally due to a shift from landfill to Energy from Waste. Where the investment in food waste collection (required in order to meet Landfill Directive LAS targets) is taken forward but other strategic changes (such as implementing recycling targets greater than Waste Framework Directive targets) are not undertaken, the Welsh Assembly Governments current ring-fenced investments in organic waste collection and treatment will lead to avoided disposal savings, but these would not be sufficient to offset the forthcoming increases in disposal costs.

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Figure 14: Local Authority controlled waste management costs relative to 2010 Business as usual
60,000,000

Change in LAC Disposal Costs

40,000,000

20,000,000

Change in LAC Organic Treatment Costs

Change in LAC Material Revenues

-20,000,000

Change in LAC Collection Costs

-40,000,000

-60,000,000 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026 2028 2030 2032 2034 2036 2038 2040 2042 2044 2046 2048 2050

Total Change in LAC Costs From 2010

Source: Eunomia

Under the assumptions within this work, meeting the Welsh Assembly Governments 70% recycling targets as set in 'Towards Zero Waste' will reduce local authority costs by over 8m per annum by 2025 compared to costs in 2010. To meet the recycling targets much more investment is needed in new recycling collection and appropriate waste treatment systems (particularly organic waste treatment). However, this additional cost is offset by the additional income from recyclate revenues and from the significant avoided disposal savings. Figure 15 illustrates this. Figure 15 Local Authority controlled waste management costs relative to 2010 70% recycling target met
60,000,000 Change in LAC Disposal Costs

40,000,000 Change in LAC Organic Treatment Costs

20,000,000

Change in LAC Material Revenues

-20,000,000

Change in LAC Collection Costs

-40,000,000 Total Change in LAC Costs From 2010 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026 2028 2030 2032 2034 2036 2038 2040 2042 2044 2046 2048 2050

-60,000,000

Source: Eunomia

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Meeting both the recycling and prevention targets results in even further cost savings over time, through the additional savings achieved by avoiding disposal. With this further waste prevention effect, the calculated local authority savings are 18m per annum by 2025 compared to 2010, and approaching 40m per annum by 2050. Figure 16 illustrates this. Figure 16 Local Authority controlled waste management costs relative to 2010 70% recycling plus prevention target met
60,000,000 Change in LAC Disposal Costs

40,000,000 Change in LAC Organic Treatment Costs Change in LAC Material Revenues

20,000,000

-20,000,000

Change in LAC Collection Costs

-40,000,000 Total Change in LAC Costs From 2010 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026 2028 2030 2032 2034 2036 2038 2040 2042 2044 2046 2048 2050

-60,000,000

Source: Eunomia

For Commercial and Industrial Waste the Key Messages are as follows: The conclusions drawn from commercial and industrial modelling are similar to that for municipal waste cost savings are made through implementing the recycling targets. Under the scenario where the 70% recycling targets in Towards Zero Waste are met, over 50m per annum of savings are made within the standard commercial and industrial waste services by 2025 compared to the costs in 2010, and increasing to over 60m per annum by 2050. Further cost savings are made if the additional waste prevention effect is achieved as well as meeting the recycling targets. Under this scenario, the calculated commercial and industrial waste service savings compared to 2010 costs are over 70m per annum by 2025 and increasing to 100m per annum by 2050. Further significant savings are achieved in the management of other industrial wastes (such as hazardous and clinical waste) where waste minimisation leads to reduction in collection costs and avoided costs of disposal. This is suggested to be potentially as significant as a further 35m per annum (or 50m per annum with the additional waste prevention) by

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2025, increasing to 70m per annum (or 110m per annum with the additional waste prevention) by 2050. The waste arisings and tonnages recovered were determined in work outside of this project and correlate with other work currently being undertaken by the Welsh Assembly Government. Sensitivity analysis conducted on the cost modelling reveals that the parameters found to cause the greatest variance are those ones which had to be selected as best estimates in the absence of better information these being the impact of waste minimisation, the costs that may be associated with the less standard other industrial materials, and the time it takes collection operations to travel between individual commercial and industrial businesses. However, it is suggested that, since the overall levels of variance in the headline results is not excessive under sensitivity analysis, the economic modelling may be a reasonable projection of costs that would be expected to arise from the impact of the CIMS plan. The impact quantified by this work suggests that Welsh waste management costs could be reduced by 80m per annum beyond 2025 by meeting the CIMS recycling targets when compared to the business as usual case. With the waste minimisation effect included, the savings are greater still and increase beyond an annual 120m from this date.

3.2 Waste Hierarchies

Article 15 of the revised EU Waste Framework Directive requires that waste producers or other holders of waste ensure that the waste is treated in accordance with Article 4 (the waste hierarchy) and Article 13 (without harming human health or the environment). Article 4 lays down that the following waste hierarchy shall apply as a priority order in waste prevention and management legislation and policy: (a) prevention; (b) preparing for re-use; (c) recycling; (d) other recovery, e.g. energy recovery; and (e) disposal. When applying the waste hierarchy referred to above, Member States are required to take measures to encourage the options that deliver the best overall environmental outcome. The Directive allows that the management of specific waste streams can depart from the hierarchy where this is justified by life-cycle thinking on the overall impacts of the generation and management of such waste. The duty of care under section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and the associated Regulations, is the main means by which Wales will fulfil the requirements of Article 15 of the revised Waste Framework Directive, which is being transposed in Wales via the proposed Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011. The proposed Regulations require that the waste producer or holder confirms on the duty of care transfer note accompanying the waste that the transferor has discharged the duty their duty regarding the hierarchy. The Welsh Assembly

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Government intends to publish waste hierarchy guidance for producers and holders of waste based on the hierarchies proposed in this draft plan (see section 3.2.1 below) and the responses received to the consultation. A revised duty of care Code of Practice is to be produced to reflect the new requirement on the transfer note. The duty of care Code of Practice is a statutory document which explains how all holders, producers, carriers, importers, brokers, dealers and processors of waste can meet the legal duty set out in Environmental Act 1990, section 34 to manage that waste correctly to enable its safe recovery or disposal without harming the environment. All waste holders will still have to have regard to their statutory duty of care, in addition to the waste hierarchy. The Code of Practice will be revised to refer to the waste hierarchy guidance, which will remain a separate document because of its different scope and level of details. 3.2.1 Consideration of the waste hierarchy in respect of specific materials The following provides advice on what, in relation to individual waste streams, are the circumstances in which the Welsh Assembly Government considers that departures from the Article 4(1) waste hierarchy may be justified by life-cycle thinking etc. The advice is based on life cycle thinking that has taken account of the available evidence in relation to ecological and carbon footprint modelling. 3.2.1.1 Glass

It the case of glass, there is significant evidence that after prevention and reuse (e.g. via deposit-return systems) the closed loop recycling of glass is environmentally preferable to alternative management options. This means, for example, recycling glass waste from bottles back into new bottles. As such, it should be the primary option for glass entering the waste stream. Both the Welsh Assembly Government 2009, Ecological Footprint Impact report21 and the WRAP 200622, Environmental Benefits of Recycling report confirm this approach for glass. The processing of waste glass into glass fibre insulation23 is open loop but it is also beneficial environmentally and can be regarded as upcycling. In the case of open loop recycling of glass into aggregates, the Ecological Footprint report21 shows this to be least environmentally beneficial option. The proposed priority order of options to manage waste glass in Wales is shown in Figure 17.

http://wales.gov.uk/docs/desh/consultation/090429wasteecologicalfootprinten.pdf http://www.wrap.org.uk/downloads/Recycling_LCA_Report_Sept_2006_-_Final.4cc51d5.2838.pdf 23 Lifecycle Assessment Report by Enviros Consulting for the British Glass Manufacturers Confederation. 2003
22

21

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Figure 17 Proposed priority order of options for the management of waste glass.
Prevention

Preparation for re-use of glass where possible

Closed-loop recycling of glass (ie. bottle to bottle)

High benefit open-loop recycling upcycling (ie. production of glass fibre insulation)

Low benefit open-loop recycling (ie. production of secondary aggregate)

Disposal options

3.2.1.2

Paper/Card

In regard to options for the management of paper and card, there is clear evidence24 that closed loop recycling will significantly reduce the Ecological Footprint. However, this analysis also shows a greater benefit for efficient Energy from Waste treatment over composting. So, if recycling options are not available, this will be the preferred route. This is shown in the proposed priority order of options in Figure 18.

24

Ecological Footprint Impact of the Welsh Waste Strategy. ARUP (2009)

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Figure 18 Proposed priority order of options for the management of paper/card.

Prevention

Preparation for re-use of paper and card where applicable

Closed loop recycling of paper and card where possible (ie. paper to paper)

Open loop recycling of paper and card (ie. paper/card to other industrial fibre products) where closed loop recycling is not possible

Paper/card used as a fuel for high efficiency energy recovery

Paper/card used as a feedstock for composting

Landfill

3.2.1.3

Metals

In the case of metals, there is no evidence to justify any departure from the waste hierarchy as laid down in Article 4 of the revised Waste Framework Directive. Both the Welsh Assembly Government 2009, Ecological Footprint Impact report25 and WRAPs 200626 Environmental Benefits of Recycling report, support the hierarchy for the treatment priorities of this material stream. The proposed priority order of options to manage metal waste in Wales is given in Figure 19.

25 26

http://wales.gov.uk/docs/desh/consultation/090429wasteecologicalfootprinten.pdf http://www.wrap.org.uk/downloads/Recycling_LCA_Report_Sept_2006_-_Final.4cac51d5.2838.pdf

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Figure 19: Proposed waste hierarchy for metals wastes in Wales

Prevention

Preparation for re-use of metals where applicable (ie. drum recondition, reuse of machinery)

Recycling of metals

Recovery of metals as a byproduct of thermal processing or processing of industrial effluents etc

Landfill

3.2.1.4

Plastic

In the case of plastics, there is significant evidence from a variety of sources that closed loop recycling of plastics replacing virgin plastics is the most environmentally beneficial option after prevention and reuse. This is confirmed by the Welsh Assembly Government 2009, Ecological Footprint Impact report which was written by ARUP and the WRAPs Environmental Benefits of Recycling report 2010 update. However there are plastics which may not be suitable (in environmental terms) for closed loop recycling for a variety of reasons including heavily contaminated, laminated or composite plastics / polymers. The ARUP Ecological footprint report indicates that is a preferred option after closed loop recycling, and is a better option than current (electricity only) EfW systems that have a relative low thermal energy efficiency . However, other reports indicate that as the efficiency of energy recovery increase then the environmental performance of EfW starts to improve as compared to landfill. . The WRAPs Environmental Benefits

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report and the Defras27 consultation on the waste hierarchy for England consider a range of energy recovery option and environmental issues, including greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion and air and waste pollution. Both indicate that high efficiency energy recovery (i.e. using Combined Heat and Power (CHP) options) is environmentally preferable to landfill but, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, poor efficiency EfW is not. The ARUP Ecological footprint report also indicates that open loop recycling of plastics performs worse than landfill in ecological footprint terms. The proposed priority order of options for the management of waste plastics in Wales is described in Figure 20.

27

http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/waste-framework-revised/20100708-waste-guidance.pdf

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Figure 20: Proposed priority order of options for the management of waste plastics wastes in Wales
Prevention

Preparation for re-use of plastic where possible

Closed-loop recycling of plastic (ie. bottle to bottle)

High efficiency open-loop recycling (ie. production of high-quality mixed polymer blends for single polymer substitution) Plastic as fuel for high efficiency Energy from Waste (with CHP)

Landfill of plastic

Open-loop recycling (ie. manufacture of plastic wood) EfW, low efficiency (without CHP)

3.2.1.5

Food

In terms of food waste management options, a number of lifecycle assessments have demonstrated that the technology with the best environmental outcome for the treatment of segregated food wastes is anaerobic digestion. (e.g. Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Waste Management Options for Priority Waste Materials, Environment Agency, 2009 study commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government.) The next best treatment for food waste after AD is considered to be home composting (where applicable, and for vegetable waste, not for animal waste or oils or fats) or use of the collected material in centralised in-vessel composting (where it usually needs to be co-mingled with green wastes). For certain streams (such as segregated industrial food wastes), there is a third biological utilisation option, which involves the spreading of material to land for the purposes of land improvement. The Welsh Assembly Government does not promote

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the landspreading of food wastes through funding or policy interventions, and it has concerns about the localised environmental impact of the spreading of untreated food waste on land. Lower in the hierarchy than treatment or landspreading is energy recovery through the combustion (mass burn, gasification or pyrolysis) of food wastes. These wastes do not usually lend themselves to these in their own right (due to food waste generally having a high moisture content) so some form of pre-treatment is required in order to enhance the calorific value of these materials prior to combustion. The Welsh Assembly Government does not support energy recovery through the combustion of food wastes through funding or policy interventions (excepting where this is the best practicable option for wastes constrained by the controls set out in the Animal By-Products Regulations 2009 i.e. as an approved destruction method for Category 1 Animal By-Products). A complicating factor here concerns packaged food wastes, where de-packaging is difficult, or food-contaminated packaging. There may be an argument for the use of such technologies in this instance, although de-packaging and use of AD for the food waste component is preferred. The lowest point in the hierarchy is landfill. The Assembly Government does not support the landfill of food wastes, and intends to consider future legislative measures to prevent food wastes from entering landfill. The Welsh Assembly Government is aware that a number of businesses and some householders use macerators (sink grinders) for the disposal of food waste via the sewage system. A number also pour used fats and greases down the sink. The quantity of food waste managed in Wales via this route is unknown. The use of this as a means of disposal of food waste is a concern that has been raised by both the water industry (Water UK) and the Environment Agency. This management route not only means that the ecological benefits which would be realised through treating this waste via AD are not realised, but it also puts a significant treatment load on the sewage system and can contribute to sewer blockages. There are also significant problems associated with the disposal in drains of fats, oils and greases from commercial and domestic kitchens. These cause major problems with sewer blockages. Fats, oils and greases are a suitable feedstock for AD plants. There may need to be exceptions to the above proposed hierarchy rules. A particular example here is contingency in the case of mass mortality of livestock due to an epidemic, and guidance would need to be obtained from the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer (OCVO) on the suitability or otherwise of using incineration or landfill in such instances. The proposed priority order of options for the management of waste food in Wales is given in Figure 21 below

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Figure 21: Proposed waste hierarchy for food wastes in Wales

Prevention

Preparation for re-use of food waste where applicable

AD of segregated food waste with digestate applied to land

Landspreading of food waste

Composting of segregated food waste with compost applied to land

Energy recovery through combustion

Landfill

3.2.1.6

Residual waste

Modelling of waste management options against projected waste compositions and lifecycle impacts has been undertaken on a number of occasions to assess the best option or group of options for the management of residual waste in Wales. The two principal studies in Wales were the Sustainable Waste Management Options Appraisal undertaken by Environment Agency Wales to inform the Wales Regional Waste Plans in 2006, and the AEA study Modelling of Impacts for Selected Residual Waste Plant Options using WRATE published in 2009. A brief summary of the findings is summarised as follows. The Sustainable Waste Management Options Appraisal This appraisal was undertaken by the Environment Agency on behalf of the three Regional Waste Groups (North Wales, South-East Wales and South-West Wales) to the same methodology in 2006. It used waste arising data from the 2005 municipal

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waste returns, the 2003 commercial and industrial waste arisings survey and the 2006 construction and demolition waste survey. Options were assessed using the following techniques : Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to find the Best Practicable Environmental Option using the Environment Agencys lifecycle assessment tool WRATE [Waste and Resources Assessment Tool for the Environment] Sustainability Appraisal (SA) to find the Sustainable Waste Management Option; Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA); and Strategic Health Impact Assessment (HIA). The results identified that a cluster of options all variously involving energy from waste were the most sustainable options for managing residual waste. : Modelling of Impacts for Selected Residual Waste Plant Options Using WRATE. This report was commissioned due to the change in recycling targets (set out in Towards Zero Waste), improved understanding of waste arising data and the need for the Welsh Assembly Government to develop an evidence base to set future policy on the minimum efficiency of energy recovery plant. The relative environmental performance of residual waste management infrastructure (and hence its sustainability) is demonstrated through the use of the WRATE lifecycle assessment tool, which shows that for residual waste management options, their impacts reduce as process efficiencies increase. This is especially significant for energy recovery options, where maximising process efficiency can have a large effect on their lifecycle impacts. The report therefore considered two distinct issues. It firstly examined theoretical maximum process efficiencies for various energy recovery technologies (the Technical Assessment), and then it presented the output of a number of options as assessed under WRATE (the Lifecycle Assessment.) The findings of the technical assessment are summarised in Table 14 below. (Note that the assessment treated slow pyrolysis and gasification equally. It did not consider fast pyrolysis options for the reasons outlined earlier in this section.)

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Table 14: Theoretical maximum process efficiencies for energy recovery options
Technology type Energy use Conversion efficiency power (LHV) Conversion efficiency heat (LHV) Total conversion efficiency (LHV) Conversion efficiency power (LHV) Conversion efficiency heat (LHV) Total conversion efficiency Conversion efficiency power (LHV) Conversion efficiency heat (LHV) Total conversion efficiency (LHV) Conversion efficiency power (LHV) Conversion efficiency heat (LHV) Total conversion efficiency (LHV) Power only 23% 23% 22% 22% 23% 23% 18% 18% 40% CHP 18% 22% 40% 18% 22% 40% 23% 17% 40% 18% 22% 40% 60% CHP 13% 47% 60% 12% 48% 60% Max CHP Efficiency 8% 71% 79% 8% 72% 81% 23% 29% 52% 18% 35% 53%

Combustion

Gasification steam turbine

Gasification gas engine

Gasification gas turbine

Source: AEA

Table 14 demonstrates that there is a range of maximum feasible efficiencies that can be achieved, with different technologies having different maximum efficiencies. The use of a steam turbine coupled with a combustion process allows the greatest capture of energy from the waste, although as can be seen above, much of this comes in the form of heat. The nature of the combustion process (mass burn combustion or gasification) makes little difference to the final outcome. The performance of options utilising gas engines rather than steam turbines is more modest maximum efficiencies are considerably lower here. However, these may prove attractive because the ratio of electricity heat is better using this technology mix and electricity has a much higher market value than heat. There are therefore good economic reasons for choosing to use a gas engine in such a configuration. The lifecycle assessment took the options assessed above, and compared their relative performance using WRATE. Included within the WRATE assessment were a number of alternative treatment options to obtain a comparison and establish a hierarchy of options. The results of this assessment are outlined in Figure 22 below which outlines the climate change impacts of the technologies under consideration.

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Figure 22: Climate change impacts of the considered technology options.

100,000,000

Climate Change impacts -kg C02 eq.

50,000,000

-50,000,000

-100,000,000

-150,000,000

-200,000,000 Autoclave Gasifier ST Max 81% Gasifier GT e only 18% Gasifier ST e only 22% Gasifier GT 40% MBT-Biostabilis ation Gasifier RE 40% Gasifier RE e only 23% EfW e Only 23% Gasifier RE 52% Gasifier GT 53% Gas ifier ST 40% Gas ifier ST 60% MBT-RDF MBT-AD CHP 40% CHP 60% CHP max 79%

Technology options

Source: AEA

As for the previous Regional Waste Plan options appraisal, energy recovery options performed better than the alternatives when process efficiencies are optimised. This issue was considered as part of the development of Towards Zero Waste, and the Welsh Assembly Governments preference for a restricted residual waste tonnage to be used for optimised energy recovery was outlined in that document. The proposed priority order of options for the management of residual waste in Wales is shown in Figure 23.

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Figure 23: Proposed priority order of options for the management of residual waste in Wales
Prevention Mass burn combustion at maximum process efficiency (heat only) with recycling of incinerator bottom ash (IBA)

Mass burn combustion (CHP) at >60% efficiency and gasification/pyrolysis at >50% efficiency with recycling of IBA

Mass burn gasification/pyrolysis at >30% and <50% efficiency with recycling of ash Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) with Refuse Derived Fuel to high efficiency EfW plant Energy recovery electricity only with recycling of IBA

MBT with Anaerobic Digestion/In-Vessel Composting with compost-like output to landfill

Landfill

3.2.2 Hazardous waste Assessing the management of hazardous wastes against the provisions of the Waste Hierarchy as outlined under the Waste Framework Directive is not straightforward. The wastes produced in Wales in 2009, for example, cover 289 separate codes in the European Waste Catalogue list of wastes, thus demonstrating the diversity of the material collected. When the factors that make the waste hazardous in the first place (for instance contamination) are taken into consideration, it is difficult to make a judgement on the application of the hierarchy to individual hazardous waste loads. At the time of writing, the Welsh Assembly Government is working with DEFRA to provide waste stream specific guidance on the waste hierarchy in respect of seven distinct hazardous waste streams which they believe account for well over half by weight of the waste deposited in England and Wales. These streams are: APC Residues

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 Asbestos Contaminated soils Hazardous WEEE and hazardous components of WEEE Oily sludges Organic mother liquors Waste oils Consultation question 2: Do you agree with the proposed priority order of options for the management of the following waste streams (please indicate yes or no against each waste stream): a) glass, b) paper/card, c) metals, d) plastics, e) food, f) or residual waste If no for any of these, what changes would you wish to see and why (please provide evidence to back up your views).

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3.3 Actions
3.3.1 Introduction This section covers existing and proposed new key actions in respect of the collection of waste, the development of infrastructure and the necessary capacity to manage waste sustainably, and the market for recyclates and compost/anaerobic digestion (AD) digestate in Wales. Actions are organised in accordance with the relevant parts of the waste hierarchy as follows: Preparation for reuse. Recycling (including composting and AD digestate). Other recovery (source separated wastes). Recovery and disposal of residual waste. Under each part of the hierarchy, actions are subdivided, where appropriate, into collections, infrastructure and markets. There is a further sub-division on key waste streams, particularly for collection. The proposed actions in this plan have been developed based upon the analysis of the current position (Section 2) and likely future trends (Section 3). Consideration has been made of where specific gaps need to be filled and market failures addressed in order to meet future targets and the sustainable development policies and outcomes laid down in Towards Zero Waste. In considering the levels of necessary collection, infrastructure and recyclate markets required in Wales, due account has been taken of the waste prevention targets set in Towards Zero Waste, and in each of the Sector Plans that deal with waste producing sectors. The latter focus on actions for waste prevention, and these are not included in this Sector Plan. However, the waste management industry can play a key role to help advise its customers on waste prevention, and the Welsh Assembly Government would like to see all waste companies in Wales provide a holistic service that includes assisting customers to spot opportunities for preventing waste, as well as opportunities to increase reuse and recycling. Consultation question 3: Do you agree that it should be the role of all waste companies in Wales to provide advice to their customers on steps they can take to prevent waste? If yes, how could this be implemented? Each of the key action areas is subdivided into: Definitions Benefits Specific Objectives Roles and Responsibilities Targets

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 Arrangements and actions The need for additional evidence Indicators and review Summary table of actions

3.3.2 Preparing for Reuse

3.3.2.1 What is preparing for reuse?

What is preparing for reuse?

The revised Waste Framework Directive states in Article 4 that the following waste hierarchy shall be applied as a priority order in waste prevention and management legislation and policy a) Prevention b) Preparing for reuse c) Recycling d) Other recovery e.g. energy recovery, and e) Disposal Preparing for Reuse means checking, cleaning or repairing recovery operations, by which products or components of products that have been collected as waste are prepared so that they can be reused without any other pre-processing. It is distinguished from reuse which means any operation by which products or components that are not waste are used again for the same purpose for which they were conceived. Reuse is therefore counted as waste prevention under the waste hierarchy. For example a donation of an item to a charity is reuse; if the same item had been put out for collection as waste, and was then subsequently reused this is known as preparing for reuse.

3.3.2.2

The benefits of preparing for reuse

In respect of household waste, WRAP research28 suggests that, if everyone in the UK used everyday domestic goods, such as clothes, crockery, tools and televisions, for their full life cycle then they could save 47 billion a year, or over 1,800 per household per year. To achieve this would mean enlarging the market in unwanted, but workable, goods. In Wales, many bulky waste items collected from households by Local Authorities or deposited at civic amenity sites are landfilled; this is a large waste stream which needs to be reduced in order to help meet ecological footprint reduction goals and waste prevention targets, and reduce Local Authority disposal costs.

WRAP Stakeholder Briefing, Issue 3, Winter 2009 http://www.wrap.org.uk/downloads/SH_brief_Winter_09_1_.5f9ce84d.8512.pdf.

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In respect of wastes produced by businesses, preparing for reuse would encompass redundant, but working (or repairable), items of equipment that businesses put out for collection as waste, and which are prepared for reuse rather than being recycled or landfilled. This could include items such as carpets, office furniture, IT equipment, other electrical equipment, redundant stock, and protective clothing. . Preparation for reuse has many benefits in terms of reducing the ecological and carbon footprints of waste, as well as reducing landfill and potentially saving costs to businesses and local authorities. In the pursuit of sustainable development, the Welsh Assembly Government would like to see further progress in the reuse of items. This is also a requirement of the revised Waste Framework Directive. 3.3.2.3 Specific Objectives

In order to meet the key milestones and key social, economic and environmental outcomes identified in Towards Zero Waste, the following preparing for reuse objectives are proposed: 1. The preparing for reuse targets for municipal waste collected by Local Authorities, and that the preparing for reuse, recycling and other material recovery targets for construction and demolition waste in Towards Zero Waste are met cost effectively. The establishment in Wales of the necessary infrastructure for preparation for reuse, including reuse and repair networks. As far as possible, items that are discarded as waste are prepared for reuse and are able to continue to be a resource and reused by others in Wales Citizens are able to benefit socially (through greater social cohesion and community well-being) from preparing for reuse activities through job creation and training, and closer engagement with their communities. The opportunity is afforded to all the citizens of Wales to contribute to preparing waste for reuse, irrespective of where they live, their health, mobility and personal circumstances. The waste reuse collection workforce is equipped with the necessary skills, qualifications and training to help support sustainable management of waste (including appropriate re-training where the nature of the job changes). All preparation for reuse services must be carried out without endangering human health, and without harming the environment (including living organisms and biodiversity). All collection and management infrastructure for preparing waste for reuse is capable of adapting to, and is resilient, in respect of the impacts of climate change, including the need to maintain business continuity during extreme weather and avoid public nuisance during routine operations, and including the need to take into account any areas of managed realignment along the Welsh coastline when siting new waste facilities.
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2. 3. 4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Obligations for Wales under EU and UK waste legislation are met, including the Habitat Regulations. Preparing for reuse roles and responsibilities

3.3.2.4

Householders: Householders throw away items that could be reused and they play a key role to ensure that these items are cared for and passed on in a state that someone else can use them. The items that are wasted have, in some cases, a monetary value, and in some cases materials thrown away could have been reused or their life extended thus avoiding or delaying the purchase of new products. Business and public sector waste producers: The business and public sectors are a major waste generator within Wales and they are likely to landfill significant amounts of reusable items. This also puts businesses and public sector bodies in a key role to ensure that these items are cared for and passed on in a state that someone else can use them. Government has proposed that businesses declare on their Waste Transfer Notes that they have taken the waste hierarchy (and hence reuse) into account and have taken into consideration government guidance on the practical application of the waste hierarchy29. Businesses and public sector bodies also need to comply with all relevant laws governing waste, particularly in a way that does not endanger human health or the environment (including living organisms and biodiversity).
Waste collection companies: As collectors of waste that has the potential for reuse, waste collection companies (including social enterprises) have a central role in providing a holistic service that facilitates preparing for reuse. Government has proposed that those who carry waste declare on their Waste Transfer Notes that they have taken the waste hierarchy (and hence reuse) into account and have taken into consideration government guidance on the practical application of the waste hierarchy. Waste collection businesses also need to comply with all relevant laws governing waste, particularly in a way that does not endanger human health or the environment (including living organisms and biodiversity). Local Authorities: As collectors of municipal waste Local Authorities have the key role in ensuring that as much as possible is prepared for reuse. Many items disposed of by householders (especially in the bulky waste stream) could be reused if collected and handled in a way that does not damage them beyond repair or reuse. Local Authorities also need to continuously improve the service and, in doing so, have regard to inter alia sustainable development (in accordance with their duty under Section 2 of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009). Local Authorities waste function need to comply with all relevant laws governing waste, particularly in a way that

This is a requirement of Article 15 of the revised Waste Framework Directive. Draft regulations transposing the Directive in England and Wales were consulted on 8 July 2010 see http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/waste-framework-revised/index.htm

29

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does not endanger human health or the environment (including living organisms and biodiversity). Planners: Local Authority planners have a role to play in the development of waste management infrastructure and systems for Wales, this should include infrastructure for the preparation of reuse. Planners need to be aware of waste activities in their area and how the waste hierarchy should be promoted by their decisions.

Preparation for reuse businesses (including social enterprises): Reuse businesses have a valuable role to play in ensuring that pre-used items are valued and used again. The social enterprise sector has developed a furniture recycling network to promote the reuse of furniture and other bulky items (especially electrical). This is likely to increase in the future. Some of the social enterprise reuse sector in Wales is represented by Cylch, who are core funded by the Welsh Assembly Government to support their members and support capacity building. Preparation for reuse organisations need to comply with all relevant laws governing waste, particularly in a way that does not endanger human health or the environment (including living organisms and biodiversity). Producer Responsibility Compliance Schemes: Compliance schemes register producers and discharge their collection, treatment and recycling obligations and provide evidence of this to the Environment Agency. In respect of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) they are obliged to prioritise the reuse of whole appliances Retailers and supply chains: The vast majority of what is thrown away has been purchased from a retailer or directly from a manufacturer. Therefore, retailers and the manufacturers that supply them bear a significant responsibility for products to be manufactured to be more durable, and longer lasting with the potential for reuse or easy to repair or upgrade. This sector must also comply with all relevant legislation regarding the management of their waste. Government: Government has a strong role at a national and international level to drive preparing for reuse. This includes setting targets, providing funding support and advice, commissioning research, supporting innovation and ensuring national awareness raising and behavioural change campaigns. Regulators: Regulators, such as the Environment Agency, have powers and duties to implement specific environmental regulation, working to better regulation principles. They also have a role to be an independent adviser to devolved government in developing legislation and policy on environmental matters. Delivery Agents such as WRAP: Provide advice, support, and expertise.

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3.3.2.5

Targets

Municipal Waste Table 15 shows preparation for reuse target is set in Towards Zero Waste for Municipal Waste collected by Local Authorities. Table 15: Reuse Targets for the Municipal Sector as detailed in Towards Zero Waste Year 12-13 15-16 19-20 24-25 Minimum levels of preparing for reuse 0.4% 0.6% 0.8% 1.0%
(excluding WEEE)

Other business waste Separate reuse targets have not been set for the commercial and industrial, nor construction and demolition waste sectors because of the lack of data available on the potential for reuse in these streams. At the present time preparing for reuse is not included in the recycling targets set for these waste streams in Towards Zero Waste. Consultation Question 4: Should preparing for reuse be included as counting towards the recycling targets set in Towards Zero Waste for industrial and commercial waste? 3.3.2.6 Actions

There is a need to increase the extent of preparing for reuse activity in Wales, and the following arrangements and actions are either already underway or are proposed. In order to increase the amount of waste prepared for reuse, and to assess the potential for a reuse and repair network, understanding the barriers in collecting materials is key. Where items need preparation before they can be reused, such as cleaning, repair or upgrading, there are significant collection issues to address to ensure that items arrive in a repairable condition. There are also economic barriers where the cost of assessment and repair may exceed the value which can be achieved for a second hand item. Collection of waste for preparing for reuse Municipal waste Current arrangements and new actions to increase preparing for reuse of municipal wastes collected by local authorities are covered in the Municipal Sector Plan Part 1 that is due to be published in March 2011. In summary, the actions are as follows.

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Actions for local authorities a) Increased action from local authorities on preparing for reuse. In order to influence behaviour on preparing for reuse, Local Authorities (with the support of the Waste Awareness Wales campaign and the Welsh Assembly Government) will be focussing their efforts in four main directions in respect of ensuring that targets are met: Influencing the behaviour of householders and businesses by making it more convenient to put unwanted items out for collection in a way that ensures that they can be prepared for reuse. Designing collection systems to ensure that far more waste items can be prepared for reuse (for example by better protecting items from damage during collection, storage and transportation). Increasing preparing for reuse significantly through the setting and meeting of targets, the provision of support, and awareness/communications campaigns to promote donations and the desirability of using pre-used items. Working with the third sector and businesses to ensure that they receive the support they need to obtain and sell items for reuse in order to maximise social benefits as part of delivering sustainable development.

All collection and management infrastructure for preparing waste for reuse needs to be capable of adapting to, and is resilient, in respect of the impacts of climate change, including the need to maintain business continuity during extreme weather and avoid public nuisance during routine operations. Current arrangements and proposed new actions for Producer Responsibility Compliance Schemes b) Support for preparing for reuse by the WEEE compliance schemes The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive aims to address the environmental impacts of WEEE and to encourage its separate collection and subsequent treatment, reuse, recovery, recycling and environmentally sound disposal. The WEEE Directive sets targets for reuse and recycling, which are transposed into UK law via the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment Regulations 2006 (as amended). Importantly, the Regulations also require the operators of compliance schemes set up under the Regulations to ensure that schemes prioritise the reuse of whole appliances. The Welsh Assembly Government wishes to see WEEE collection schemes in Wales operating in such a way that reuse is maximised. For example, the storage of large WEEE in many civic amenity sites needs to be conducted in a way that would minimise further damage to the appliance. Improved collection systems and associated preparation for reuse facilities would help operators of compliance schemes meet their obligations under the above Regulations. The Welsh Assembly

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Government will explore what scope there is for a greater level of reuse of WEEE in Wales. Actions for the Welsh Assembly Government c) Improved facilities for the collection of waste items for reuse from householders Currently, the ad hoc nature of collections of items with the potential to be reused means that this potential is often lost. Better facilities which allow for the appropriate storage and handling of items would support this management route. . The Welsh Assembly Government will investigate jointly with the Welsh Local Government Association the development and dissemination of good practice guidance for the operation of household waste recycling centres. This will include looking at opportunities for partnership working between Local Authorities, the community sector and the private sector to ensure increased collection of items that can be prepared for reuse. Business waste d) Improved facilities for the collection of waste items for reuse from businesses Anecdotal evidence suggests that many businesses already partake in reuse activities through the selling on for further use of items of equipment that they no longer require. There is a flourishing auction market for such items, including bankruptcy stock. For redundant items where it is less easy to realise a monetary income, then it is believed that there is scope for items discarded as waste to be prepared for reuse after collection. Here, the avoided cost of landfill could be significant. The Welsh Assembly Government will ask WRAP to investigate business models which promote the reuse of items from businesses; this may include the use of household waste recycling centres for the collection of these items. It could also include an investigation of opportunities for partnership working between Local Authorities, the social enterprise sector and the private sector. Consultation Question 5: Do you consider that there is scope to increase the amount of reuse of wastes produced by businesses? If yes, what items should be targeted as a priority, and how could better services be put in place to achieve more reuse?

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Infrastructure and capacity for preparing for reuse Infrastructure e) Investigate mechanisms to establish enhanced reuse and repair networks Article 11 of the revised Waste Framework Directive requires member states to promote the reuse of products and preparing for reuse activities, notably by encouraging the establishment and support of reuse and repair networks. Wales already has an extensive network of reuse facilities, largely run by charities and the social enterprise sector. However, there are opportunities to expand this network, particularly for a wider range of items than the network currently caters for. The Welsh Assembly Government has consulted on the most appropriate methods for doing this within Wales during the development of the Municipal Sector Plan Part 1. The Welsh Assembly Government will continue discussions with the social enterprise sector and with local government to further explore how the establishment of more extensive reuse and repair networks can be encouraged and supported. Further consideration of the issues around preparing for reuse for construction and demolition waste will be in the Construction and Demolition Sector Plan. Developing markets for material which has been prepared for reuse f) Enhancing markets for items that have been prepared for reuse

There are many existing channels for enabling the reuse of goods and materials which are capable of immediate reuse, including charity shops and internet based sales. Where items need preparation before they can be reused, for example cleaning, repair or upgrading, there are significant collection issues to address to ensure that items arrive in a repairable condition. There are also economic barriers e.g. where the cost of assessment and repair may exceed the value which can be achieved for a second hand item. These are problems which are not confined to Wales. The Welsh Assembly Government has asked WRAP to include work on these issues in their UK wide programmes to support reuse and extend product lifetimes. In line with this sector plan, the WRAP programme will prioritise certain product groups including WEEE, textiles (clothing and flooring), packaging and furniture. . The key activities will focus on: 1. How to secure a supply of suitable products (from commercial and domestic sources) for viable sorting and assessment for reuse and repair. This will include investigation of the flow of material in the priority categories and the opportunities for increasing reuse. 2. Testing approaches to encouraging and de-risking development of infrastructure, facilities and networks for the separation, categorisation, repair and reuse of the key product and materials groups 3. Development of appropriate standards for reused products to ensure sufficient confidence in the quality of supply into markets

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4. Development of procurement specifications for encouraging demand for repaired and reusable products and materials in both public and private sector. 5. How to encourage the public and businesses to accept or actively specify reused products in order to create demand for them. The Waste Awareness Wales behavioural change campaign will include a focus on increasing the quantity of items that are reused through: Empowering communities to develop solutions to reuse waste, raise awareness and facilitate behaviour change through support for community initiatives, and through engagement and support for local community groups and networks, and local community champions. Collaborating closely with social enterprises, where appropriate. Encouraging people to purchase or accept items provided for reuse by others in a way that ensures that people value existing items more, in the same way that antiques and collectable items are valued.

Collecting used items and preparing them for reuse continues to provide opportunities for the social enterprise sector to generate jobs and training placements as well as helping those who could not otherwise afford to buy these items as new. The Welsh Assembly Government will continue to support the sector through Cylch and the small scale grants provided by WRAP Cymru to businesses and social enterprise sector organisations for collecting waste, including items being prepared for reuse from SMEs. The need for additional evidence Current waste analysis does not capture the potential of preparing for reuse as a waste management option, especially in industrial and commercial wastes. This requires periodic compositional analysis studies that include potentially reusable items as distinct categories of wastes recorded. There is also very limited data on the quantities of waste items that are put to reuse. Although the Cylch30 Lets Prove It report collects some reuse data, this is limited to the Cylch members only. Standardised data collection will improve understanding of the current reuse activities as well as allowing more robust monitoring and calculation of environmental benefits. Extending the existing systems will provide a starting point. The Welsh Assembly Government will explore ways to build on its existing evidence base, drawing, as appropriate, on studies carried out elsewhere, and commissioning, as necessary, and with others as appropriate, new research. Areas where additional evidence in respect of preparation for reuse needs to be sourced or commissioned includes:

30

http://www.cylch.org/sites/default/files/documents/Lets_Prove_It_Report_09-10.pdf

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 Baseline Data quantities and types of waste in the waste stream that can be reused, including in the commercial and industrial waste streams. Developing social/economic and environmental indicators for preparing for reuse. A market study of the supply and demand of items for reuse, including the identification of any barriers to preparing for reuse, and how these could be overcome. Further mechanisms for encouraging preparing for reuse. 3.3.2.7 Indicators and review of progress

Monitoring and measuring The following indicators are proposed (Table 16). Table 16: Proposed indicators for preparing for reuse What we will How we will monitor monitor Household We will continue to measure the extent of the waste reuse of items collected as waste by prepared for Local Authorities through them reporting their reuse waste statistics via WasteDataFlow. Other nonWe will measure the extent of the reuse of household items by survey (or other method, possibly waste including a survey of new exemptions from prepared for permitting covering reuse) reuse. Scope for We will carry out periodic compositional further analysis studies that will include analysis of preparing for composition of waste for reuse. reuse Review It is accepted that preparation for reuse will become an increasing priority as we seek to drive a higher proportion of waste up the hierarchy. Consequently, the Welsh Assembly Government will carry out an ongoing review of how much waste can be prepared for reuse, what guidance is required to assist with preparing a higher proportion of waste for reuse. This review will include progress towards the preparation for reuse target for the municipal sector and the preparation for reuse targets set for other sectors when appropriate.

Who will monitor it Welsh Assembly Government

Welsh Assembly Government

Welsh Assembly Government

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3.3.2.8

Summary of preparing for reuse actions

Table 17 provides a summary of the actions proposed to deliver the preparing for reuse objectives of the Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector plan Table 17: Summary of proposed actions on Preparing for Reuse Action By Whom By When
a) Increased action from local authorities on preparing for reuse. Local Authorities Short to medium term: From 2010 to 2020

How
Local Authorities to improve their bulky waste collection and handling services to increase preparation for reuse. It is anticipated that increasing preparation for reuse will reduce Local Authorities costs as a result of reduced disposal. WEEE collection schemes expected to operate in a way to maxmise reuse. Foir example, this could require improvements to CA sites and collection schemes. The Welsh Assembly Government will investigate jointly with the Welsh Local Government Association the development and dissemination of good practice guidance for the operation of household waste recycling centres. This will include looking at opportunities for partnership working between Local Authorities, the community sector and the private sector to ensure increased collection of items that can be prepared for reuse. The Welsh Assembly Government will ask WRAP to investigate business models which promote the reuse of items from businesses; this may include the use of household waste recycling centres for the collection of these items. It could also include an investigation of opportunities for partnership working between Local Authorities, the Community sector and the private sector.

b) Support for preparing for reuse by the WEEE compliance schemes c) Improved facilities for the collection of waste items for reuse from householders

WEEE compliance schemes Welsh Assembly Government WLGA

Short to medium term: From 2010 to 2020 Short term: From 2010 to 2015

d) Improved facilities for the collection of waste items for reuse from businesses

Welsh Assembly Government WRAP

Short term: From 2010 to 2015

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e) Investigate mechanisms to establish enhanced reuse and repair networks

Welsh Assembly Government Social enterprise sector Local authorities

Short term: From 2010 to 2015

The Assembly Government will continue discussions with the social enterprise sector and with local government to further explore how the establishment of more extensive reuse and repair networks can be encouraged and supported. Further consideration of the issues around preparing for reuse for construction and demolition waste is in the Construction and Demolition Sector Plan.

f) Enhancing markets for items that have been prepared for reuse

Welsh Assembly Government WRAP Waste Awareness Wales campaign

Short term: From 2010 to 2015

The Welsh Assembly Government has asked WRAP to include work on these issues in their UK wide programmes to support reuse and extend product lifetimes. In line with this sector plan, the WRAP programme will prioritise certain product groups including WEEE, textiles (clothing and flooring), packaging and furniture. The Waste Awareness Wales behavioral change campaign will include a focus on increasing the quantity of items that are reused. Collecting used items and preparing them for reuse continues to provide opportunities for the community sector to generate jobs and training placements as well as helping those who could not otherwise afford to buy these items as new. The Welsh Assembly Government will continue to support the sector through Cylch and the small scale grants provided by WRAP Cymru to businesses and social enterprises for collecting waste, including items being prepared for reuse from SMEs.

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3.3.3 Recycling

What counts as recycling?

The revised Waste Framework Directive defines recycling in Article 3(17) as being:

Any recovery operation by which waste materials are reprocessed into products, materials
or substances whether for the original or other purposes. It includes the reprocessing of organic material but does not include energy recovery and the reprocessing into materials that are to be used as fuels or for backfilling operations. Thus in order to be classified as recycled, a waste must cease to be waste, and instead be a product, material or substance. Under Article 6 of the revised Waste Framework Directive, certain specified wastes shall cease to be waste when they have undergone a recycling or other recovery operation and complies with specific criteria to be developed by the European Commission. So called end-of-waste criteria are currently being developed for 5 waste streams: ferrous, aluminium and copper scrap metal, paper and glass. A further criteria is proposed for biowaste. Article 11 of the revised Waste Framework Directive sets targets to:

By 2020, the preparing for reuse and recycling of at least paper, metal, plastic and glass from households shall be increased to a minimum of overall 50% by weight; By 2020, the preparing for reuse, recycling and other recovery of non hazaedous construction and demolition wastes (excluding soil and stones) shall be increased to a minimum of 70% by weight.
The European Commission is in the process of producing guidance on how the targets should be measured and reported. For municipal waste, clarity on what can count towards the statutory recycling targets set in the Waste (Wales) Measure 2010 is being provided through the draft Recycling, Preparation for Reuse and Composting Targets (Definitions) (Wales) Order 2011 and associated guidance. In the absence of an EU target for the recycling of total industrial and commercial waste, there is therefore no definitive guidance from the European Commission on how to report industrial and commercial waste recycling rates (although there is some guidance in respect of packaging, WEEE and batteries). Therefore, in respect of calculating and reporting the recycling targets set for industrial and commercial waste in Towards Zero Waste, the Welsh Assembly Government wishes to apply the same approach as laid out in the draft Recycling, Preparation for Re-use and Composting Targets (Definitions) (Wales) Order 2011 and associated guidance. This will be consulted upon in the development of the Industrial and Commercial Sector Plan. However, it must be noted that the UK, as a member state, may report slightly differently to the EU in respect of what the UK counts as recycling against the Article 11 revised Waste Framework Directive targets.

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3.3.3.1

The benefits of recycling

Reducing our ecological footprint, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions The closed loop recycling of quality materials from all waste streams is of fundamental importance and is a key aspect of the sustainable development led approach of Towards Zero Waste. Delivering high quality recycling can make significant reductions in the ecological footprint of waste for the different sectors (based on modelling zero annual growth in arisings) as shown in Table 18. Table 18: Percentage Ecological Footprint of waste reduction achieved by 70% recycling Sector Ecological Footprint (EF) reduction resulting from 70% recycling Local Authority Municipal 23% EF reduction Waste Commercial and Industrial 3 9% EF reduction (depending on technology) Construction and Demolition 7 21% reduction (depending on technology)
Source: Ecological Footprint Impacts of the Welsh Waste Strategy. ARUP. May 2009

Recycling organic matter back into the soil It is the Assembly Governments policy that biowaste that cannot be prevented or reused should be recycled back into the soil where beneficial. Compost and AD digestate (bio-fertiliser) are natural, safe and environmental alternatives to inorganic fertilisers. They also provide significant long term benefits for the soil and financial benefits for farmers and growers. The financial benefits of using compost and AD digestate in agriculture include: Higher yields - compost and AD digestate increases organic mater in soil and improves soil structure and fertility and can increase a crops yield potential. The organic action of compost can help to inhibit pests and diseases within the soil Fertiliser substitution compost and AD digestate contains cropavailable nutrients which will help save costs. Slow release of useful P and K content can improve your soil indices and reduce or remove the need for additional fertilisers. Better water management compost and AD digestate can prevent heavy soils becoming water logged by increasing water infiltration. It will also help light soils hold on to water, making it available for crop growth during dry periods Fuel savings and traffic tolerance compost and AD digestate improves soil structure, making it easier to work whilst using less fuel.

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Improving soil structure will make it more resistant to compaction from traffic and will extend the conditions in which it can be worked And in addition to the above there are the following benefits for landscaping and regeneration: Topsoil can be difficult and expensive to source and is a precious, finite resource. Compost offers a financially competitive and sustainable alternative to the importing of topsoil. BSI PAS 100 compost can be mixed with recycled inert materials such as surplus low quality soils or even crushed stone. The inert material provides a consistent, stable material and the compost provides the nutrients and minerals required for root developmenti. The mixture of compost with existing indigenous soils can improve soil structure, reduce compaction in the surface layer, improve water holding capacity, improve soil drainage and significantly reduce the loss of nutrients into the groundwater. Bio-fertiliser (AD digestate) can be used as a whole liquid digestate or a fibre fraction; it has the advantage of significant amounts of highly crop available nitrogen and useful amounts of potassium and phosphorous also. It can be used to reduce or replace chemical NPK fertilisers which are a finite resource and currently cost approximately 300 / tonne. Generation on renewable energy In addition to delivering the key policy aim to recycle the organic matter and nutrients in biowaste back into the soil, anaerobic digestion also generates a valuable renewable fuel in the form of biogas. This can be used as follows: To generate renewable electricity. As a vehicle fuel For injection into the natural gas grid. The use of the biogas as a renewable fuel displaces the use of fossil fuels, with all of the greenhouse reduction benefits that this brings. Jobs and Skills In terms of job creation, research31 shows that recycling creates approximately ten times more jobs than incineration or landfill per tonne of material processed. It is estimated there are currently:

31

More Jobs Less Waste Friends of the Earth Report September 2010

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 4,630 people employed in the waste collection, sorting and disposal businesses in 2008, and 10,000 people currently employed in the waste management industry in Wales32. Research shows that implementing a 70% recycling rate by 2025 would potentially create new jobs in Wales in the order of 3,600 new jobs across municipal, commercial and industrial (including construction and demolition) sectors 2,600 new jobs in the municipal sector alone

Many of the jobs created (1,947) occur from 2008 to 2015. 3.3.3.2 1. Specific objectives

Suitable waste that cannot be prepared for reuse is recycled, composted (for green waste) or anaerobically digested (in the case of food waste) in Wales whenever possible. The waste recycling targets set in Towards Zero Waste are met. The Article 11 targets in the Waste Framework Directive are met. Waste collection systems enable high levels of high quality recycling to be achieved, so that the recyclate can feed as far as possible into financially viable reprocessing facilities in Wales (retaining the economic value of recyclate within Wales). Collection and sorting systems are flexible enough to cope with all likely future changes in waste composition. Vehicles collecting and transporting waste are fuel efficient, utilise renewable fuel where possible, and have low carbon dioxide emissions, and collection routes are optimised for fuel efficiency. Recycling operations are as sustainable as possible; this means a focus on local, closed loop systems where appropriate. Sending material to end markets which down-cycle the material should be avoided where possible. New recycling infrastructure is joined up. This means it is treated in the same facilities regardless of the source, to create economies of scale. Identifying and promoting those end markets for recyclate and compost (including AD digestate) in Wales which deliver reduction in ecological footprint and more sustainable outcomes.

2. 3. 4.

5. 6.

7.

8. 9.

10. The collection and processing of waste for preparation for reuse, recycling/composting/AD, other recovery or disposal is carried out without endangering human health, and without harming the environment,

32

EU Sector Skills Sector Skills Agreement Stages 1 and 2.

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including living organisms and biodiversity. This includes compliance with the Habitat Regulations. 11. The waste industry is developed to benefit Wales socially by enabling citizens to benefit through job creation and training 12. The waste industry is developed to benefit Wales economically by retaining the value of Welsh recyclate/compost/AD digestate and the potential reprocessing of these materials in Wales. 13. The waste industry is developed to benefit Wales environmentally by reducing the ecological footprint significantly. 14. The waste industry adopts relevant performance management standards, including in respect of performance reporting. 15. All collection and management infrastructure for recycling is capable of adapting to, and is resilient, in respect of the impacts of climate change, including the need to maintain business continuity during extreme weather and avoid public nuisance during routine operations, and including the need to take into account any areas of managed realignment along the Welsh coastline when siting new waste facilities. 16. Obligations for Wales under EU and UK waste legislation are met, including Habitat Regulations. Although this plan examines all wastes in Wales, it should be noted, as stated earlier, that the plan focuses on the recycling of specified priority materials which are: food waste, metals, paper/card, plastics, glass and hazardous wastes. 3.3.3.3 Roles and responsibilities

Householders: Householders produce the waste that Local Authorities collect from households, and householders are in the prime position to separate out materials for recycling and help provide high quality recyclate straight from the household. Businesses and public sector waste producers: The business and public sectors are a major waste generator within Wales and they are likely to landfill significant amounts of recyclable items. This also puts businesses and public sector bodies in a key role to deliver significant amounts of quality recyclate material to the reprocessing industry. Government has proposed that businesses declare on their Waste Transfer Notes that they have taken the waste hierarchy (and hence recycling into account and have taken into consideration government guidance on the practical application of the waste hierarchy33. Businesses and public sector bodies also need to comply with all

This is a requirement of Article 15 of the revised Waste Framework Directive. Draft regulations transposing the Directive in England and Wales were consulted on 8 July 2010 see http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/waste-framework-revised/index.htm

33

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relevant laws governing waste, particularly in a way that does not endanger human health or the environment (including living organisms and biodiversity).
Waste collection companies: As collectors of waste that has the potential for recycling, waste collection companies have a central role in providing a quality recyclate collection service. Government has proposed that those who carry waste declare on their Waste Transfer Notes that they have taken the waste hierarchy (and hence recycling) into account and have taken into consideration government guidance on the practical application of the waste hierarchy. Waste collection businesses also need to comply with all relevant laws governing waste, particularly in a way that does not endanger human health or the environment (including living organisms and biodiversity).

Local Authorities: As the organisations responsible for the collection of municipal waste, and closest to the communities and individuals responsible for creating the waste, Local Authorities are at the front line of influencing the behaviours of householders. They have a key role in raising awareness, and in tailoring service provision to influence behaviours. They also need to continuously improve the service and, in doing so, have regard to inter alia sustainable development (in accordance with their duty under Section 2 of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009). Local Authorities should collect commercial waste when requested. Local Authorities must also comply with all relevant legislation regarding the management of waste they collect. They must ensure that its management and onward treatment is carried out in a manner which does not endanger human health or the environment. Planners: Local Authority planners have a role to play in the development of waste management infrastructure and systems for Wales. Planners need to be aware of waste activities in their area and how the waste hierarchy should be promoted by their decisions. Reprocessors (including operators of composting and AD plants, and of material recovery facilities): As organisations with the potential to recycle waste from collectors and deliver a high quality product to manufacturers, reprocessors have a key role to play in ensuring that strong links between collection methods and end markets are developed and work to the benefit of Wales. Reprocessors and waste management companies must also comply with all relevant legislation regarding the management of their waste. They must ensure that it is managed in a manner which does not endanger human health or the environment. Social enterprise Sector: The social enterprise sector is involved in a range of recycling activities, from collection through to reprocessing.

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This sector could have a key role in working with communities, individuals, waste collectors and reprocessors to ensure that products are recycled. This sector must also comply with all relevant legislation regarding the management of their waste. They must ensure that it is managed in a manner which does not endanger human health or the environment. Producer Responsibility Compliance Schemes: Compliance Schemes register obligated producers, and discharge their collection, treatment and recycling obligations. The Compliance Schemes provide evidence of this to the Environment Agency. Retailers and supply chains: The vast majority of what is thrown away by householders or businesses has been purchased from a retailer or directly from a manufacturer. Therefore, retailers and the manufacturers that supply them bear a significant responsibility for products to be manufactured to be more easily recyclable, with as high a recycled content as possible. This sector must also comply with all relevant legislation regarding the management of their waste. Regulators such as the Environment Agency, Countryside Council for Wales and the Health and Safety Executive: Key stakeholders in the delivery of new infrastructure and ensuring that current infrastructure is operated in a manner which does not endanger human health or the environment (including living organisms and biodiversity). Regulators should enforce (where appropriate) and provide advice, support and expertise. Government: Government has a strong role at a national and international level to drive recycling and composting. This includes setting and applying levers (for example the Landfill Tax) and legislation, seeking voluntary agreements with key parties, providing funding support and advice, commissioning research, supporting innovation and ensuring national awareness raising and behavioural change campaigns. The Government also has a responsibility to ensure that waste management operations are carried out in a way which does not endanger human health or the environment. Delivery Agents such as WRAP: Provide advice, support, and expertise.

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3.3.3.4

Targets

Targets in Towards Zero Waste Targets for the municipal, commercial, industrial and construction and demolition sectors have been set out in Towards Zero Waste and are summarised here in Table 19. Table 19: Towards Zero Waste recycling targets
Target for: Local Authority Municipal Waste Minimum levels of preparing for reuse and recycling/composting (or AD) Local Authority Municipal Waste Minimum proportion of preparing for re-use/recycling/ composting that must come from source separation (kerbside, bring and/or CA site) for municipal waste Local Authority Municipal Waste Maximum level of energy from waste of municipal waste for individual authorities Commercial Waste Recycled (including composted and AD) Industrial Waste Recycled (included composted and AD) The preparing for reuse, recycling and other material recovery including backfill operations using waste to substitute other materials, of non hazardous construction and demolition waste excluding naturally occurring material defined in category 17 05 04 in the list of waste shall be increased to a minimum of 70% by weight. Targets for each Target Year 09-10 12-13 15-16 40% 52% 58% 19-20 64% 24-25 70%

80%

80%

80%

80%

80%

42%

36%

30%

57% 63%

67% 67% 90%

70% 70%

The above targets relate specifically to preparing for reuse, recycling, composting/AD of food waste for Local Authority Municipal Waste and recycling and composting/AD of food/green waste for commercial and industrial waste. The Welsh Assembly Government has introduced statutory recycling targets for Local Authorities under the Waste (Wales) Measure 2010. Under powers provided in this Measure, the Welsh Assembly Government has issued for consultation the draft Recycling, Preparation for Re-use and Composting Targets (Definitions) (Wales) Order 2011 and the draft Recycling, Preparation for Re-use and Composting Targets (Monitoring and Penalties) (Wales)

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Regulations 2011. It is the intention of the Welsh Assembly Government to obtain approval for the final Order and Regulations in March 2011. In order to achieve the 70% reuse and recycling targets set out in Towards Zero Waste, the Welsh Assembly Government has calculated specific materials recycling rates required. As there is a proportion of material in the waste stream which is not recyclable, those materials which are more easily recyclable need to have recycling rates which are higher than the overall 70% target. Table 20 gives the required recycling rates by sector for the priority materials discussed in this plan. Details on which fractions of these waste types need to be targeted by which sectors, and when, are to be found in the Future Trends section. Table 20: Required minimum recycling rates for key materials Sector Indicative recycling rates required to meet the overall 70% recycling target set in Towards Zero Waste Paper Plastic Metal Glass Food & card Local Authority collected 73% 52% 63% 77% 75% Municipal Waste Industrial 81% 79% 97% 96% 90% Commercial 77% 63% 92% 84% 80% Construction and Demolition 90% 90% 95% 90% Overall Rate for Priority 77% 67% 91% 82% 82% Material Targets in the Waste Framework Directive Article 11 of the revised Waste Framework Directive requires member states to achieve the following: By 2020, the preparing for reuse and recycling of at least paper, metal, plastic and glass from households shall be increased to a minimum of overall 50% by weight By 2020, the preparing for reuse, recycling and other recovery of non hazaedous construction and demolition wastes (excluding soil and stones) shall be increased to a minimum of 70% by weight. In respect of the target for waste from households, the European Commission has clarified that Member States may interpret this target in one of four ways; by applying the 50% target to each of the four waste materials individually; by applying it to the four in aggregate; by applying it to the totality of waste from households; or by applying it to all municipal waste. The approach that Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government propose to take in respect of reporting compliance against the Article 11 target is to apply the 50% target to all waste from households.

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The revised Waste Framework Directive also requires Member States to promote high quality recycling and to this end they must set up separate collections of waste where technically, environmentally and economically practicable, and do so for at least paper, metal, plastic and glass by 2015. This applies to waste from businesses as well as from households and public bodies. The draft Regulations to transpose the Directive in England and Wales propose to place a new requirement on local authorities and private waste companies that collect waste from commercial and industrial premises to offer separate collections of paper, metal, plastic and glass by 1 January 2015. The terms on which the collection would be offered and its pricing would be left for commercial decision. Targets in EU producer responsibility Directives There are a variety of recycling targets set for specific waste streams under EU Producer Responsibility Directives covering packaging, end of life vehicles, WEEE and batteries. These targets are summarised as follows. Packaging The EC Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste (94/62/EC, as amended) sets minimum recovery targets (60%) and recycling targets (55%) for packaging waste, to be met by 31 December 2008. The Directive also sets the following material-specific recycling targets (to be met by 31 December 2008): 60% for glass 60% for paper and board 50% for metals 22.5% for plastics 15% for wood. After 2008, Member States must continue to meet these minimum targets. The UK has chosen to set higher targets via the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (Table 21).

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Table 21: UK packaging recycling targets for specific materials Material Glass Aluminium Steel Paper/Board Plastic Wood 2010 81% 40% 69% 69.5% 29% 22% 2011 81% 40% 71% 69.5% 32% 22% 2012 81% 40% 71% 69.5% 32% 22%

As set under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Amendment) Regulations 2010

End of Life Vehicles The End-of-Life Vehicles Directive (2000/53/EC) targets are: From 2006 until 31st December 2014: (a) at least 85% reuse and recovery by an average weight per vehicle and year; and (b) at least 80% reuse and recycling by an average weight per vehicle and year. From 2015 (a) at least 95% reuse and recovery by an average weight per vehicle and year; and (b) at least 85% reuse and recycling by an average weight per vehicle and year. Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) The EU WEEE Directive is transposed in the UK through the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations, which aim to reduce the amount of this waste going to landfill and improve recovery and recycling rates. Recovery, reuse and recycling targets, range from 50% to 80% depending on the material and treatment method. The Regulations apply to electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) in the categories listed below with a voltage of up to 1000 volts for alternating current or up to 1500 volts for direct current. 1. 2. Large household appliances Small household appliances

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3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

IT and telecommunications equipment Consumer equipment Lighting equipment Electrical and electronic tools Toys, leisure and sports equipment Medical devices Monitoring and control equipment Automatic dispensers.

The targets for 2010 onwards are: Categories 1 and 10 Recovery - at least 80% recovery by average weight in tonnes of the equipment Recycling at least 75% reuse and recycling of components, materials and substances by the average weight in tonnes of the equipment Categories 3 and 4 Recovery - at least 75% recovery by average weight in tonnes of the equipment Recycling at lease 65% reuse and recycling of components, materials and substances by the average weight in tonnes of the equipment Categories 2, 5, 6, 7 and 9 Recovery - at least 70% recovery by average weight in tonnes of the equipment Recycling at least 50% reuse and recycling of components, materials and substances by the average weight in tonnes of the equipment Gas discharge lamps Recycling at least 80% reuse and recycling of components, materials and substances by the average weight in tonnes of the equipment There are no recovery and recycling targets for category 8 medical equipment. 3.3.3.5 Actions

In order to ensure that the recycling activities in Wales deliver the key sustainable development outcomes identified in Towards Zero Waste, and deliver the objectives identified in Section 3.3.3.2 above, the Welsh Assembly Government, Local Authorities and waste management companies will need to focus their efforts on the following actions.

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Collections The evidence obtained for this sector plan has identified that significant amounts of potentially recyclable material is still being sent to landfill particularly from the municipal and commercial sectors. Actions in this section will look to increase the quantity of material diverted from landfill to the preferred management method. In addition, reprocessors in Wales cite inappropriate quality of the provided recyclate as a reason for sourcing material from outside Wales, again indicating that the development of a collection system providing a large quantity of high quality material is key to achieving the objectives defined in Towards Zero Waste. Delivery of a high quality recyclate stream will mean that a greater range of markets is available for Welsh recyclate and the option to access more environmentally beneficial management routes (closed loop recycling) is available. Any development of collection service infrastructure in Wales will comply with the appropriate permitting requirements. Summary details of the requirements are provided on the NetRegs website34. Municipal waste collected by local authorities Actions for local authorities Local Authorities need to ensure that their recycling services deliver quality recyclate that has a greater potential for use in Welsh markets in closed loop applications. Delivering quality as well as quantity will be a key part of service delivery. Evidence gathered by the Welsh Assembly Government demonstrates that kerbside sort is the most cost effective method of collecting recyclate and also has the best sustainable development outcomes. It is essential that all facilities managing waste in a sustainable way in Wales are fed with good quality feedstock, from local sources where possible. Local Authorities can play a vital role in ensuring that the value of our recyclates is retained in Wales by feeding local facilities wherever practicable. Actions for Local Authorities in respect of the municipal waste that they collect are described in detail in the final Municipal Sector Plan Part 1 that is being published in March 2011. Key actions are as follows: a. Continuous improvement of the service

Under Section 2 of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009, Local Authorities have a statutory duty to take measures to continuously improve

34

http://www.netregs.gov.uk

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their services and, in doing so, have regard to, inter alia, sustainable development. This will have an important bearing on the type of waste collection service that a Local Authority offers, especially in respect of recyclate collection. Achieving high levels of recycling alone is not enough to satisfy the requirement to have regard to sustainable development, it is the way that recyclate is collected and the outcomes achieved in respect of quality and the use to which the recyclate is put that also have a significant bearing on the sustainability of the service. b. Increasing the quantity and range of materials collected for recycling to meet statutory recycling targets

All Local Authorities in Wales will be increasing the quantity and range of recyclable materials that they collect from households and businesses in order to meet the statutory recycling targets set in the Waste (Wales) Measure 2011. Local Authorities need to target extra effort at card and other paper (newspapers and magazines are already well targeted), in order to reach a recycling rate of 70% for both fractions by 2024-25. An increase in the quantity and range of plastics collected for recycling is also essential, with particular emphasis on non bottle packaging plastics, other dense plastics and plastic film. The emphasis with regard to metals should be on maximising the capture of metal cans; currently 47% are recycled and the indicative target is 80% by 2024-25. Continuing to extend the provision of food waste collections, and significantly increasing the capture rate of this waste, is also a priority; the indicative recycling rate for this waste is 75% by 2024-25. c. Increasing the quality of recyclate collected

Local Authorities need to ensure that their recycling services deliver quality recyclate that has a greater potential for use in Welsh markets in closed loop applications. Delivering quality as well as quantity will be a key part of service delivery. Local Authorities are strongly encouraged to adopt kerbside sort, whereby recyclable materials put out by the householder are separated by the collection staff into different compartments of the collection vehicle. This preferred approach is laid out in the Welsh Assembly Governments Collections Blueprint which is being published in March 2011 to accompany the Municipal Sector Plan Part 1. This kerbside sort approach ensures high quality separation, and rapid feedback to householders in respect of any contaminating material that they have placed in the collection receptacle. Evidence gathered by the Welsh Assembly Government demonstrates that kerbside sort is the most cost effective method of collecting recyclate and also has the best sustainable development outcomes. d. Achieving lower carbon emissions from collection and transportation

Local Authorities will place a priority on purchasing or leasing new vehicles that are fuel efficient and low carbon, and that, where possible, they use renewable fuel. They will also aim to optimise collection routes to reduce

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mileage and fuel use. Where appropriate, guidance will be provided jointly by the Welsh Assembly Government and the WLGA. e. Retaining the value of recyclates within Wales

Having produced good quantity recyclates, Local Authorities need to play their part in ensuring that these valuable resources are retained within Wales. Local Authorities should consider issues of sustainability when negotiating contracts, and the preference to supply Welsh reprocessors and end markets should be considered as part of this process. f. Adapting to climate change, including business continuity planning

Local Authorities should take account of the need to adapt to climate change, including effective planning to maintain business continuity during extreme weather and avoid public nuisance during routine operations. This will involve considering issues such as the collection of recyclate during extreme weather events, and the potential need to increase the frequency of biodegradable waste collection. Actions for the Welsh Assembly Government g. Implement the draft Recycling, Preparation for Re-use and Composting Targets (Definitions) (Wales) Order 2011 and the draft Recycling, Preparation for Re-use and Composting Targets (Monitoring and Penalties) (Wales) Regulations 2011.

The Welsh Assembly Government intends to obtain approval for the Order and Regulations in March 2011, with a coming into force date of March 2011. The monitoring and penalties regime will start with the first statutory recycling target set in the Waste (Wales) Measure 2010 of 52% for 2012/13. Local authorities will be required to report their performance via the electronic web based WasteDataFlow recording system. h. Provide guidance on preferred sustainable development approach for the collection of recyclable material from householders

With Welsh Assembly Government funding, WRAP has undertaken a project to investigate the performance of different Local Authority recyclate collection schemes within Wales. The project examined the performance of a representative sample of different collection schemes currently operated by six local authorities in Wales and the final report was published in February 2011. The final Municipal Sector Plan Part 1 that is due to be published in March 2011 will take on board the results of this study, and will be accompanied by the Collections Blueprint for a sustainable recyclate collection service for local authorities to work towards. The Welsh Assembly Government will ensure that guidance is provided to local government on ways to improve capture rates of organic material from the municipal sector.

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i.

Continue to provide Sustainable Waste Management Grant funding to support increase in local authority recycling rates

The Welsh Assembly Government will continue to provide the Sustainable Waste Management Grant (SWMG) to local authorities to help them develop additional services to meet the new statutory recycling targets. The SWMG allocated for 2010/11 is 73 million. Details of the SWMG for future years will be announced in March 2011. Actions for retailers j. Provision of private collections of household waste

Recently there has been a trend by some retailers to encourage their customers to recycle at stores via reward schemes. If some waste materials continue to have significant financial value this trend is likely to continue and potentially develop further. The Welsh Assembly Government supports all methods which encourage recycling; however, the Welsh Assembly Government is concerned that these initiatives may encourage waste generation and over consumption rather than prevention. It would like to work with retailers to ensure that waste prevention remains high on the agenda. It is also important to the Welsh Assembly Government that these initiatives work in partnership with those services offered by Local Authorities. Such recycling services offered by some retailers have the potential to usefully complement recyclate services implemented by Local Authorities. For example, plastic film (in the form mostly as plastic bags) is a difficult material to collect and segregate from households and constitutes a major fraction of the residual stream. However, many large retailers offer front of store recycling schemes for plastic bags. There is evidence that these schemes could be expanded to include all flexible plastic which would reduce the fraction of this material in the residual stream and make processing of the recyclate stream easier. The Welsh Assembly Government will ask WRAP to work with the retailers to encourage this (via the Food Manufacturing, Services and Retail Sector Plan). Commercial and industrial waste For business waste, there remain a number of barriers and market failures in place that affect the likelihood of recycling levels increasing. There are indications that some form of intervention is required by the Welsh Assembly to ensure there is an efficient and effective collection system in place to increase the volume and quality of recyclates from business. Meeting the 70% recycling targets will be challenging. The Environment Agencys Commercial and Industrial Waste surveys for Wales shows that the recycling rate for commercial waste is currently 37%, and has remained at this level

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since 2002-03. Industrial waste recycling is higher at 59%. Additionally, surveys show that commercial waste arisings have been increasing. Too much waste that can be recycled is still being landfilled. A study commissioned by Environment Agency Wales35 indicates that half a million tonnes of waste (worth 30 million) that could have been recycled was sent to landfill in 2005. The vast majority of this waste is mixed waste that is not segregated and which contains a mixture of wastes very similar in composition to household waste. The vast majority of this waste up to 77% - can be reused, recycled or composted if it is separated at source. Cardboard boxes and containers are the largest component of the business waste making up 15% (or 100,000 tonnes) of the total. Kitchen waste made up 13% (90,000 tonnes). A recent study was commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government on Market Failures in the Collection of Commercial and Industrial Waste in Wales. This study evaluated the level of recycling performance (compared against the recycling targets in Towards Zero Waste and the material recycling targets in this plan) that would be expected to be achieved in the absence of interventions over and above the landfill tax escalator (Figure 24). For commercial waste, the study indicated that the 2015 recycling target will only just be met by the Landfill Tax escalator alone. After this, there is a shortfall and the targets will not be met. The recycling gap is around 160,000 tonnes per annum, rising in later years.

Determination of the Biodegradability of Mixed Commercial and Industrial waste landfilled in Wales. SLR on behalf of Environment Agency Wales.

35

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Figure 246: Commercial Recycling Baseline and Policy Gap with regard to Commercial and Industrial Targets
2,500

Managed Waste, thousand tonnes

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

Other Recovery and Disposal Recycling

Capacity Gap Target Progression Target Point

Source: Eunomia

For industrial waste, the study indicated that the 2015 target will also only just be met by the landfill tax escalator alone (Figure 25). Thereafter is a shortfall and the targets will not be met. The recycling gap is around 180,000 tonnes per annum, rising in later years. Figure 25: Industrial Recycling Baseline and Policy Gap with regard to Commercial and Industrial Targets
2,000 1,800

Managed Waste, thousand tonnes

1,600 1,400 1,200 1,000 800 600 400 200 0

Other Recovery and Disposal Recycling

Capacity Gap Target Progression Target Point

Source: Eunomia Note: the targets appear to go down from 2019 to 2024. The quantities decrease as waste arisings decrease but the overall percentage rates do increase.

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Tables 22 and 23 show the difference between the estimated material specific recycling performance and the specific recycling targets set out in Towards Zero Waste. Where the percentage is in normal font this indicates that the material is being recycling at a level above the target (where in italic, the material is being recycled at a level below the target). The four materials requiring separate collection under the revised Waste Framework Directive are shown at the top of the tables. The remaining materials are priority materials in Towards Zero Waste. Table 22: Material specific commercial recycling rates compared with the commercial targets set in Towards Zero Waste % Difference Absolute Difference, kt Material 2015 2019 2024 2015 2019 2024 Paper (and card) 0% -5% -9% 0 -33 -62 Metal 2% -2% -8% 4 -4 -12 Plastic -10% -20% -24% -14 -28 -36 Glass 0% -15% -19% 0 -23 -30 Wood 0% -5% -10% 0 -4 -8 Food -30% -50% -50% -62 -108 -114 Green -2% -17% -27% -1 -8 -13 Table 23: Material specific industrial recycling rates compared the Industrial recycling targets set in Towards Zero Waste % Difference Absolute Difference, kt Material 2015 2019 2024 2015 2019 2024 Paper (and card) -12% -17% -22% -18 -24 -30 Metal 0% -5% -7% 0 -13 -17 Plastic 5% -5% -25% 3 -3 -14 Glass -25% -30% -32% -12 -13 -14 Wood 0% -2% -3% 0 -2 -3 Food 45% 5% 5% 143 15 15 Green -15% -25% -30% -11 -17 -20 Having established that the some of the targets will not be met through the Landfill Tax escalator alone, the study then evaluated the key market failures as the basis for further work on possible interventions. The report identified that the issue of collection is the more significant one for commercial wastes. Where industrial wastes are concerned, it is the availability of treatment capacity which is likely to have been the more pressing constraint. In terms of the specialist preparation of some key materials to improve recycling: Glass is mainly prepared for recycling as secondary aggregate. This is not the best environmental option for glass. Colour separation is essential to improve the end destination of this material, and there is insufficient capacity to colour-separate glass in Wales, either by separate collections or by use of specialist separation technology.

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 Plastics should be separated by type and polymer to ensure that quality, closed loop recycling can take place. There is insufficient capacity to separate mixed plastics in Wales. The following actions are proposed in relation to the recycling of industrial and commercial wastes. Actions for the Welsh Assembly Government k. Mandatory provision of a separate collection for paper, metal, plastic and glass

Article 11(1) b of the revised EU Waste Framework Directive has set a requirement on Member States to promote high quality recycling and to this end they must set up separate collections of waste where technically, environmentally and economically practicable, and do so for at least paper, metal, plastic and glass by 2015. This applies to waste from businesses as well as from households and public bodies. The draft Regulations to transpose the Directive in England and Wales propose that a new requirement is placed on local authorities and private waste companies that collect waste from commercial and industrial premises to offer separate collections of paper, metal, plastic and glass by 1 January 2015. The terms on which the collection would be offered and its pricing would be left for commercial decision. The final Regulations are due to be laid in February/March 2011. l. Further interventions to secure greater recycling of industrial and commercial waste, especially for food and cardboard waste.

There is market failure in terms of the adequate provision across the whole of Wales of a comprehensive recyclate collection service from businesses. This needs to be addressed to ensure that the recycling targets set in Towards Zero Waste are met. Whilst the planned increase in Landfill Tax is likely to drive increased recycling, this can only happen if collection services are improved. In securing additional recycling of business waste, collections need to focus on the priority waste materials identified in Towards Zero Waste. Food waste has been identified as a priority material for reduction and recycling in Towards Zero Waste because of its significant contribution to the ecological and carbon footprints of waste. It is also a component of the municipal biodegradable waste that needs to be diverted from landfill in order to meet the Article 5 Landfill Directive targets (in this context municipal waste also includes most commercial waste). A key priority is to remove it from landfill by collecting it separately, and recycling back to the land following anaerobic digestion (AD) that also generates a valuable renewable fuel.

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There is an imperative to make a step change in the amount of food waste collected separately from businesses, changing from a very low rate of separation at present to a level of at least 80% capture in the commercial waste stream and 90% capture in the industrial waste stream by 2025. Action is needed now so that the network of AD facilities currently being procured for the food waste collected from households by Local Authorities, can also be sized appropriately for the food waste generated by the industrial and commercial waste sectors. Timing is critical in order for economies of scale to be achieved, and the most favourable financial position attained for all parties. Cardboard is also a priority waste stream and the need to recycle more from the business waste stream has been identified earlier. The Welsh Assembly Government has commissioned a further study to consider instruments that could be used to facilitate businesses recycling their waste. This may include new interventions such as: Statutory requirement for local authorities to offer a comprehensive separate waste recyclate collection service for businesses (which would be chargeable) to extend to further waste streams (eg, food and cardboard) in addition to the revised Waste Framework Directive requirement to provide for businesses a separate collection service for paper, metal, plastic and glass by 1 January 2015. A requirement placed on waste producers to keep recyclable materials separate at source to facilitate their collection and recycling to a high quality; Extending the revised Waste Framework Directive requirement for all waste collection companies to provide a separate collection service for food and cardboard as well as for paper, metal, plastic and glass; Introduction of landfill bans for specific materials with food and cardboard a priority (using provisions under the Waste (Wales) Measure 2010); Introduction of energy-from-waste bans for specific materials with food and cardboard a priority. In evaluating the options designed to increase recycling from the commercial sector, due consideration will be given as to whether the options would provide some market certainty for waste management companies operating in this area. m. Supporting business to secure high quality recycling of business waste.

Towards Zero Waste emphasises the need for high quality collections of recyclate in order to achieve the required sustainable development outcomes. This means keeping recyclable wastes separate at source, as far as possible. For municipal waste, the preferred approach is for householders to place recyclables together in a box (or boxes) and for them to then be sorted at the kerbside by the collection staff. However, this approach may not be suitable for all types, sizes and locations of businesses.
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It is the Welsh Assembly Governments view that business waste recycling could usefully develop into a two or three or four stream model with some instances of single stream. It makes sense to deal with paper and card separately from containers. It also makes sense to deal with glass and organic wastes as separate streams. The four streams that could be collected separately would be: 1. Paper and card 2. Plastics and cans (a fairly easy sort, with little by way of quality loss) 3. Glass 4. Food These four separate streams can then either be collected by four separate vehicles or via multi-compartment vehicles. Consultation question 6: Do you agree that it is feasible for all businesses to keep each of these four key waste steams separate at source (please indicate yes or no against each waste stream)? a. b. c. d. paper and card, plastics and cans, glass, food

If not, why not. Which types of business do you think will face the biggest challenges and why? Businesses, especially SMEs, will need to understand the requirements of the new collection systems, recycling targets and the practical steps that they need to take. The Welsh Assembly Government will ask WRAP to identify and communicate best practice in relation to the segregation and collection of quality source segregated recyclable materials from businesses. This will identify how high quality recyclable materials can most cost effectively be collected separately from businesses, and not co-mingled, and in a way that minimises contamination. The aim will be to try to achieve the same high quality outputs as obtained by the kerbside sort method that is preferred for the collection of recyclables from households. The Welsh Assembly Government will also ask WRAP to provide guidance to businesses on how to segregate biowastes. n. Increasing awareness and behaviour change towards business waste recycling.

The Welsh Assembly Government, in conjunction with its delivery partners, will extend to employers and their staff the awareness raising and behaviour change campaign on the benefits of recycling.

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o.

Recycling business support.

The Welsh Assembly Government is continuing to fund WRAP to provide support to enhance business recyclate collection services carried out by private waste management companies and social enterprises. WRAP Cymru currently has a grant scheme for organisations seeking to increase collections of waste from SMEs for recycling or reuse. This scheme can fund up to 30% of the capital cost (to a maximum of 50,000) of new plant, equipment or associated infrastructure for waste collection or bring site services. It can also cover part of the cost of initial marketing expenditure to launch the new service. In addition, WRAP Cymru offers a number of funding support mechanisms to organisations recycling or preparing waste for reuse. Although designed for the reprocessing industry, the schemes may be available to support improvements in the collection of waste also. These include: a. eQuip a residual value leasing scheme which helps companies secure favourable terms for leasing recycling equipment (not vehicles). b. A scheme to support an interim manager to who will give a business additional capacity to develop or strengthen relevant businesses c. Consultancy support to the reprocessing industry in the form of technical, financial, intellectual property (IP) or marketing expertise. In addition, WRAP Cymru has submitted an application which is hoped to attract circa 6 million of ERDF funding from EU Convergence funds and circa 9 million of private sector match funding. The project, Accelerating Reprocessing Infrastructure Development (ARID), will allow for capital support for strategic reprocessing infrastructure projects, focussing primarily, but not exclusively, on commercial and industrial waste, and will also enable the extension of the SME Collections and Recycled Content grant schemes until 2015. p. Raising the standard of performance reporting by waste companies in respect of the recycling of business waste

PAS 402 is a Publicly Available Specification for performance reporting by waste resource management organizations36. It was sponsored by Constructing Excellence in Wales (CEW) with funding support from the Welsh Assembly Government. Its development was facilitated by the British Standards Institution (BSI) in consultation with waste industry stakeholders. Performance review is the core of PAS 402. It requires waste resource management organisations to make an assessment of their performance and calculate their achieved landfill diversion and materials recovery rates against a defined methodology.

36

See http://www.cewales.org.uk/waste/pas-402/

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The fully accredited Green Compass Scheme for Waste Management Companies was launched on 13 July 2009 by Constructing Excellence Wales with funding support from the Welsh Assembly Government. The Scheme will operate to Publicly Available Specification PAS 402. Green Compass gives anyone discarding of any types of waste (not just construction waste) the certainty it will be collected, checked, recycled or disposed of in an environmentally sound fashion. Ten waste management companies who volunteered to participate in the pilot project have now been inspected and successfully assessed through the Green Compass Scheme. This marks the first step in the process of creating a network of quality assured waste management companies in Wales upon whom businesses, public sector bodies and householders can depend to provide an efficient, effective and measured solution for their waste problems. Most of the ten waste companies accredited so far provide skip services for business and householders, and aim to segregate for recycling as much as possible of the collected skip waste.

The Welsh Assembly Government wishes to see all waste companies operating in Wales achieve the PAS402 standard, and to consider subscribing to the Green Compass Scheme. Actions for local authorities q. Allowing businesses to use household waste recycling centres (for recyclate only)

Local Authorities are encouraged to allow businesses to deposit recyclable wastes at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC) or Civic Amenity (CA) sites, for a charge that would fully recover costs. Potentially HWRCs and CA sites could play an important future role within Wales as there is sufficient unused potential capacity for HWRC and CA sites to take in recyclable materials from businesses. The Welsh Assembly Government will ask WRAP to work with local government in Wales to undertake an investigation to examine the potential to utilise these facilities to receive business waste for recycling and also become centres for receiving items for reuse from businesses. The Welsh Assembly Government will also discuss with local government in Wales ways to ensure that expanding the collection of recyclate from businesses will not adversely affect Local Authorities compliance with the Landfill Allowances Scheme. r. Extending kerbside recycling services for business wastes

Local Authorities are encouraged to extend kerbside recyclate collection services for businesses. Recycling collection from businesses varies widely dependent on the type of business and its proximity to other waste producers. The Welsh Assembly Government will ask WRAP to explore with local

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government in Wales the potential for enhanced trade waste recycling collection services to be introduced where the private waste management sector does not provide a sufficient service. In certain areas of Wales where there is a market failure this may provide economies of scale and increase the density of waste arisings which can be collected. WRAP is already conducting some studies into the feasibility of this option. The policy work currently being undertaken will also feed into this investigation. Consultation Question 7: Do you agree that the types of instruments proposed above will facilitate the further collection of recyclates from businesses to meet the targets in Towards Zero Waste? If not, why not? What other instruments could be considered, and why? All waste streams Actions for the Assembly Government s. Provision of advice on the quality of collected recyclates

In order to facilitate the development of collection schemes providing high quality of recyclates, the Welsh Assembly Government will work with WRAP to encourage reprocessors to develop and publish standards detailing the quality of material they will accept. More transparency and commonality between the reprocessors will give confidence to collectors when specifying new collection schemes. The Welsh Assembly Government will ask WRAP to explore the barriers to disclosing quality standards for material and facilitate the development of common standards. t. Increasing the recyclability of products and packaging

Currently there are a large number of products and packaging formats on the market, a number of which are difficult to recycle. The wide variety of materials available can make recycling more difficult not only in terms of separating different materials from each other, but also for members of the public to recognise and recycle appropriately. In addition, some of the products and packaging formats are not recyclable in their current form. A rationalisation of these materials (where appropriate) could simplify recycling systems. The Welsh Assembly Government would like to work with manufacturers to develop products which are more sustainable throughout their lifetime seeking voluntary extended producer responsibility. WRAP are already working with a number of manufacturers of packaging and products to investigate the development of more easily recyclable items. This will be taken further in the Food Manufacturing Services and Retail Sector Plan, and in the Industrial and Commercial Sector Plan. u. Support and encourage recycling on the go collection systems

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The Welsh Assembly Government will ask WRAP and the Waste Awareness Wales (WAW) campaign to work together to establish a recycling on the go initiative in Wales. 'Recycle on the go' is an initiative developed by Defra and WRAP in England that is designed to establish recycling bin schemes alongside general litter collection in places visited by the public. These include shopping centres, leisure centres, public buildings, airports, parks, and events, including those run privately (e.g. at sports stadia). An effective scheme should: 1. Provide recycling opportunities for separated key waste streams along with provisions for the correct disposal of non-recyclable waste; 2. 3. 4. Adopt standard signage on all recycling receptacles; Maintain and upkeep the infrastructure; and Re-use, recycle and/or compost/anaerobically digest the materials collected.

The focus is on the collection of litter in a way that facilitates high quality recycling, instead of it being sent straight to landfill. WRAP and the WAW campaign should adopt and work with relevant businesses and public sector organisations to ensure that recycling on the go initiatives are developed widely across Wales, using the guidance on recycling on the go that has already been developed for England by Defra and WRAP, and which can be found on the RecycleNow website37, tailoring it for Wales as appropriate. Recycling on the go will also be addressed in the Public Sector Plan and in the Food Manufacturing Services and Retail Sector Plan. Actions for the Environment Agency v. Regulate compliance of the key producer responsibility regulations

The Environment Agency needs to continue to robustly monitor and regulate compliance of the producer responsibility regulations covering packaging, ELV, WEEE and batteries in order to ensure that the requisite recycling services are in place and are delivering the targets. The approach to regulation is explained on the Agencys NetRegs site (www.netregs.gov.uk ).

w.

Regulate waste collection

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http://www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk/local_authorities/download_area/recycle_on_the_go/in dex.rma

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The Environment Agency registers waste carriers and regulates compliance with the Duty of Care that is designed to ensure that the collection, transportation and onward management of waste are carried out responsibly in a way that prevents harm to human health or the environment. x. Provision of a directory of recycling companies

The Environment Agency provides an online directory of waste companies that collect and/or manage recyclate that any person or business wishing to recycle any wastes can contact to provide the service see http://wastedirectory.netregs.gov.uk/index.aspx Infrastructure and Capacity As long as recyclate is collected separately as far as possible, and not in a mixed co-mingled state, then there is less need for expensive infrastructure to handle and further process the recyclate. If materials are kept separate then all that is needed are bulking up stations prior to onward transport to a reprocessor. However, it is recognised that it is not always practical to separate absolutely everything at source, for example non-bottle plastics are often collected together, and need to be further separated in a plastic sorting plant. Similarly there may be a need to separate out different grades of paper in order to facilitate recycling and generate additional value/income, prior to reprocessing. For non-aggregates, there is sufficient capacity in HWRCs, CA Sites and transfer stations to manage the additional municipal and commercial wastes that will be recycled in the future. The combined capacity at CA sites and transfer stations is 3.34 million tonnes; only half of this is currently used. The majority of aggregates are used at the site of production, using existing mobile plant to crush and screen the material. There is capacity to store around 220,000 aggregates at inert transfer stations; 100,000 tonnes of this is spare capacity not currently used. There is capacity to treat around 700,000 tonnes of aggregates, slags and ashes at permitted physical treatment sites. An additional 300,000 tonnes of capacity is available at facilities using or producing construction materials operating under exemption from the requirement to hold an Environmental Permit. Both of these operations may lead to Quality Protocol compliant secondary aggregates, but the Welsh Assembly Government does not hold data about the quantity of Quality Protocol compliant material these facilities produce, or whether future recycling needs can be met by these facilities. The main barrier to accessing this spare capacity is lack of collection systems to supply material (see collection requirements above). Other barriers include lack of access by businesses to HWRC and CA sites, and by small businesses and builders to all transfer stations.

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There are also issues about the spread of capacity for CA sites across Wales (see collection requirements above). One of the objectives of this plan is to ensure joined up infrastructure, where facilities are developed to treat specific materials irrespective of their origin. Any support for infrastructure to add value to recyclates will take this approach, as will the investigation into additional reprocessing capacity for specific materials. Any development of recyclate infrastructure in Wales will need to comply with the appropriate permitting requirements. Summary details of the requirements are provided on the NetRegs website y. Ensuring equitable HWRC/Civic Amenity and bring site provision

Analysis carried out by the Welsh Assembly Government suggests that there is unequal provision of HWRC/CA sites across Wales. In order to provide an equal level of provision of sites to all citizens in Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government considers that there is a potential need for 15 additional facilities to be developed in the following regions of Wales: north Wales (3), mid Wales (2), south west Wales (1) and south east Wales (9). The Welsh Assembly Government will work in partnership with local government to assess in further detail the need to expand the coverage of CA sites across Wales, and to determine how this can be funded. Local Authority provision of bring banks is also highly variable. There is a need for Local Authorities to assess their own situation and make improvements to the number and geographical coverage as necessary. z. Support for the improvement of the recycling infrastructure

For several years WRAP Cymru has run a grant scheme to support strategic investments for new recycling capacity in Wales, with a particular focus on supporting AD for food waste from industrial and commercial sources. WRAP Cymru has submitted a major grant application which is hoped to attract circa 6 million of ERDF funding from EU Convergence funds and circa 9 million private sector match funding. The project, Accelerating Reprocessing Infrastructure Development (ARID), will offer capital support for strategic reprocessing infrastructure projects, focussing primarily, but not exclusively, on commercial and industrial waste, and targeted waste materials where there is currently insufficient infrastructure. The focus will be on closed loop and up-cycling, ensuring a value added approach. In addition, WRAP Cymru offers a number of funding support mechanisms to organisations reprocessing waste. These include: a. eQuip a residual value leasing scheme which helps companies secure favourable terms for leasing equipment (other than wheeled items).

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b. A scheme to support an interim manager to who will give a business additional capacity to develop or strengthen relevant businesses. c. Consultancy support to the reprocessing industry in the form of technical, financial, IP (intellectual property) or marketing expertise Any grants provided by WRAP for new infrastructure will only be released once appropriate planning approval and environmental permits (and including any necessary assessments, e.g. EIA) have been secured. aa. Interventions for specific materials

Evidence suggests that there is considerable scope to improve the recycling of cardboard in Wales, but that local markets for waste cardboard are limited. The Welsh Assembly Government will commission a detailed investigation into where and why enough cardboard is not being collected for recycling in Wales. The study will determine where cardboard collected for recycling is being reprocessed and what the barriers are to recycling this material in Wales. If appropriate, the project will also examine the case for intervention by the Welsh Assembly Government. WRAP Cymru is giving priority to supporting development of the plastics recycling infrastructure and markets in Wales. Wales already has capacity for plastic bottle recycling and the Assembly Government has developed a 1 million loan scheme for a mixed plastic facility (which will be managed by the Charity Bank). It is considered that an additional sorting facility is necessary. The Welsh Assembly Government is taking action in response to the lack of operational permitted AD facilities in Wales. The Welsh Assembly Government is addressing this through the provision of business support and a procurement programme for AD facilities to treat food waste from municipal sources. There are existing in-vessel composting operations in Wales, and the Welsh Assembly Government would not seek to see these displaced during their lifespan by the development of AD infrastructure. However, Welsh Assembly Government policy is that further funding of food waste treatment capacity is reserved for AD options because of the added environmental benefits that AD provides over in vessel composting. The Welsh Assembly Government will investigate whether there is a need for intervention in relation to the development of a market for non-ferrous metals. In view of the gap which has been identified between the amount of plastic available in the waste stream, and the reprocessing capacity available in the Welsh market, the Welsh Assembly Government will commission a detailed market report. This investigation will look in detail at the recycling capacity for different forms of plastics in Wales and make recommendations for intervention as appropriate. Given the surplus of glass available in Wales and the problems which would be involved in creating new glass melting capacity, the Welsh Assembly Government will investigate the business case for investment in glass colour

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sorting plant in Wales to improve the economic and environmental benefit which can be achieved from Welsh glass. This will need to look into the impact of a new glass sorting plant which has just been set up to Cwmbran in South Wales. bb. More accurate reporting and recording of reject rates at all facilities sorting and processing recyclate

Recyclate sent to material recovery facilities and reprocessors is often contaminated with material that cannot be recycled and which has to be extracted and sent for disposal. This rejected material needs to be accounted for when recycling rates are calculated. The Welsh Assembly Government is working with local government to improve the level of reporting of reject rates via the electronic web based waste reporting system, WasteDataFlow. Local Authorities require access to timely and accurate data so that they may discharge their duties under the proposal for The Recycling, Preparation for Reuse and Composting Targets (Monitoring and Penalties) (Wales) Regulations 2011. It is important that all sorting facilities, including those at the front end of reprocessing, accurately record and report the amounts of materials recycled and rejected and report these in a way that enables Welsh local authorities to discharge their statutory obligations. Apportionment of recycling and rejects is an issue where materials from several local authorities and potential commercial and industrial sources are mixed at a sorting facility. Guidance on how to address this will be provided by the Welsh Assembly Government. The Welsh Assembly Government is commissioning a report to look at the variation in reporting of reject rates and to explore the possibility of a standard default percentage of rejected material being applied when local authorities report their recycling performance data. The default figure would be based on statistically sound calculation and would be applied to any local authority that is unable to provide its own accurate and timely data. Consultation Question 8: Would the use in WasteDataFlow of a standard default percentage for rejects help local authorities that are unable to obtain accurate figures for reject rates? If your answer is no, what other mechanism could be applied to ensure the accurate reporting of reject rates from all facilities handling recyclate from Welsh local authorities? cc. Development of AD for food waste

The preferred option for food waste is treatment by AD to produce a PAS110 digestate, with the recovery and use of the resultant biogas. It is proposed that this is the technology which should be built to treat food waste arisings in the future, and is also the preferred option for replacement of in-vessel composting equipment at the end of its operational life.

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An estimated 157,000 tonnes per annum of food waste is currently recycled in Wales, in addition to the 176,000 tonnes of food waste from the food manufacturing sector that is processed into animal feed. This is predicted to rise to around 492,000 tonnes by 2024-25 if there is no prevention activity, or will peak at around 402,000 tonnes in 2019-20 if waste prevention targets are met. At the end of 2010, there were no operational permitted AD facilities in Wales. There was capacity at permitted in-vessel composting facilities to treat 278,500 tonnes of bio-waste; it is estimated that up to 50% of this capacity (139,250 tonnes) could be used for food waste. There is a requirement for these to produce PAS 100 compliant compost in order for the waste to be counted towards recycling targets. Any that currently do not comply with this requirement will be encouraged to do so. 123,500 213,500 tonnes of AD capacity is needed. As in-vessel composting plant reaches the end of its life, the preference is to replace this with anaerobic digesters; to this end, around 140,000 tonnes of additional annual capacity will be needed after 2019-20. Planning permission has been given for 5 AD facilities with a combined capacity of 135,000 tonnes. There is a further 35,000 tonnes proposed within planning applications in determination. Local Authorities are working together to procure approximately 144,000 tonnes of AD capacity, some of which may be included in the 170,000 tonnes with planning or in the planning process. The Welsh Assembly Government has created a Food Waste Treatment Procurement Programme and is providing a capital and revenue financial support package for local authorities that adopt AD technology, making available up to 25% of the net present value of the food waste treatment contracts. Local Authorities in Wales have formed collaborative procurement hubs to jointly secure food waste facilities. There are: Seven Hubs in the procurement programme (comprising 19 local authorities). The Welsh Assembly Governments Waste Procurement Programme Office has prepared a suite of guidance and template documentation for the benefit of participating local authorities to ensure that they benefit from established best practice and lessons learned elsewhere and to achieve consistency of approach across all procurements. This will reduce procurement costs for the Hubs and simplify the bidding process for contractors. The programme has also: i. Developed project review and scrutiny processes. ii. Facilitated a range of training and awareness raising events e.g. competitive dialogue, negotiation skills training, planning and community engagement. iii. Established a Planning Taskforce, to ensure that planning and site risks are identified and mitigated.

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iv. Established a Community Engagement Steering Group that steers the ongoing Community Engagement project started by Waste Awareness Wales in 2007 (as part of the delivery of Wise About Waste). v. Provided Local Partnerships transactor support to support local authority procurement projects. vi. Worked with WRAP in respect of its ongoing work to develop markets for compost and AD digestate, including involving the Rural Affairs Department to ensure promotion of the benefits of AD digestate to farmers. dd. Ensuring protection of human health and the environment, including living organisms and biodiversity

All waste management facilities, including those recycling, composting or anaerobically digesting wastes must comply with the requirements of the Environmental Permitting Regulations and associated environmental protection legislation. The Environment Agency is the regulator for most facilities. There is specific guidance available on certain recycling activities for further details see the Environment Agencys NetRegs website www.netregs.gov.uk Any new waste facility which is likely to have a significant impact on a Natura 2000 site, when assessed by consideration of its implications of the sites conservation objectives, will only proceed after it has been subject to a Habitats Regulations Assessment. If that assessment concludes that the project would have an adverse effect on the integrity of the site it can only proceed, in the absence of alternative solutions, if there are imperative reasons of overriding public interest. In addition, compensatory measures must be taken to maintain the coherence of the Natura 2000 network3. ee. Adapting to climate change, including business continuity planning

Local authorities and private waste companies should take account of the need to adapt to climate change, including effective planning to maintain business continuity during extreme weather and avoid public nuisance during routine operations. This will involve considering issues such as the location of waste sites and the potential need to cope with changes in waste composition. The Welsh Assembly Government is currently consulting on its use of the Reporting Power under Part 4 of the Climate change Act 2008, and its advice on climate change adaptation to reporting authorities. This will also be of benefit to any other organisation seeking to build resilience to the impacts of climate change. The Environment Agency has also published Supplementary Guidance38 to reporting authorities. This includes a useful checklist in relation to flood risk, coastal change and water resources, and a procedure for appraising options for environmental impacts and benefits.

38

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/planning/116480.aspx

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There is also a need to take into account any areas of managed realignment along the Welsh coastline when siting new recycling facilities. Development of markets for recyclates (including compost and AD digestate) Towards Zero Waste sets an objective that the waste industry in Wales maximises carbon and ecological footprint reduction via the most effective outlet for the food waste and recyclates. This means a focus on developing closed loop recycling within Wales wherever possible. A further objective of Towards Zero Waste is to encourage the recycling of Welsh waste in Wales as far as possible. This requires investment in reprocessing infrastructure and better collections from householders and the commercial and industrial sector. Provision of a consistent, high quality recyclate stream to supply these businesses will help create the environment for this investment in Wales. Currently the amount of recycled material being incorporated into products and packaging is very variable. Products such as newspapers and metals already have a high recycled material content. However, this is less true for other materials such as plastics, magazines and glass. Development of recycled content specifications for these materials will create a more stable market for these products facilitating investment in these reprocessing industries. Another barrier to the incorporation of recycled content into products and packaging is a perception. Manufacturers may have a perception that by incorporating recycled material into their products and packaging, their goods may be perceived as poorer quality and not fit for purpose. In terms of developing closed loop markets within Wales, currently there are a number of materials which are either being exported from Wales for recycling or being recycled to less environmentally beneficial end markets (such as glass into aggregate; plastics into composite products; untreated food waste being spread to land; paper and card being composted). While the Welsh Assembly Government recognises there is an environmental benefit in ensuring that these materials are recycled rather than landfilled, the value of this recyclate is not being fully realised and the potential benefits in reprocessing this material (jobs; resource efficiency), have been lost to the Welsh economy. The development of increased recycled content incorporation into products and packaging could provide alternative markets for these materials. In addition, some economic drivers (such as the Packaging Waste Recovery Note (PRN) a system enabling companies to pay for the recovery and recycling of an equivalent amount of packaging to that used in their production operations and so offset their packaging obligations under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007) - are not

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affected by the end market application and this has encouraged the development of end markets which are less advantageous to One Planet living goals. For instance, it is currently possible to claim PRN revenue for recycling glass into aggregate making this end market a viable option of glass recyclate. The availability of this end market, its perceived low cost and less rigorous quality requirement of recycled glass has meant that collection schemes have not been designed to produce a high quality glass recyclate stream. The existence of end markets which have less rigorous quality requirements has already been discussed. These environmentally less beneficial markets can provide an important outlet for materials which are not of a suitable quality for closed loop markets. However, from an environmental perspective, it is important that recyclate is sent to closed loop applications whenever possible. Where recyclate is sent to lower value markets, it is important that this is due to the material not being suitable for closed loop applications rather than simply inadequate collections or infrastructure providing material of insufficient quality. Improving the quality of collected recyclates in Wales will result in a wider range of markets being available for these materials and will help further encourage closed loop markets enabling Welsh recyclate to be recycled with greater environmental and financial benefit. A similar situation exists when materials are exported from Wales. Often these markets require a lower quality of recyclate and are therefore seen as an easier option requiring less robust collection systems. Research39 into the export of materials from UK shows that UK recyclate exported to China is seen as of average quality. However this situation may change if other countries continue to develop collection systems which deliver high quality material or the situation in China changes. This situation is more pertinent to the recycling of paper and plastic, although some amounts of metal and glass are also recycled overseas. Reprocessing infrastructure and capacity for priority materials The reprocessing capacity for paper is sufficient to meet current and future demand; current capacity is in excess of 700,000 tonnes. A crude estimate of the quantity of paper available for recycling can be made by assuming a 50:50 split between paper and card. If this were the case, the quantity of paper for recycling is currently 303,000 tonnes and would rise to 500,000 tonnes in 2024-25 to meet recycling targets, or peak at 414,000 tonnes in 2019-20 and fall thereafter to meet recycling and prevention targets. The challenge is to ensure that the waste paper remains within Wales to support local reprocessing companies, and that the correct quality of waste paper is delivered to the reprocessors.

39

http://www.wrap.org.uk/downloads/China_Market_Sentiment_Survey_Report_2010.7416e56c .8520.pdf

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It is estimated that the reprocessing capacity for card is not sufficient to reprocess future arisings, particularly with regard to the increase in waste packaging boxes and containers from the commercial sector that will need to be recycled. Less than 100,000 tonnes of capacity has been identified in Wales, but this requires further investigation. Using the 50:50 split, there is a requirement for up to 500,000 tonnes by 2024-25 if recycling targets are met but there is no waste prevention activity, or 414,000 tonnes by 2019-20, declining thereafter, if prevention targets are met. Plastics reprocessing capacity is not sufficient to meet current and future supply of feedstock. The current identified capacity is 55,787 tonnes, and the vast majority of this is for the reprocessing of bottles containing Polyethylene Trephthalate (PET) and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). The current 120,000 tonnes of waste plastic being for recycling will increase to 352,000 tonnes by 2024-25 if there are no waste prevention activities and to 284,000 tonnes in the same timescale if waste prevention targets are met. Of particular note is the future need to recycle plastic film and non-bottle dense plastics. There is sufficient capacity to reprocess ferrous metal in Wales due to a well established steel manufacturing base. The 1.8 million tonnes of metals reprocessing capacity is dominated by the steel industry. Total waste metal arising for reprocessing (ferrous and non-ferrous combined) is currently 510,000 tonnes and is set to reach between 440,000 and 520,000 in 2024/25. Capacity to reprocess aluminium in Wales is not sufficient to meet the predicted future supply of waste aluminium. There is a need to further explore this market, including the location of facilities elsewhere in the UK with capacity to receive waste from Wales. A clear business case should be developed for any proposed new facility in Wales. Glass reprocessing by re-melt applications is not sufficient to meet current and future demand, at only 50,000 tonnes with the majority being secondary aggregate production. The size of the UK glass production market is around 4 million tonnes40. 2.3 million tonnes of container glass and 1.1 million tonnes of flat glass were produced in 2007. The remainder was glass wool and other products. Containers have an average recycled content of 30%, while flat glass contains 20% - 30% recycled content. It is thought at this time that no investment in reprocessing capacity is needed, but there is a case to explore colour-separation technology (as described above) in order to feed the UK market. There is evidence that closed-loop glass recycling operations in the UK are suffering from a lack of supply because the glass is being used for aggregate production. This may be driven by the ability to claim Packaging Recovery Note (PRN) revenue for secondary aggregates, encouraging the use of less environmentally beneficial management for waste glass.

Realising the Value of Recovered Glass: An Update. Market Situation Report. WRAP (2008)

40

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Actions to develop recyclate and compost/AD digestate markets in Wales are as follows: Recyclate markets ff. Working with Welsh manufacturers to increase the amount of recycled content for the target materials

WRAP is researching barriers to the recycling and recyclability of key materials; aluminium, plastics and glass. These projects include: Development of case studies and business case for increasing the capture and recycling of Aluminium foil. Development of a food grade recycling process for polypropylene. Categorisation of plastics based on their recyclability, similar to the categories established for PET bottles. Development of a road map for PET recycling in the UK. Investigation into the barrier properties for plastics with the aim of improving recyclability. Promotion of a recycled content protocol for plastics. WRAP Cymru is currently running a de-minimis grant scheme which offers capital support to those organisations wishing to incorporate recycled content into their products. The support will fund Welsh SME business up to 30% of the capital costs (up to a maximum of 50k) associated with the incorporation of recycled content or an increase in the levels of recycled content in their products. Allied with this support, is the REMake project which is jointly funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the EU. This project supplies vouchers which deliver technical advice to Welsh SME businesses wishing to incorporate recycled content or increase the levels of recycled content in their products. The project is looking for up to 25 Welsh SMEs to support via this scheme. gg. Promotion of agreements to incorporate recycled content into products and packaging

Agreements to incorporate greater amounts of recycled content into products and packaging should create greater demand for Welsh recyclate. Work on development agreements is already happening at a UK level via the Courtauld Commitment; a responsibility deal between the UK grocery sector and WRAP to reduce packaging waste and food waste and to increase the incorporation of recycled content in packaging where appropriate. The Welsh Assembly Government will continue to ask WRAP to develop and promote agreements which encourage and set requirement for the

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incorporation of recycled content in products and packaging where appropriate to further develop this market. Guaranteed end markets for recycled materials (especially plastics) might also promote investment in plastics infrastructure and remove the need for Government intervention to create markets for this material. This creation of a requirement for recycled content level for packaging and products where appropriate may facilitate this. The Welsh Assembly Government will discuss this further with the other UK administrations. hh. Development of standards for the incorporation of recycled content into packaging and products

In order of overcome the perceived issue that recycled content may not be fit for purpose the Welsh Assembly Government will work (via WRAP) with other UK Governments and Trade bodies to develop standards for the incorporation of recycled content into products and packaging where appropriate. ii. Demonstration of recycled content incorporation into products and packaging

WRAP has already developed a number of case studies illustrating the successful incorporation of recycled content into products and packaging formats. The Welsh Assembly Government will continue to support WRAP in the development of these case studies and good practice guidance to encourage businesses to use recycled content in their manufactured goods, thus developing markets for Welsh recyclate. jj. Support to businesses for the incorporation of recycled content into products and packaging

To further develop markets for recyclate in Wales, WRAP Cymru is already working with manufacturing businesses providing technical advice and grant support to facilitate the incorporation of more recycled content into packaging and products. The Welsh Assembly Government will continue to fund WRAP Cymrus support mechanisms to encourage Welsh businesses to overcome barriers to using recycled content. kk. Recycled Content Procurement

The Welsh Assembly Government will further stimulate demand for recyclate by investigating the development of a requirement for public bodies in Wales to procure products with high levels of recycled content. It will also ask WRAP to support public sector bodies in Wales to sustainably procure items with a high recycled content. The Welsh Assembly Government (via WRAP) will work with large organisations to do likewise for their own supply chains by facilitating responsibility deals where appropriate.

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ll.

Support Changes to the PRN system

As identified in the UK Packaging Strategy, the current PRN system can encourage the use of recyclate into less environmentally beneficial end markets. This is especially the case for glass, where using glass recyclate as a secondary aggregate can actually increase the carbon and ecological footprints. The Welsh Assembly Government will support proposed changes to the UK Packaging Regulations which would update the PRN system to take into account the sustainability of the end market for recyclate. The proposed changes, if implemented, would incentivise closed looped recycling of glass (eg. via re-melt) over open loop applications (eg. its use as a secondary aggregate). Compost and AD digestate markets mm. Ensuring adequate markets for compost and AD Digestate in Wales

The Welsh Assembly Government is developing via WRAP a programme to stimulate the markets for AD digestate. This programme supports the development of markets for PAS 110 material only. The Welsh Assembly Government will continue to fund this activity which is being delivered by WRAP. In June 2009 WRAP, on behalf of the Assembly Government, published a study of organic waste arisings and the future market for compost and digestate in Wales over the period 2015 to 202541. On the basis of the waste reduction scenario in Towards Zero Waste, this report predicts total organic waste arisings in a range centred on 1,000 ktonnes in 2015 and 920 ktonnes by 2025. If these tonnages are all captured it is estimated they would translate into some 470 ktonnes of compost and 220 ktonnes of digestate which would need a market. Main markets for the outputs of compost production are agricultural and horticultural applications, landscaping and land reclamation. For anaerobic digestion, the market is bio-fertiliser for agricultural and horticultural applications and biogas for energy generation. Biogas is used to generate electricity for sale to the grid, and has potential to be injected into the gas grid or used directly as a vehicle fuel. The WRAP report referred to above considered the maximum predicted compost and digestate arisings up to 2025 and concluded that in principle there is more than enough land in Wales to benefit from this material. It also concluded that in the medium term (2015) there would be significantly more demand than supply capability in every region of Wales.

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In practice there are barriers to making use of all the available land. A major one is economic as generally transport costs outstrip the economic value of products if they have to be moved more than 15-25 miles from the point of production. Dewatering digestate is being considered by a number of operators to increase the transportable range. Other options include selling compost into to higher value horticultural markets. Also lack of understanding of the benefits of compost and digestate by potential end users and concern about perceived risks from those who buy products from them create further barriers to establishing markets and appropriate product value. In order to overcome these barriers the following actions are in place or are proposed: WRAP will: use their planned Convergence project to secure further investment in processing capacity located optimally for securing feedstock and for available markets use the planned Convergence project to stimulate further collections of organic waste from the commercial and industrial sector, particularly the hospitality sector. Reliable feedstock supplies will help support further investment advise customers and producers of compost and bio-fertiliser to specify materials which are accredited to BSI PAS 100:2011 and Quality Protocol (QP) for composts and BSI PAS 110:2010 and Anaerobic Digestate Quality Protocol (ADQP). These independently audited quality standards will ensure that these products are fit for purpose and are no longer deemed as waste materials in law. work with compost and AD plants operators to ensure that all plants taking municipal biowaste adopt the PAS100 and 110 standards for compost and digestate respectively and their associated quality protocols, in order to ensure local authorities meet the requirements of the Reuse, Recycling and Composting targets (Definitions) Order 2011 (as proposed) and to give confidence to users and the purchasers of their produce continue to carry out field trials of the commercial use of compost and digestate in a wide range of situations and widely disseminate the findings with a view to demonstrating economic and environmental benefits for production and customer businesses and dispelling concerns where possible. continue to promote and update their Guide to the Use of Biofertiliser. They will promote it with information resources and training events with end-user stakeholders (e.g. Farming Connect, Farmers Unions etc.) in Wales to promote and disseminate best practice guidance on bio-fertiliser application.

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develop a bio-fertiliser matrix to summarise best practice in the use of bio-fertilisers on different crops and in different situations including the ongoing identification of any residual risks and risk management options and managing updates to the PAS 110 and Quality Protocols. continue to run its Technical Steering Group and will continue to work with the British Retail Consortium meetings to develop the Confidence in Compost and Digestate programmes, ensuring that Welsh stakeholders are engaged. The results of the Confidence in Digestate work are expected by April 2011 for review by the Food Standards Agency (Red Tractor Scheme). A Safe Bio-fertiliser Matrix will be produced, analogous to the Safe Sludge Matrix used by the sewage treatment industry. Work is also being undertaken with the Soil Association to determine whether food derived compost and digestate produced according to the Quality Protocols will be permitted for use in Organic Farms. continue to undertake pilot projects to encourage the use of composts in land reclamation where a number of novel issues arise. WRAP will continue to support demonstration projects to establish how composts/digestates can be used effectively in the wide range of circumstances found in Wales. in association with the Wales Centre for Excellence for Anaerobic Digestion will maintain an authoritative source of up to date information for general use free of charge, to deal with information failures and provide individual support to businesses and others involved in this part of the industry, ensure that key findings from its research and development projects are disseminated and will involve key industry stakeholders in achieving this. work with public sector bodies in Wales to ensure through procurement that a positive demand is created for these products so that they can be sold at a reasonable price rather than given away.

The Welsh Assembly Government, through its Waste Infrastructure Procurement Programme, will: continue to run its Digestate Market Development Group to support market development for digestate and address digestate related issues arising from the procurement programme, working closely in association with WRAP. continue to work with the Farm Development Division including Farming Connects Climate Change Development Programme and the Farm Advisory Service, to include advice on digestate benefits in farm Nutrient Management Plans. Opportunities to work with the Glastir Scheme to support digestate market development will continue to be explored.

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continue to work with the Sustainability and Environmental Evidence Division (SEED) to promote the benefits of digestate in agriculture. A Land Evaluation Report will be produced to inform Local Authorities in the procurement programme of the potentially available agricultural land within reasonable transport distances of the food treatment reference sites. explore with WRAP and Value Wales opportunities for the public sector in Wales, when using top soil and fertiliser in landscaping activities (e.g. when new office complexes are developed), to specify materials which are accredited to BSI PAS 100:2011 and Quality Protocol (QP) for composts and BSI PAS 110:2010 and Anaerobic Digestate Quality Protocol (ADQP).

Generic actions for collection, infrastructure and markets for recyclate nn. Generic support for recycling companies

Following the publication by the Welsh Assembly Government of Economic Renewal: a new direction, direct support for sectors in Wales is changing. The Department for the Economy and Transport (DE&T) is focusing on six key business sectors which are, or have the potential to be, key to the economy of Wales. The aim is to nurture businesses in these sectors to maximise their prospects for market success. The key business sectors identified by DE&T: advanced materials and manufacturing creative industries energy and environment financial and professional services information and communication technologies life sciences It is likely that waste companies, including those involved in recycling, will be included under the energy and environment sector. Supporting this sector is a key action in Capturing the Potential, A Green Jobs Strategy for Wales42. Recycling businesses in Wales have easy access to information, advice and support through the Welsh Assembly Government Business Information gateway (www.business.wales.gov.uk ). This includes a national helpline for telephone support and a network of 12 regional centres. Relationship

42

http://wales.gov.uk/docs/det/publications/090709capturingthepotentialagreenjobsstrategyforw alesen.pdf

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managers can work with businesses and individuals to asses their needs and decide on the best package of tailored support. DE&T business finance is available to qualifying businesses throughout Wales for a range of purposes. Following Economic Renewal: a New Direction, there will be a new approach to the provision of business finance through DE&T. Future funding will be repayable and used to support sector priorities and investments. 3.3.3.6 Need for additional evidence

The Welsh Assembly Government will explore ways to build on its existing evidence base, drawing as appropriate on studies undertaken elsewhere, and commissioning as necessary, and with others as appropriate, new research. Areas where additional evidence in respect of the recyclate collection service needs to be sourced or commissioned include: Sustainable development evaluation of a sample of collection systems in Wales to compare kerbside sort and co-mingled services to include a cradle to grave assessment of cost and ecological/carbon footprints. An evaluation of the costs (and /or financial savings), and practicalities for Local Authorities in Wales of the transition from a co-mingled collection service to a kerbside sort collection service. Evaluation of the waste arisings from the private sector Audit trails on the destination of recyclate and how the recyclate is managed for all sectors. Research recycling opportunities for niche materials. Identification of planning proposal specifically relating to the development of recycling collections, infrastructure and markets 3.3.3.7 Monitoring and Measuring The following indicators are proposed (Table 24):

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Table 24: Proposed indicators for recyclate collection, infrastructure and markets What we will monitor How we will monitor Who will monitor it Towards Zero Waste Indicator We will measure waste arisings Arisings and activities with the The Welsh and management across all municipal sector will be Assembly sectors to monitor progress monitored using WasteDataFlow Government against waste prevention and which will be adapted if management targets necessary. Surveys, or other methods, may be used for business waste. Towards Zero Waste Indicator We will improve information on the destination of recyclates and how they are managed (i.e. whether by closed or open loop)

WasteDataFlow will be altered to allow for better reporting of the end destination for recyclates arisings from the Local Authority Municipal Waste stream.

The Welsh Assembly Government

Recycling infrastructure We will monitor the development of new recycling and reprocessing facilities, including details of throughput and maximum operational capacity in order to monitor progress towards the establishment of an integrated and adequate network of recovery facilities.

Information on permitted and exempt facilities will be provided by the Environment Agency. Surveys on capacity will be carried out periodically.

The Welsh Assembly Government

End Markets for Recyclates We will monitor the development The Welsh Assembly of end markets for recyclates in Government will work with other Wales for all sectors bodies to monitor the recycled content of products and packaging used in Wales

The Welsh Assembly Government

In respect of an effective monitoring regime for the development of new recycling infrastructure, the potential options for a lead body could be: The Environment Agency; Local Planning Authorities; Regional Waste Groups.

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3.3.3.8

Review

The Welsh Assembly Government will undertake ongoing reviews of how much waste is being generated in Wales and how this material is to be collected and recycled in line with the aims and objectives set out in Towards Zero Waste.

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3.3.3.9

Summary of actions for the Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector plan

Table Table 25 provides a summary of the actions proposed to deliver the recycling objectives of the Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector plan Table 25: Summary of proposed actions for recycling
Action By Whom By When How

a) Continuous improvement of the service

Local Authorities

Short term: From 2011 to 2015

Local authorities have a statutory duty to take measures to continuously improve their services and, in doing so, have regard to, inter alia, sustainable development. Local authorities can achieve this by following the Collections Blueprint that the Welsh Assembly Government is

publishing on 10 March 2011. This identifies the preferred approach for a sustainable recyclate collection service for local authorities to work towards.
b) Increasing the quantity and range of materials collected for recycling to meet statutory recycling targets Local Authorities Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025 All local authorities in Wales will be increasing the quantity and range of recyclable materials that they collect from households and businesses in order to meet the statutory recycling targets set in the Waste (Wales) Measure 2011.

c) Increasing the quality of recyclate collected

Local Authorities

Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025

Local authorities need to focus on delivering quality as well as quantity of recyclate. Local authorities can achieve this by following the Collections Blueprint that the Welsh Assembly Government is publishing on 10 March 2011. This identifies the preferred approach for a sustainable recyclate collection service for local authorities to work towards.

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d) Achieving lower carbon emissions from collection and transportation

Local Authorities

Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025

Local Authorities will place a priority on purchasing or leasing new vehicles that are fuel efficient and low carbon, and that, where possible, use renewable fuel. They will also aim to optimise collection routes to reduce mileage and fuel use. Where appropriate, guidance will be provided jointly by the Welsh Assembly Government and the WLGA. Local Authorities should consider issues of sustainability when negotiating contracts, and the preference to supply Welsh reprocessors and end markets should be considered as part of this process. Local authorities should take account of the need to adapt to climate change, including effective planning to maintain business continuity during extreme weather and avoid public nuisance during routine operations. This will involve considering issues such as the collection of recyclate during extreme weather events, and the potential need to increase the frequency of biodegradable waste collection. The Assembly Government intends to obtain approval for the Order and Regulations in March 2011, with a coming into force date of March 2011. The monitoring and penalties regime will start with the first statutory recycling target set in the Waste (Wales) Measure 2010 of 52% for 2012/13. Local authorities will be required to report their performance via the electronic web based WasteDataFlow recording system. On 10 March 2011 the Welsh Assembly Government is publish the Collections Blueprint for a sustainable recyclate collection service for local authorities to work towards.

e) Retaining the value of recyclates within Wales

Local Authorities

Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025 Short term: From 2011 to 2015

f) Adapting to climate change, including business continuity planning

Local Authorities

g) Implement the draft Recycling, Preparation for Re-use and Composting Targets (Definitions) (Wales) Order 2011 and the draft Recycling, Preparation for Re-use and Composting Targets (Monitoring and Penalties) (Wales) Regulations 2011. h) Provide guidance on preferred sustainable development approach for the collection of recyclable material

Welsh Assembly Government

March 2011

Welsh Assembly Government

March 2011

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from householders

WRAP The Welsh Assembly Government will ensure that guidance is provided to local government on ways to improve capture rates of organic material from the municipal sector.

i) Continue to provide Sustainable Waste Management Grant funding to support increase in local authority recycling rates

Welsh Assembly Government

Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025

The Welsh Assembly Government will continue to provide the Sustainable Waste Management Grant (SWMG) to local authorities to help them develop additional services to meet the new statutory recycling targets. The SWMG allocated for 2010-11 is 73 million. Details of the SWMG for future years will be announced in March 2011.

j) Provision of private collections of household waste

Retailers WRAP

Short term: From 2011 to 2015

The Assembly Government will ask WRAP to work with the retailers to encourage the in store provision of recycling services that can usefully complement recyclate services implemented by local authorities, for example, for plastic film (in the form mostly as plastic bags).

k) Mandatory provision of a separate collection for paper, metal, plastic and glass

Welsh Assembly Government

2015 onwards Draft Regulations to transpose the revised Waste Framework Directive in England and Wales intend that a new requirement is placed on local authorities and private waste companies that collect waste from commercial and industrial premises to offer separate collections of paper, metal, plastic and glass by 1 January 2015. The final Regulations are due to be laid in February/March 2011 and to come into force by the end of March 2011. 2011 The Welsh Assembly Government has commissioned a further study to consider instruments that could be used to

l) Further interventions to secure greater recycling of industrial and

Welsh Assembly Government

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commercial waste, especially for food and cardboard waste.

facilitate businesses recycling their waste. This may include new interventions such as: Statutory requirement for local authorities to offer a comprehensive separate waste recyclate collection service for businesses (which would be chargeable) to extend to further waste streams (eg, food and cardboard) in addition to the revised Waste Framework Directive requirement to provide for businesses a separate collection service for paper, metal, plastic and glass by 1 January 2015. A requirement placed on waste producers to keep recyclable materials separate at source to facilitate their collection and recycling to a high quality; Extending the revised Waste Framework Directive requirement for all waste collection companies to provide a separate collection service for food and cardboard as well as for paper, metal, plastic and glass; Introduction of landfill bans for specific materials with food and cardboard a priority (using provisions under the Waste (Wales) Measure 2010); Introduction of energy-from-waste bans for specific materials with food and cardboard a priority. Welsh Assembly Government WRAP Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025 The Welsh Assembly Government will ask WRAP to identify and communicate best practice in relation to the segregation and collection of quality source segregated recyclable materials from businesses. This will identify how high quality recyclable materials can most cost effectively be collected separately from businesses, and not co-mingled, and in a way that minimises contamination. The aim will be to try to

m) Supporting business to secure high quality recycling of business waste.

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achieve the same high quality outputs as obtained by the kerbside sort method that is preferred for the collection of recyclables from households. The Welsh Assembly Government will also ask WRAP to provide guidance to businesses on how to segregate biowastes. n) Increasing awareness and behavior change towards business waste recycling. Welsh Assembly Government Waste Awareness Wales Campaign Welsh Assembly Government WRAP Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025 Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025 The Welsh Assembly Government, in conjunction with its delivery partners, will extend its awareness raising and behaviour change campaign on the benefits of recycling to employers and their staff. The Welsh Assembly Government is continuing to fund WRAP to provide support to enhance business recyclate collection services carried out by private waste management companies and social enterprises. WRAP Cymru currently has a grant scheme for organisations seeking to increase collections of waste from SMEs for recycling or reuse. This scheme can fund up to 30% of the capital cost (to a maximum of 50K) of new plant, equipment or associated infrastructure for waste collection or bring site services. It can also cover part of the cost of initial marketing expenditure to launch the new service. In addition, WRAP Cymru offers a number of funding support mechanisms to organisations recycling or preparing waste for reuse. Although designed for the reprocessing industry, the schemes may be available to support improvements in the collection of waste also. In addition, WRAP Cymru has submitted an application which is hoped to attract circa 6 million of ERDF funding from EU

o) Recycling business support .

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Convergence funds and circa 9 million of private sector match funding. The project, Accelerating Reprocessing Infrastructure Development (ARID), will allow for capital support for strategic reprocessing infrastructure projects, focussing primarily, but not exclusively, on commercial and industrial waste, and will also enable the extension of the SME Collections and Recycled Content grant schemes until 2015. p) Raising the standard of performance reporting by waste companies in respect of the recycling of business waste q) Allowing businesses to use household waste recycling centres (for recyclate only) Waste management companies Short term: From 2011 to 2015 The Welsh Assembly Government wishes to see all waste companies operating in Wales achieve the PAS402 standard, and to consider subscribing to the Green Compass Scheme.

Local Authorities

Short term: From 2011 to 2015

The Assembly Government will ask WRAP to work with local government in Wales to undertake an investigation to examine the potential to utilise household waste recycling centres to receive business waste for recycling and also become centres for receiving items for reuse from businesses. The Assembly Government will also discuss with local government in Wales ways to ensure that expanding the collection of recyclate from businesses will not adversely affect local authorities compliance with the Landfill Allowances Scheme.

r) Extending kerbside recycling services for business wastes

Welsh Assembly Government Local Authorities WRAP

Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025

The Assembly Government will ask WRAP to explore with local government in Wales the potential for enhanced trade waste recycling collection services to be introduced where the private waste management sector does not provide a sufficient service. In certain areas of Wales where there is a market failure this may provide economies of scale and

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increase the density of waste arisings which can be collected. WRAP is already conducting some studies into the feasibility of this option. s) Provision of advice on the quality of collected recyclates Welsh Assembly Government WRAP Short term: From 2011 to 2015 In order to facilitate the development of collection schemes providing high quality of recyclates, the Welsh Assembly Government will work with WRAP to encourage reprocessors to develop and publish standards detailing the quality of material they will accept. More transparency and commonality between the reprocessors will give confidence to collectors when specifying new collection schemes. The Welsh Assembly Government will ask WRAP to explore the barriers to disclosing quality standards for material and facilitate the development of common standards. t) Increasing the recyclability of products and packaging Welsh Assembly Government WRAP Retailers / manufacturers Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025 The Welsh Assembly Government will engage with manufacturers and retailers to secure the development of products which are more sustainable throughout their lifetime seeking voluntary extended producer responsibility. WRAP are already working with a number of manufacturers of packaging and products to investigate the development of more easily recyclable items. This will be taken further in the Food Manufacturing Services and Retail Sector Plan, and in the Industrial and Commercial Sector Plan. The Welsh Assembly Government will ask WRAP and the Waste Awareness Wales (WAW) campaign to work together to establish a recycling on the go initiative in Wales. WRAP and the WAW campaign should adopt and work with relevant businesses and public sector organisations to ensure

u) Support and encourage recycling on the go collection systems

Welsh Assembly Government WRAP Local Authorities Retailers Public bodies

Short term: From 2011 to 2015

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that recycling on the go initiatives are developed widely across Wales, using the guidance on recycling on the go that has already been developed for England by Defra and WRAP, and which can be found on the RecycleNow website43, tailoring it for Wales as appropriate. Recycling on the go will also be addressed in the Public Sector Plan and in the Food Manufacturing Services and Retail Sector Plan. Environment Agency Short term: From 2011 to 2015

v) Regulate compliance of the key producer responsibility regulations

The Environment Agency needs to continue to robustly monitor and regulate compliance of the producer responsibility regulations covering packaging, ELV, WEEE and batteries in order to ensure that the requisite recycling services are in place and are delivering the targets. The Environment Agency registers waste carriers and regulates compliance with the Duty of Care that is designed to ensure that the collection, transportation and onward management of waste are carried out responsibly in a way that prevents harm to human health or the environment. The Environment Agency provides an online directory of waste companies that collect and/or manage recyclate that any person or business wishing to recycle any wastes can contact to provide the service see http://wastedirectory.netregs.gov.uk/index.aspx

w) Regulate waste collection

Environment Agency

Ongoing

x) Provision of a directory of recycling companies

Environment Agency

Ongoing

43

http://www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk/local_authorities/download_area/recycle_on_the_go/index.rma

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y) Ensuring equitable Civic Amenity and bring site provision

Local Authorities

Short term: From 2011 to 2015

The Welsh Assembly Government will work in partnership with local government to assess in further detail the need to expand the coverage of CA sites across Wales, and to determine how this can be funded. Local Authority provision of bring banks is also highly variable. There is a need for Authorities to assess their own situation and make improvements to the number and geographical coverage as necessary.

z) Support for the improvement of the recycling infrastructure

WRAP

Short term: From 2011 to 2015

WRAP Cymru has submitted a major grant application which is hoped to attract circa 6 million of ERDF funding from EU Convergence funds and circa 9 million private sector match funding. The project, Accelerating Reprocessing Infrastructure Development (ARID), will offer capital support for strategic reprocessing infrastructure projects, focussing primarily, but not exclusively, on commercial and industrial waste, and targeted waste materials where there is currently insufficient infrastructure. The focus will be on closed loop and up-cycling, ensuring a value added approach. In addition, WRAP Cymru offers a number of funding support mechanisms to organisations reprocessing waste.

aa) Interventions for specific materials

Welsh Assembly Government WRAP

Short term: From 2011 to 2015

The Welsh Assembly Government will commission a detailed investigation into where and why enough cardboard is not being collected for recycling in Wales. The study will determine where cardboard collected for recycling is being reprocessed and what the barriers are to recycling this material in Wales. If appropriate, the project will also examine the case for intervention by the Welsh Assembly Government.

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The Welsh Assembly Government will commission a detailed market report the recycling capacity for different forms of plastics in Wales and make recommendations for intervention as appropriate. The Welsh Assembly Government is taking action in response to the lack of operational permitted Anaerobic Digestion facilities in Wales through the provision of business support and a procurement programme for AD facilities to treat food waste from municipal sources

The Welsh Assembly Government will investigate whether there is a need for intervention in relation to the development of a market for non-ferrous metals.
The Welsh Assembly Government will investigate the business case for investment in glass colour sorting plant in Wales to improve the economic and environmental benefit which can be achieved from Welsh glass. bb) More accurate reporting and recording of reject rates at all facilities sorting and processing recyclate Local Authorities Waste management companies Short term: From 2011 to 2015 The Welsh Assembly Government is working with local government to improve the level of reporting of reject rates. Local authorities require access to timely and accurate data so that they may discharge their duties under the proposal for The Recycling, Preparation for Reuse and Composting Targets (Monitoring and Penalties) (Wales) Regulations 2011. The Assembly Government is commissioning a report to look at the variation in reporting of reject rates and to explore the possibility of a standard default percentage of rejected

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material being applied when local authorities report their recycling performance data. cc) Development of AD for food waste The Welsh Assembly Government has created a Food Waste Infrastructure Procurement Programme and is providing a capital and revenue financial support package for local authorities that adopt AD technology, making available up to 25% of the net present value of the food waste treatment contracts. Local authorities in Wales have formed collaborative procurement hubs to jointly secure food waste facilities. There are: Seven Hubs in the procurement programme (comprising 18 local authorities). Waste management companies Environment Agency Ongoing All waste management facilities, including those recycling, composting or anaerobically digesting wastes must comply with the requirements of the Environmental Permitting Regulations and associated environmental protection legislation. The Environment Agency is the regulator for most facilities. Local authorities and private waste companies should take account of the need to adapt to climate change, including effective planning to maintain business continuity during extreme weather and avoid public nuisance during routine operations. The Assembly Government is currently consulting on its use of the Reporting Power under Part 4 of the Climate change Act 2008, and its advice on climate change adaptation to reporting authorities. This will also be of benefit to any other organisation seeking to build resilience to the impacts of climate change.

dd) Ensuring protection of human health and the environment, including living organisms and biodiversity

ee) Adapting to climate change, including business continuity planning

Local Authorities Waste Management companies

Ongoing

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The Environment Agency has also published Supplementary Guidance44 to reporting authorities. This includes a useful checklist in relation to flood risk, coastal change and water resources, and a procedure for appraising options for environmental impacts and benefits. There is also a need to take into account any areas of managed realignment along the Welsh coastline when siting new recycling facilities.

ff) Working with Welsh manufacturers

to increase the amount of recycled content for the target materials

WRAP

Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025

WRAP is researching barriers to the recycling and recyclability of key materials; aluminium, plastics and glass. WRAP Cymru is currently running a de-minimis grant scheme which offers capital support to those organisations wishing to incorporate recycled content into their products. The support will fund Welsh SME business up to 30% of the capital costs (up to a maximum of 50k) associated with the incorporation of recycled content or an increase in the levels of recycled content in their products. Allied with this support, is the REMake project which is jointly funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the EU. This project supplies vouchers which deliver technical advice to Welsh SME businesses wishing to incorporate recycled content or increase the levels of recycled content in their products. The project is looking for up to 25 Welsh SMEs to

44

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/planning/116480.aspx

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support via this scheme.

gg) Promotion of agreements to

incorporate recycled content into products and packaging

Welsh Assembly Government WRAP

Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025

Work on development agreements is already happening at a UK level via the Courtauld Commitment; a responsibility deal between the UK grocery sector and WRAP to reduce packaging waste and food waste and to increase the incorporation of recycled content in packaging where appropriate. The Welsh Assembly Government will continue to ask WRAP to develop and promote agreements which encourage and set requirement for the incorporation of recycled content in products and packaging where appropriate to further develop this market. The Welsh Assembly Government will discuss the creation of a requirement for recycled content level for packaging and products where appropriate with the other UK administrations.

hh) Development of standards for the incorporation of recycled content into packaging and products

Welsh Assembly Government WRAP Welsh Assembly Government WRAP

Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025

The Welsh Assembly Government will work (via WRAP) with other UK Governments and Trade bodies to develop standards for the incorporation of recycled content into products and packaging where appropriate.
WRAP has already developed a number of case studies illustrating the successful incorporation of recycled content into products and packaging formats. The Welsh Assembly Government will continue to support WRAP in the development of these case studies and good practice guidance to encourage businesses to use recycled content in their manufactured goods, thus developing markets for Welsh recyclate.

ii) Demonstration of recycled content incorporation into products and packaging

Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025

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jj) Support to businesses for the incorporation of recycled content into products and packaging

Welsh Assembly Government WRAP

Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025

To further develop markets for recyclate in Wales, WRAP Cymru is already working with manufacturing businesses providing technical advice and grant support to facilitate the incorporation of more recycled content into packaging and products. The Welsh Assembly Government will continue to fund WRAP Cymrus support mechanisms to encourage Welsh businesses to overcome barriers to using recycled content. The Welsh Assembly Government will further stimulate demand for recyclate by investigating the development of a requirement for public bodies in Wales to procure products with high levels of recycled content. It will also ask WRAP to support public sector bodies in Wales to sustainably procure items with a high recycled content. The Welsh Assembly Government (via WRAP) will work with large organisations to do likewise for their own supply chains by facilitating responsibility deals where appropriate. The Welsh Assembly Government will support proposed changes to the UK Packaging Regulations which would update the PRN system to take into account the sustainability of the end market for recyclate. The proposed changes, if implemented, would incentivise closed looped recycling of glass (eg. via remelt) over open loop applications (eg. its use as a secondary aggregate). The Welsh Assembly Government is developing via WRAP a programme to stimulate the markets for AD digestate. This programme supports the development of markets for PAS 110 material only. The Welsh Assembly Government will continue

kk) Recycled Content Procurement

Welsh Assembly Government WRAP

Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025

ll) Support Changes to the PRN system

Welsh Assembly Government Defra

Short term: From 2011 to 2015

mm) Ensuring adequate markets for compost and AD Digestate in Wales

Welsh Assembly Government WRAP

Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025

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to fund this activity which is being delivered by WRAP. The Welsh Assembly Government, through its Waste Infrastructure Procurement Programme, will continue to run its Digestate Market Development Group to support market development for digestate and address digestate related issues arising from the procurement programme, working closely in association with WRAP.

nn) Generic support for recycling companies

Welsh Assembly Government

Short to medium term: From 2011 to 2025

In accordance with the Welsh Assembly Governments Economic Renewal: a new direction, it is likely that waste companies, including those involved in recycling, will be included for support under the energy and environment sector. Supporting this sector is a key action in Capturing the Potential, A Green Jobs Strategy for Wales.

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3.3.4 Other recovery of source separated wastes

3.3.4.1 Introduction

This section covers a part of the waste hierarchy that is of less significance than the other parts, hence it is dealt with in less detail. But nonetheless, there is some important issues that need consideration, and this section focuses on these. 3.3.4.2 Definitions

Other recovery of source separated waste streams

Waste hierarchy The revised Waste Framework Directive states in Article 4 that the following waste hierarchy shall be applied as a priority order in waste prevention and management legislation and policy a) Prevention b) Preparing for reuse c) Recycling d) Other recovery, and e) Disposal The revised Waste Framework Directive defines recovery in Article 3 (57) as being: recovery means any operation the principal result of which is waste serving a useful purpose by replacing other materials which would otherwise have been used to fulfil a particular function, or waste being prepared to fulfil that function, in the plant or in the wider economy. Annex II sets out a non-exhaustive list of recovery operations.

Annex II includes the following recovery operations which can apply when a separated waste stream has been used in an application where it has either not met the relevant end of waste criteria, or national quality standard, and is thus still a waste. R 1 Use principally as a fuel or other means to generate energy for example the use of contaminated waste wood as a fuel R 10 Land treatment resulting in benefit to agriculture or ecological improvement for example where green or food waste is applied directly to land without prior biological treatment (composting or AD).

3.3.4.3

Benefits

For certain separated wastes, optimised energy recovery options offer the best environmental option due to their mixed nature or the lack of reuse or recycling options. These include (but are not necessarily limited to) : Treated, coated or composite wood and wood products which cannot be feasibly reused or recycled ie. chipboard, melamine, certain furniture items etc.
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 Mixed and composite plastic residues. Mixed textiles and fabrics. (i.e.low grade flooring materials, mattress flock etc.) Low grade or contaminated paper and card (ie. food packaging etc). Mixed low-grade waste streams (i.e. vehicle fragmentation fluff) When considering such wastes, the efficiency of the energy recovery facility is key to ensuring that the material is managed in the most appropriate manner, and each waste stream needs to be considered on its own merits. As well as the recovery of energy, other recovery also includes activities such as the spreading of biowastes to land, for agricultural or ecological benefit. The materials are spread as waste and are subject to the controls of the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2007 (as amended), and is only allowed if agricultural/ecological benefit can be proven, and no environmental harm occurs. 3.3.4.4 1. Specific Objectives

Recovery of source separated waste streams only takes place where this is the preferred route for these waste streams taking into account the waste hierarchy and a life cycle approach.. Recovery operations do not cause harm to human health or the environment or to living organisms or biodiversity Actions

2.

3.3.4.5

In order to ensure that the best sustainable development outcomes occur for certain wastes, including biowastes and difficult wastes that cannot easily be recycled, the following actions are proposed. Energy recovery a) Energy recovery for difficult wastes The Welsh Assembly Government proposes to support the development of appropriate energy from waste routes for separated wastes (e.g. treated waste wood) where this is the best practicable environmental option. Consultation Question 9: Do you agree that certain separated wastes that are difficult to recycle should be sent for energy recovery rather than to landfill?

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Other recovery of untreated food waste b) Landspreading of untreated food waste: Currently there is a significant tonnage of untreated food waste which is recovered via landspreading. There are potential environmental risks associated with spreading untreated food waste. It also means that the additional benefits which would be realised through AD (principally the generation of renewable energy) are being lost. This landspreading activity is now more stringently controlled than it has been in the past and it is not suitable for all food wastes. (The revised exemption provisions under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 do not allow registration for spreading of food waste on agricultural land except for milk from agricultural premises only). The Welsh Assembly Government wishes to promote AD as the recycling route for this material in preference to land spreading as identified in Towards Zero Waste. The more stringent permitting requirements for landspreading this material may make this route less economically attractive. Consultation question 10: Do you agree that it is undesirable for untreated food waste to be spread on land in Wales, even under a permit, but instead be treated by AD? If yes, should the Welsh Assembly Government introduce legislation to specifically prevent the landspreading of untreated food waste? c) Sink disposal of food waste (including fats, oils and greases) The use of food waste disposers (e.g. macerators) for the disposal of food waste via the sewage system is a concern that has been raised by both the water industry (Water UK) and the Environment Agency. This management route not only means that the ecological benefits which would be realised through treating this waste via AD are not realised, but it also puts a significant treatment load on the sewage system and can contribute to sewer blockages. There are also significant problems associated with the disposal in drains of fats, oils and greases from commercial and domestic kitchens. These cause major problems with sewer blockages. Fats, oils and greases are a suitable feedstock for AD plants. The Welsh Assembly Government will work with the water companies and the Environment Agency to discourage the use of sink drains (including macerators) for the disposal of food waste.

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3.3.4.6

Summary of actions for other recovery of source separated wastes

Table 26 provides a summary of the actions proposed to deliver the recovery of source separated wastes objectives of the Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector plan Table 26: Summary of proposed actions on other recovery of source separated wastes Action By Whom By When a) Energy recovery for difficult wastes
Welsh Assembly Government Short to long term: 2011 to 2025

How

The Welsh Assembly Government proposes to support the development of appropriate energy from waste routes for those separated wastes (e.g. treated waste wood) where energy from waste represents the best practicable environmental option. The Welsh Assembly Government wishes to promote AD as the recycling route for this material in preference to land spreading as identified in Towards Zero Waste. The more stringent permitting requirements for landspreading this material may make this route less economically attractive. The Welsh Assembly Government will work with the water companies and the Environment Agency to discourage the use of sink drains (including macerators) for the disposal of food waste.

b) Landspreading of untreated Welsh Assembly Government food waste:

Short to long term: 2011 to 2025

c) Sink disposal of food waste (including fats, oils and greases)

Welsh Assembly Government

Short to long term: 2011 to 2025

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3.3.5 Recovery and Disposal of residual wastes

3.3.5.1 Definitions

Energy recovery and incineration

Waste hierarchy The revised Waste Framework Directive puts energy recovery above incineration, for municipal waste, and differentiates them as follows (in Annexes I and II) in the order of the waste hierarchy: Recovery Operation: R1 - Use principally as a fuel or other means to generate energy This includes incineration facilities dedicated to the processing of municipal solid waste only where their energy efficiency is equal to or above: 0,60 for installations in operation and permitted in accordance with applicable Community legislation before 1 January 2009, 0,65 for installations permitted after 31 December 2008, using the following formula: Energy efficiency = (Ep - (Ef + Ei))/(0,97 (Ew + Ef)) In which: Ep means annual energy produced as heat or electricity. It is calculated with energy in the form of electricity being multiplied by 2,6 and heat produced for commercial use multiplied by 1,1 (GJ/year); Ef means annual energy input to the system from fuels contributing to the production of steam (GJ/year); Ew means annual energy contained in the treated waste calculated using the net calorific value of the waste (GJ/year); Ei means annual energy imported excluding Ew and Ef (GJ/year); 0,97 is a factor accounting for energy losses due to bottom ash and radiation. This formula shall be applied in accordance with the reference document on Best Available Techniques for waste incineration. Disposal operation: D10 Incineration on land This will includes incineration facilities dedicated to the processing of municipal solid waste only where their energy efficiency is less than: 0,60 for installations in operation and permitted in accordance with applicable Community legislation before 1 January 2009, 0,65 for installations permitted after 31 December 2008, using the above formula. Issue of permits Article 23(4) of the revised Waste Framework Directive sets the following requirement: It shall be a condition of any permit covering incineration or co-incineration with energy recovery that the recovery of energy take place with a high level of energy efficiency.

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3.3.5.2

The benefits of diverting residual waste from landfill sites and recovering energy

Waste that cannot be prevented, reused or recycled can either be landfilled or subjected to another form of recovery. The predominant method of disposal for residual waste produced in Wales is currently landfill. However, developing more landfill capacity is the least favoured option as it is at the bottom of the waste hierarchy. As identified in Towards Zero Waste, high energy efficiency energy from waste (EfW) plant is the preferred option for any waste that cannot be prevented, reused or recycled. Diverting biodegradable waste from landfill significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions Both Towards Zero Waste and the Climate Change Strategy commit Wales to reducing direct greenhouse gas emissions from the waste sector, by diverting biodegradable waste from landfill to recycling, composting or anaerobic digestion, through: Diversion of all biodegradable municipal waste (collected by local authorities) from landfill by 2020; Diversion of other biodegradable waste (from other municipal, commercial, industrial and construction and demolition sectors) from landfill by 2025. It is estimated that this will deliver savings of 0.66 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) by 2020, against a 2007 baseline of 1.31 million tonnes of CO2e. Landfill also has the potential to cause pollution via landfill leachate, and amenity problems in the case of smells, although both are strictly controlled through the setting and enforcement of environmental permits by the Environment Agency. The benefits of High Energy Efficiency EfW Plant, and heat mapping Evidence gathered by the Welsh Assembly Government45 indicates that the treatment method most likely to deliver best the sustainable development outcomes identified in One Wales, One Planet and in Towards Zero Waste for residual waste is the Use as a fuel of the residual municipal waste left after recycling in energy recovery plants with a high energy efficiency. Treatment of residual waste in high efficiency energy from waste facilities yield significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions associated with waste management, as verified by life cycle assessment studies.

Modelling of Impacts for Selected Residual Waste Plant Options using WRATE a report to the Welsh Assembly Government. AEA plc, September 2009

45

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The evidence detailed above indicates that the best performing residual waste options are combustion facilities operating in heat only or CHP modes, and pyrolysis/ gasification options operating in CHP modes. For both cases, the greater the process efficiency, the better the environmental return. The report outlines the fact that maximum efficiencies on gasification and pyrolysis plants are lower than for combustion facilities but that more electricity can be produced in CHP mode by these facilities. In order to achieve these levels of efficiencies a use needs to be found for heat generated. 3.3.5.3 Specific Objectives

In order to meet the key milestones and key social, economic and environmental outcomes identified in Towards Zero Waste, the following recovery and disposal objectives are proposed: 1. The targets and ceilings (including maximum levels) set for recycling, EfW and landfill in Towards Zero Waste are met. 2. The development of an integrated and adequate network of waste management facilities to manage residual waste, ensuring that the necessary sustainable residual waste recovery and disposal infrastructure is made available or accessible for all sectors in Wales to meet the targets set in Towards Zero Waste and proposed in the relevant sector plans. 3. Residual treatment plants deliver carbon reduction outcomes (e.g. high energy efficiency EfW plants). 4. Access to an adequate network of facilities for the treatment and disposal of hazardous waste. 5. The planning system facilitates the development of residual waste facilities in the right place at the right time. 6. The management (including collection) of waste must be carried out without endangering human health, and without harming the environment (including living organisms and biodiversity) and in compliance with the Habitat Regulations. 7. Local people understand why sustainable waste management facilities are in their locality and are empowered to use them. 8. All collection and management infrastructure for waste is capable of adapting to, and is resilient, in respect of the impacts of climate change, including the need to maintain business continuity during extreme weather and avoid public nuisance during routine operations, , and including the need to take into account any areas of managed realignment along the Welsh coastline when siting new waste facilities. 9. Obligations for Wales under EU and UK waste legislation are met. Including Habitat Regulations.

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3.3.5.4

Roles and responsibilities

Householders: People produce the waste that Local Authorities collect from households, and people are in the prime position to both reduce their waste and to separate out materials for reuse and recycling thus minimising the amount of residual waste generated Business / other waste producers: The business and public sectors are a major waste generator within Wales and currently landfill significant amounts of recyclable/recoverable material. This puts businesses and public sector bodies in a prime position to segregate waste which can be reused or recycled thus minimising the amount of residual waste generated. Businesses and public sector bodies must comply with all relevant legislation surrounding the management of their waste. Local Authorities: As the organisations responsible for the collection of municipal waste, and closest to the communities and individuals responsible for creating the waste, Local Authorities are at the front line of influencing the behaviours of householders to minimise the amount of residual waste they generate. Local Authorities have a role to ensure that waste management collection services and onward treatment is undertaken in a manner which maximises environmental benefit where possible and does not endanger human health or the environment. They need to comply with regulations and implement sector plans where appropriate. Planners: Local Authority planners have a role to play in the development of waste management infrastructure and systems for Wales. This includes the development of infrastructure for the treatment, recovery and disposal of residual waste. Planners need to be aware of how the environmentally beneficial options of the treatment of residual waste can be promoted by their decisions. Waste Management Companies: As the organisations likely to be treating the residual waste generated in Wales, waste management companies need to ensure that this waste is treated via the most environmentally beneficial means as far as possible. Waste management companies must comply with regulations and carry out their operations in a manner which does not endanger human health or the environment (including living organisms and biodiversity). Government: Government has a strong role at a national and international level to drive environmentally beneficial means of treating the residual waste generated in Wales. This includes setting targets, providing guidance, providing funding support and advice, commissioning research, supporting innovation and ensuring national awareness raising and behavioural change campaigns. Regulators: Regulators, such as the Environment Agency, have powers and duties to implement specific environmental regulation, working to better regulation principles. They also have a role to be an independent adviser to devolved government in developing legislation and policy on environmental matters.

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Delivery Agents such as WRAP: Provide advice, support, and expertise. Targets

3.3.5.5

Landfill Limitation Targets EU Landfill Directive The Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC) sets targets for Member States to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill. This was in line with its overall objective to prevent or reduce as far as possible the negative effects of landfilling on the environment, including reducing the production of methane gas from landfills, as well as any resultant risk to human health. The Directive includes a definition of municipal waste (Article 2) as waste from households, as well as other waste which, because of its nature or composition, is similar to waste from households. It defines biodegradable waste as any waste that is capable of undergoing anaerobic or aerobic decomposition, such as food and garden waste, and paper and paperboard. These definitions are used as the basis for the landfill diversion targets included in Article 5(2) of the Directive. The UKs targets (with the 4 year derogation as the UK stated that it landfilled more than 80% of its municipal waste in 1995) are to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) sent to landfill to: 75% of the total amount produced in 1995 by July 2010 50% of the total amount produced in 1995 by July 2013 35% of the total amount produced in 1995 by July 2020 Member States may be subject to Infraction (with subsequent fines) if they fail to meet their targets. These targets were transposed into UK legislation with the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003 (WET Act). This legislation also provided the legal basis for landfill allowance schemes in each of the four administrations in the UK. In Wales the Landfill Allowance Scheme (Wales) Regulations 2004. This scheme was established as the primary means for ensuring that Wales met its party of the obligation of the UKs Directive targets. The definition of municipal waste set out in the Directive was included in the WET Act. However, in further developing the landfill allowance schemes it was felt necessary to provide greater clarity to the definition of municipal waste. In doing so municipal waste was in practice defined by all four UK administrations as waste that is under the possession or control of Local
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Authorities, and the landfill allowance schemes were established to apply to Local Authorities only. Defras discussions with the European Commission in 2010 concluded that the UKs existing approach was focused too narrowly on waste collected by Local Authorities; that this approach focused on too small a subset of the totality of waste produced and that the environmental objectives of the Directive to reduce the negative effects of landfilling would be better addressed by a broader definition. The revised approach to municipal waste is based on waste classified using the List of Wastes Decision (or the European Waste Catalogue). Chapter 20 of this catalogue can broadly be considered to equate to municipal waste. It is intended to also include parts of Chapter 19 (waste from treatment facilities) and Chapter 15 (packaging waste). This approach has been agreed with the European Commission and will bring the UK approach closer to that used in other Member States. It means that a much larger proportion of commercial and (some) industrial waste is now included within the definition. This change does not mean that any additional waste is sent to landfill and is simply a change to the way municipal waste is classified. In addition, it is not anticipated that the revised approach will, in itself, alter significantly the current responsibilities and arrangements for managing this waste. Whereas previously the term municipal waste only applied to waste managed by Local Authorities it will now extend to cover relevant wastes managed by private sector waste management companies. Local Authority obligations to manage waste will not be amended to cover the new waste being included in the scope of municipal waste for the first time. They will continue to manage household waste, and commercial and industrial waste when requested. The vast majority of commercial and industrial waste is managed by the private sector and we do not expect this to change. However, as a result of the change in the definition of what counts as municipal waste, this means a revision of the Landfill Directive targets has been necessary. Revised UK targets Tables 27 and 28 show the original and revised targets for the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) that can be landfilled in Wales; these for part of the UKs figures that have been agreed with the European Commission. The UKs targets have roughly doubled as a result of the definitional change, similarly for Wales.

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Table 27 OriginaltargetsfortheamountofBMWthatcanbelandfilledinWales Amount of Amount of BMW that can be BMW landfilled in each target year (tonnes) produced Year 1995 2010 2013 2020 Tonnes 946,667 710,000 470,000 330,000
Based on waste that is under the possession or control of local authorities

Table 28 Revised targets for the amount of BMW that can be landfilled in Wales Amount of Amount of BMW that can be BMW landfilled in each target year (tonnes) produced Year 1995 2010 2013 2020 Tonnes 1,837,000 1,378,000 919,000 643,000
Based on the new wider definition

Continuing requirements on local authorities in Wales Table 29 identifies the allowances that Local authorities in Wales have been set to landfill BMW under the Landfill Allowances Scheme (Wales) 2004 Table 29 BMW allowances set under the Landfill Allowances Scheme Wales Amount of BMW that can be landfilled by local authorities in each target year (tonnes) Year 2010 2013 2020 Tonnes 710,000 470,000 330,000 There are no plans to change these targets, nor to modify significantly any aspect of the operation of the Landfill Allowances Scheme in Wales. The fines of 200 per tonne for any BMW landfilled in excess of allowances will remain in force. Compliance with the targets will continue to be made via WasteDataFlow and the mass balance calculation carried out by the Environment Agency as the Monitoring Authority. Requirements on commercial waste There will be a requirement to ensure that the requisite reduction is made in the landfilling of BMW not collected by local authorities (see Table 30) this will largely affect commercial waste collected by private waste management companies. It is likely that compliance will be monitored via quarterly landfill site returns that are reported by landfill operators to the Environment Agency. There will be a need to periodically determine the biodegradability of this landfilled commercial waste perhaps through compositional analysis surveys at an all Wales level carried out, at 3-5 year intervals.

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Table 30 Amount of BMW that can be landfilled each year according to the collection route Category of BMW Amount of BMW that can be landfilled in each target year (tonnes) 2010 2013 2020 BMW collected by local authorities 710,000 470,000 330,000 BMW collected by others (mostly 668,000 449,000 313,000 commercial waste) Total BMW 1,378,000 919,000 643,000 In terms of compliance against the 2010 target, the BMW landfilled figure for Wales for 2009 has been estimated by the Environment Agency to be 781,007 tonnes, significantly within the maximum allowed of 1,378,000 tonnes. Landfill targets for municipal waste Towards Zero Waste Table 31 identifies the targets for limiting the amount of landfill in respect of the total municipal waste collected by Local Authorities that have been set in Towards Zero Waste:
Table 31: Landfill targets for Municipal Sector set in Towards Zero Waste Year 09-10 12-13 15-16 19-20 24-25 Maximum level of landfill of 10% 5% municipal waste

The statutory recycling targets set in the Waste (Wales) Measure 2010 for local authority collected municipal waste effectively set a ceiling for the amount of energy from waste (EfW). Thus, as there is a target of 70% recycling for 2024/25, the absolute maximum proportion of municipal waste that can go to EfW is 30%. . Proposed landfill targets for industrial and commercial waste Table 32 identifies proposed targets for limiting the amount of landfill of industrial and commercial waste in Wales:
Table 32: Proposed landfill targets for industrial and commercial waste. Year 09-10 12-13 15-16 19-20 Maximum level of landfill of 10% industrial and commercial waste

24-25 5%

Consultation Question 11: Do you agree that the proposed landfill limitation targets for industrial and commercial waste are appropriate? If no, what targets do you suggest should be set? Energy from waste ceiling for municipal waste

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Table 33 identifies the Energy from Waste ceilings for the local authority collected municipal waste that have been set in Towards Zero Waste. Table 33: Energy from Waste ceilings for the local authority collected municipal waste Year 09-10 12-13 15-16 19-20 24-25 Maximum level of energy from 42% 36% 30%
waste of municipal waste for individual Local Authorities

Energy from waste ceiling for industrial and commercial waste Other than the Landfill Directive target to limit the landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste that now includes most biodegradable commercial waste, there are no specific targets for residual waste management in the commercial and industrial sector. However, recycling targets of 70% have been set in Towards Zero Waste and the remaining 30% of residual waste can be diverted from landfill to high energy efficiency energy from waste plants. This would meet the zero landfill by 2025 milestone set in Towards Zero Waste. Table 34 identifies a proposed Energy from Waste ceiling for industrial and commercial waste. Table34: Proposed Energy from Waste ceilings for the industrial and commercial waste Year 09-10 12-13 15-16 19-20 24-25 Maximum level of energy from 30%
waste of industrial and commercial waste

Consultation Question 12: Do you agree that the proposed energy from waste ceiling for industrial and commercial waste is appropriate? It is proposed that the recycling of processed Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) will be included as counting towards recycling targets as long as it meets an appropriate Quality Protocol (if one is agreed; work is underway to determine whether one can be developed). If the recycling of IBA is counted as recycling, then the ceilings on energy from waste would be net of any recycling of IBA. Targets for landfill in the commercial and industrial sector Towards Zero Waste also makes a commitment to reducing the landfilling of biodegradable wastes, and diverting food waste from landfill to anaerobic digestion plant, diverting food and card from landfill to recycling and metals from landfill to recycling. Action on these are in the section on recycling above.

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3.3.5.6

Actions on the collection and recovery and disposal of residual waste

Introduction The Welsh Assembly Government recognises that in the medium term (until all products are designed in way that can be recycled and the markets are available to recycle all of them) there will be waste arisings in Wales which cannot be recycled easily or cost effectively. Studies carried out by the Welsh Assembly Government and the Regional Waste Groups have determined that on sustainable development grounds energy from waste options are the optimal management route for these wastes. However, it is important that materials which could be recycled are not sent to energy from waste facilities. The Welsh Assembly Government has therefore set the tapered cap on the use of energy recovery using residual waste from Local Authority Municipal Waste collections. The Welsh Assembly Government also considers that there is a need for facilities recovering energy from residual wastes to be operated at high efficiencies in order to minimise their environmental impacts and maximise their benefits. Key to achieving this is the recovery of heat from such installations. Currently, the use of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) or heat only is not that widespread in the UK. This sector plan is accompanied by a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) that updates the HIA carried out for Towards Zero Waste Actions Collections a. Adapting to climate change, including business continuity planning Local authorities and private waste companies should take account of the need to adapt to climate change, including effective planning to maintain business continuity during extreme weather and avoid public nuisance during routine operations. This will involve considering issues such as the location of waste sites and the potential need to cope with changes in waste composition. The Welsh Assembly Government is currently consulting on its use of the Reporting Power under Part 4 of the Climate change Act 2008, and its advice on climate change adaptation to reporting authorities. This will also be of benefit to any other organisation seeking to build resilience to the impacts of climate change. The Environment Agency has also published Supplementary Guidance46 to reporting authorities. This includes a useful checklist in relation to flood risk, coastal change and water resources, and a procedure for appraising options for environmental impacts and benefits.

46

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/planning/116480.aspx

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There is also a need to take into account any areas of managed realignment along the Welsh coastline when siting new recovery and disposal facilities. Flytipping b. Arrangements to tackle flytipping The Environment Agency defines Flytipping in its guide Tackling Flytipping a guide to landowners and land managers (http://www.environment agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Leisure/fin_1401786.pdf) as :Flytipping is the illegal dumping of waste and is a crime. All kinds of waste are flytipped, the most common being household waste. Other wastes that are flytipped include appliances like fridges and washing machines, waste from building and demolition work, animal carcasses, vehicle parts and tyres. Hazardous wastes such as oil, asbestos sheeting and chemicals are also dumped illegally. The types of land most commonly affected by flytipping include land near to public waste tips, roadsides and private land, particularly on the outskirts of urban areas, in back alleys and on derelict land. The Flycapture tool records the number of flytipping incidents and cost of clearance that Local Authorities have to deal with47. The flytipping statistics for April '09 to March '10 were released by the Assembly Government in September 2010 and showed that 48,179 fly-tipping incidents were dealt with by Local Authorities in 2009-10 and the estimated cost of clearance of illegally dumped waste reported by local authorities in 2009-10 was 2.71 million. Flycapture does not capture the number of unreported fly-tipping incidents on private land and the cost of clearance to private landowners, and therefore the true number of incidents and cost to the Welsh economy is likely to be in excess of this. To address the issue of flytipping, the Welsh Assembly Government is providing annual funding directed through Fly-tipping Action Wales, the Local Environmental Quality grant scheme and the Tidy Towns programme. This funding has produced, and is continuing to produce, tangible local environmental benefits for communities who were previously affected by littering or fly-tipped waste and has also significantly reduced Local Authorities clean up costs . Flycapture data in 2009-10 evidenced a reduction in flytipping incidents for the 3rd consecutive year

47

Data generated by Flycapture is available on the Welsh Assembly Government website at

:-

http://wales.gov.uk/topics/statistics/headlines/environment2010/100909/?lang =enhttp://wales.gov.uk/topics/statistics/headlines/environment2010/100909/?lang=en

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Flytipping Action Wales is taking a holistic approach to combating fly-tipping, working closely with partners to achieve a year on year reduction in flytipping incidents through awareness raising campaigns, education and enforcement. Particular emphasis is on raising awareness of the duty of care for responsible waste disposal (amongst businesses, householders, students, landlords and the general public) , working with businesses on innovative ways of reducing business waste produced and working with partners exchanging intelligence and greater use of surveillance methods to increase convictions. Current powers allow prosecutions for more serious fly-tipping incidents and Fixed Penalty Notices for low-level environmental crimes and the Welsh Assembly Government is working closely with local authorities and other enforcement authorities (such as the police and Environment Agency Wales) to ensure these powers are fully utilised. Civil emergencies c. Arrangements to collect and manage waste arising from civil emergencies The Welsh Assembly Government will ensure that all plans for civil emergencies include consideration of how any large quantities or especially difficult types of wastes would be collected and managed. Infrastructure for residual waste d. Protecting human health, the environment (including living organisms and biodiversity) All residual waste treatment plants and landfills are tightly regulated by Environmental Permits issued by the Environment Agency. Emission controls for EfW plants have to meet EU Waste Incineration Directive limits that are currently far tighter than controls over other comparable industrial and power plants that do not use waste as a fuel. Health Impact Assessments (HIA) carried out for both the Regional Waste Plans and Towards Zero Waste conclude that modern well regulated waste treatment plants do not have a significant impact on health, and therefore should not be a cause for concern. The Health Protection Agency issued The Impact on Health of Emissions to Air from Municipal Waste Incinerators in September 2009 which presented the results of a review of research undertaken to examine the suggested links between emissions from municipal waste incinerators and effects on health. The research concluded that: While it is not possible to rule out adverse health effects from modern, well regulated municipal waste incinerators with complete certainty, any potential damage to the health of those living close-by is likely to be very small, if detectable. This view is based on detailed assessments of the effects of air pollutants on health and on the fact that modern and well managed municipal waste incinerators make only a very small
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contribution to local concentrations of air pollutants. The Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment has reviewed recent data and has concluded that there is no need to change its previous advice, namely that any potential risk of cancer due to residency near to municipal waste incinerators is exceedingly low and probably not measurable by the most modern techniques. Since any possible health effects are likely to be very small, if detectable, studies of public health around modern, well managed municipal waste incinerators are not recommended. In dealing with environmental permit applications for residual waste treatment facilities (including EfW) and landfill the Environment Agency will always take into account up to date health impact studies related to relevant emissions, and before determining the application will consult, and take on board comment from, the relevant health authority or agency. Any new waste facility which is likely to have a significant impact on a Natura 2000 site, when assessed by consideration of its implications of the sites conservation objectives, will only proceed after it has been subject to a Habitats Regulations Assessment. If that assessment concludes that the project would have an adverse effect on the integrity of the site it can only proceed, in the absence of alternative solutions, if there are imperative reasons of overriding public interest. In addition, compensatory measures must be taken to maintain the coherence of the Natura 2000 network. e. Procurement support for the treatment of residual municipal waste In order to support local authorities in obtaining a solution for the treatment of their residual municipal waste and to reduce costs, the Welsh Assembly Government has encouraged them to work in consortia and has put in place an extensive programme of support the Residual Waste Treatment Procurement Programme. Wales requires residual treatment facilities to be in place to meet the 2019/20 policy targets and 2020 EU targets. However, earlier delivery of residual waste infrastructure is essential as it is projected by the Environment Agency that landfill availability will run out prior to 2020 in a number of regions: Notwithstanding the above, with landfill prices, including landfill tax, due to rise to 80 per tonne in the short term 2014, and the annual increases in landfill operator prices driven by increased environmental, health and safety and operations costs, means that the total cost of disposing on waste to landfill will outstrip treatment prices by 2014-15 for residual waste. As such the economic argument for the necessity for appropriate infrastructure and its early delivery is also inescapable. The residual waste treatment programme is a longer term programme of investment. It aims to meet landfill diversion targets for 2020 and views residual waste as a valuable resource to minimise the landfilling of municipal waste in Wales.

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The following consortia are in place: i. Prosiect Gwyrdd (comprising 5 local authorities) in procurement at detailed solutions stage. ii. Tomorrows Valley (comprising 2 local authorities) procurement currently on hold. iii. North Wales (comprising 5 local authorities) in procurement at outline solutions stage. iv. South West Wales (comprising 5 local authorities) currently developing their Outline Business Case. v. A further 2 consortia (comprising 4 local authorities) to follow. In terms of support for the consortia, the Welsh Assembly Government is committed to providing: i. A contribution of 25 per cent of the net present value of the facility gate fee, payable per annum on an annuity basis from full service commencement. ii. 2m per annum RCAF procurement/programme development support; The adoption of any alternative technologies by local authority consortia/hubs participating in the programmes will have to be shown to be better in social, economic and environmental terms than the reference solution of high energy efficiency EfW in order to qualify to receive the additional Welsh Assembly Government funding. f. Support for the treatment of other residual waste The analysis earlier in this plan identifies that for non-municipal residual wastes market forces would need to provide by 2025 annual treatment capacity of between 2.2 million tonnes (if no recycling or prevention takes place), 0.9 million tonnes (if recycling targets are met) or 0.6 million tonnes (if waste prevention and recycling targets are met) each year. Early indications are that the market is responding. There is currently merchant energy from waste plant with planning permission in Wales which would provide 0.6 million tonnes of capacity each year, and a further 0.5 million tonnes capacity each year for intermediate treatments. There are also further proposals for EfW that have started the planning application process. Through the Welsh Assembly Government supported Residual Waste Treatment Procurement Programme, bidders are encouraged to provide additional capacity for residual industrial and commercial waste for the market where this will provide better value for money for the local authorities through economies of scale. The Welsh Assembly Government will keep a watching brief on the market as it should provide the additional capacity as long as the planning system facilitates this. The Welsh Assembly Government will also monitor gate fees for EfW, and will make comparisons with the cost of recycling. Should it become apparent that EfW costs start to undermine recycling, then action may need to be taken in order to ensure that the waste hierarchy is not

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breached. This could include consideration of an EfW tax, similar to the Landfill Tax, although the Assembly Government does not have tax raising powers. g. Achieving high efficiency for Energy from Waste facilities in Wales As discussed in the benefits section, it is important to ensure that residual waste treatment is as sustainable as possible and that the best options for residual waste management are promoted over less appropriate options. This includes obtaining high energy efficiency levels for energy recovery options, and promoting the use of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and heat only options. Towards Zero Waste identifies the Assembly Governments policy that EfW should be conducted at high energy efficiency. Modelling, including a technical feasibility assessment, commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government has shown that in sustainable development and carbon outcome terms a minimum efficiency level of 60% is desirable and technically achievable for combustion based EfW plants, and 50% for gasification or pyrolysis. The proposed efficiency level is simply the ratio of energy out of a system over energy in, and can be expressed as follows :Energy efficiency = Ep / Ew X 100% Ep means annual energy produced as heat or electricity, (GJ/year) Ew means annual energy contained in the treated waste calculated using the net calorific value of the waste (GJ/year) This is illustrated in Figure 26 below :Figure 26 Energy balance for an Energy from Waste process
Support Fuel In Electricity Out

EfW Process

Waste Fuel In Conversion Efficiency

Heat Out (CHP only) [Electricity Out] + [Heat Out] [Waste Fuel In] + [Support Fuel

In respect of combustion based EfW plants, a level of 60% or more efficiency can only be obtained through the generation of a heat only supply. The revised EU Waste Framework Directive has two provisions relating to the efficiency of EfW facilities. Firstly, incinerators taking municipal waste can only be classed as a recovery operation if they exceed what is known as the

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R! formula figure of 0.65 (see section 2.51 above for an explanation of the R1 formula). Due to the different weighting factors applied to the various inputs/outputs in the R1 formula as detailed in Annex 1 to the Waste Framework Directive, there is no straightforward way of converting between a plant efficiency assessed using this formula and the thermal efficiency threshold proposed by the Welsh Assembly Government herein without knowing parameters that are particular to the scheme being considered. Of particular importance would be the heat to power ratio for the scheme as electrical output has double weighting compared to heat output. Based on modelling undertaken for the Welsh Assembly Government by AEA Technology plc ( Modelling of Impacts for Selected Residual Waste Plant Options using WRATE), meeting the R1 target efficiency of 0.65 would equate to a Welsh Assembly Government conversion efficiency of between 32% and 36% where the process is using a steam turbine prime mover (due to the lower electrical efficiencies achieved). However for a scheme using a gas engine prime mover the same R1 target value could be achieved by a process that would have a WAG conversion efficiency of only 26% due to its lower heat to power ratio, and its higher electrical efficiency (i.e. more power output per unit heat). It is important to note that the Directive does not require all incinerators receiving municipal waste to be classed as recovery, merely that if Member States wish to classify them as a recovery operation, then they must exceed the 0.65 threshold under the R1 formula. Article 23(4) of the revised Waste Framework Directive sets the requirement that: It shall be a condition of any permit covering incineration or coincineration with energy recovery that the recovery of energy take place with a high level of energy efficiency. There is no guidance available on what constitutes a high level of energy efficiency. In its current practices for permitting an EfW facility, the Environment Agency requires that EfW plant should be heat enabled, ie that there is provision to draw off heat should a user be found who can use it beneficially. The Agency also requires that a heat plan is provided as part of the permit application. Under its Residual Waste Treatment Procurement Programme the Welsh Assembly Government provides funding support to local authority consortia. It is a condition of such funding, that: 1) where the solution chosen is an energy from waste plant, the facility shall achieve, as a minimum, the R1 designation for recovery; and 2) the overall plant efficiency shall be as high as possible as can be demonstrated to be value for money and, where possible, the Facility(ies) should operate or be capable of operating in combined heat and power mode. It remains open to the Welsh Assembly Government to seek or exercise powers to set energy efficiency requirements for EfW plants operating in Wales, including using the legislative powers available to it under the Government of Wales Act (including primary legislation powers obtained for

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waste through the passing of the Legislative Competency Order). This could include a more stringent requirement for developers of proposed EfW plants to provide a heat and power plan in accordance with specified guidance that would identify existing and potential future heat users located in the proximity of the plant, including their heat demand. It could also be a requirement that EfW plant operators use the Quality Assurance for Combined Heat and Power (CHPQA) standard48 [as published by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)] as a means of establishing how much energy is being recovered. Consultation Question 13: Do you agree that the suggested energy efficiency levels for EfW facilities in Wales are desirable and achievable? If no, please explain your reasons. Consultation Question 14: Do you consider that the Welsh Assembly Government should seek powers to set minimum energy efficiency levels for EfW plants operating in Wales. h. Community engagement for residual waste The Welsh Assembly Government views high efficiency energy from waste as a vital component of the waste management system within Wales. While recent research by the Waste Awareness Wales (WAW) campaign indicates that 62% of people in Wales thought that using non-recyclable material to generate energy was a good idea (as opposed to 14% thinking it a bad idea), such acceptance largely exists on a national and abstract level. Strong opinion barriers sometimes remain at a local level, most notably the perceived health risks and wider community impacts associated with the operation of residual waste treatment technologies. However, the available evidence base does not suggest a link between energy from waste and any significant impact on human or environmental health. Indeed, it suggests that risks are largely occupational in nature, where wider community health risk is managed at the project level through design and planning, together with environmental permitting and regulation. Therefore, with risk being largely a matter of community perception, we must seek to reduce community anxiety and provide reassurance that waste facilities are safe. As such, there is a need for the provision of objective, independent and accessible public information. This must be supported by a clear explanation of how environmental permitting, monitoring and control will help ensure that emissions will not have a significant impact on environmental or human health.

48

http://chpqa.decc.gov.uk/

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The Community Engagement programme run by the WAW campaign aims to raise public awareness of the need for new waste treatment technologies in Wales. The programme aims to promote the economic, environmental and social benefits of developing a new waste treatment infrastructure in Wales and inform in respect of health and environmental impacts. In order to ensure a balanced debate, the case for technology change will be made at both the national and local level. The WAW campaign aims to bridge the gap between national policy and the communication campaigns led by local procurement projects. To achieve this, the WAW campaign will continue to: produce a series of objective and educational public information resources to introduce key waste treatment technology options provide national strategic guidance on issues such as basic campaign principles, communication and consultation planning act as a critical friend to review local communication campaign activities and promote best practice in community engagement develop communication solutions and messages to help deliver a balanced debate on complex science, technology and health impact concerns identify and engage key stakeholders to advocate the need for new waste treatment technologies produce a series of case studies to evidence live facilities and provide a context for Wales residual waste treatment strategy develop a formal schools education programme to introduce new waste treatment technologies and inspire both local and national school debate work with partner organisations to engage the media, communities and other key publics to promote the need for waste infrastructure change and the controls that will license, monitor and regulate new waste treatment facilities In support of this work, the Welsh Assembly Government will ensure the input of key partners, especially those with an environmental permitting and human health responsibility. i. Remaining landfill need

Current baseline projections on landfill need demonstrate that if no additional landfill capacity is developed in Wales, and no alternative capacity developed for the treatment of residual waste, and no further action is taken to meet waste prevention or recycling targets, then landfill void would be exhausted by 2019 in Wales.

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However, if recycling and waste prevention targets are met, and if additional treatment capacity is developed prior to this date, as planned under the Welsh Assembly Governments Residual Waste Treatment Procurement Programme, the need to develop new landfill void reduces, with most modelled scenarios suggesting that there will still be landfill voidspace available in Wales until at least 2025. This is still the case even if the IBA has to be landfilled. Although it is expected that the development of alternative treatment methods will largely remove reliance on landfill, there will still be certain legacy wastes for which landfill represents the Best Practicable Environmental Option, and it is considered that limited access to landfill void will still be required after 2025 as a result of this. It is the Welsh Assembly Governments intention that planning policy and associated guidance will make this clear. All wastes that are landfilled have to be pre-treated under the requirements of Article 6 of the EU Landfill Directive. This is implemented via the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010, and enforced by the Environment Agency. j. The proximity principle

The revised Waste Framework Directive establishes the principle of proximity within the context of the requirement for Member States to establish an integrated and adequate network of waste disposal installations and of installations for the recovery of mixed municipal waste collected from private households, including where such collection also covers such waste from other producers, taking into account best available techniques. The Directive requires that the network shall enable waste to be disposed of, or the wastes referred to in the preceding paragraph to be recovered, in one of the nearest appropriate installations, by means of the most appropriate methods and technologies, in order to ensure a high level of protection for the environment and public health. The proximity principle also links to the Directives requirement that the network shall be designed to enable Member States to move towards the aim of self-sufficiency in waste disposal as well as in the recovery of waste referred to above, taking into account geographical circumstances or the need for specialised installations for certain types of waste. The Directive also makes it clear that each Member State does not have to possess the full range of final recovery facilities within that Member State. This principle must be applied in Wales in respect of the establishment of an adequate network of waste disposal and recovery facilities for mixed municipal waste. TAN21 currently says the following in respect of the proximity and self sufficiency principles:

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The Proximity Principle states that waste should be treated and or disposed of as near to the source of origin as possible because transporting waste itself has an environmental impact. This principle recognises the need for us all to take responsibility for our own waste arisings and not be content with distributing it to other locations for disposal, even if there has always been a tradition of doing so. In order to deal with all local waste arisings wherever practicable, the principle also reinforces the need for an integrated network of facilities. Local authorities must therefore take into account this principle when considering the requirements for, and location of, waste management facilities and regional self-sufficiency. Clearly, however, the treatment and or disposal of waste as near to the source as possible depends on the quantities and types of arising on the local and regional level, and local authorities should not attempt to restrict waste management developments within their boundaries to deal with arisings in their areas. The need for dialogue and cross-boundary partnerships will inevitably be essential. The Self Sufficiency Principle also sets out that as far as practically possible, waste should be treated or disposed of within a sensibly defined region (see section 2) where it is produced. Therefore, each region should aim, as far as is practicable, to provide for facilities with sufficient capacity to manage the predicted quantity and nature of waste arisings from that area for at least a ten year period, and preferably longer. Local planning authorities have a duty to use these principles as set out in the various Directives in their strategic planning, and development control. This will ensure a holistic, forward looking and sustainable approach to waste planning in Wales. The Welsh Assembly Government intends to consult on a review of TAN21 see section 4.1. In order to adhere closely to the text in the revised Waste Framework Directive, there is an option to revise the text in TAN21 so that it explicitly refers to the proximity principle applying specifically to waste disposal installations and of installations for the recovery of mixed municipal waste collected from private households, including where such collection also covers such waste from other producers, taking into account best available techniques. k. Landspreading of compost like output The Welsh Assembly Government has concerns with regard to the spreading of compost-like-outputs (CLOs) from Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT)

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plants. A report49 published by the Environment Agency in 2009 identified the following risks: Undiluted CLO present potential environmental and human health risks from metals and priority organic micro-pollutants Levels of plastics at all sites were relatively high Benzo-a-pyrene remains a potential environmental and human health risk for all the exposure scenarios Significant uncertainty remains when assessing potential human health risks. Currently there is no spreading of CLOs on land in Wales; however, under certain circumstances, the Environment Agency may permit trial spreading of the material. If the use of MBT increases, permit applications to carry out trials of the landspreading of CLO in Wales may occur. The Welsh Assembly Government will keep the situation regarding CLO spreading under review, including whether the precautionary principle needs to be applied. If necessary, the Welsh Assembly Government would consult on restricting or banning the practice. in Wales if the level of potential environmental risk justifies such an approach. l. Treatment of hazardous waste

The treatment of hazardous waste is stringently controlled under the Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005. The responsibility for declaring a waste as hazardous lies with the waste producer, but once the declaration has been made, it has to be managed in accordance with the provisions of the above Regulations. The management of hazardous waste needs to be undertaken in a manner that ensures compliance with the Hazardous Waste Directive 1991 (91/869/EEC) and the above Regulations. There are general prohibitions on the mixing of hazardous wastes with other hazardous wastes or nonhazardous wastes (i.e. to dilute wastes) in non-permitted facilities, and there is a general duty on the producer to segregate hazardous wastes from nonhazardous wastes where possible. Hazardous waste can only be landfilled in a specifically permitted hazardous waste landfill, and it all has to be treated prior to landfill. As identified in the current situation section, the data suggests that there is considerable capacity for the treatment of hazardous waste in Wales there are 33 identified treatment facilities.

Review of human health and environmental risks associated with land application of mechanical - biological treatment outputs (Revision 1);Report: SC030144/R5

49

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There is an identified gap in terms of landfill disposal options, with little disposal capacity in Wales. However, tonnages of hazardous waste that are produced in Wales and which then go to landfill (mostly outside of Wales) are very small. There is therefore little market incentive to develop extra hazardous waste landfill void in Wales. The two nearest hazardous waste landfill facilities to South Wales are within 25 miles of the Welsh border, and the same is true for North Wales. These facilities are therefore reasonably proximate for the small amount of Welsh hazardous waste arisings which are consigned to them (primarily asbestos wastes and contaminated soils.) Capacity at hazardous waste landfill sites exists for air pollution control (APC) residues from incinerators exists close to the England/Wales border see link http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/waste/65397.aspx Given the downward trend in hazardous waste arisings over the last few years, and the likely drivers in terms of cost of dealing with hazardous waste, It is not thought that hazardous waste arisings will increase markedly in the future. Therefore it must be considered that the current infrastructure forms an integrated and adequate network for the management of hazardous wastes. The Welsh Assembly Government considers that capacity provision needs to be closely monitored as part of annual monitoring requirements, but that no immediate intervention to secure new capacity is required. m. Facility closure If an operator of a permitted waste facility no longer needs an environmental permit, because the site has ceased operating, they are required to apply to the Environment Agency to surrender it. The legal test for surrender is that the necessary measures have been taken (a) to avoid a pollution risk resulting from the operation of the regulated facility; and (b) to return the site of the regulated facility to a satisfactory state, having regard to the state of the site before the facility was put into operation. In the case of a landfill site, the operator must show that the waste deposited will not cause an unacceptable risk of pollution or harm to human health or the environment. All landfill sites which accepted waste after July 2001 are subject to the requirements of the Landfill Directive. The Environment Agency has undertaken a programme of re-permitting which has provided a mechanism to ensure that only those sites which meet the environmentally protective standards within the Directive remain open. This has resulted in the closure of a large number of landfill sites, from over 100 in 2002 to only 34 operational landfills permitted in Wales today. In terms of the strategic aspects regarding a move away from landfill, this sector plan has the primary aim of ensuring that an adequate alternative infrastructure is in place or is secured. Waste producers can look for

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alternative sites via Netregs Waste Directory http://wastedirectory.netregs.gov.uk/ The Welsh Assembly Government will monitor periodically the provision of waste infrastructure in Wales and will keep under review whether there is adequate capacity, particularly should a major installation close or suspend operations for any reason. Should there be any significant under capacity, with none available in England within a reasonable distance, the Welsh Assembly Government will then consider whether it will be necessary to step in to help ensure that the market delivers what is required. Market development n. Market development for Heat from EfW facilities In order to achieve the proposed levels of energy efficiency for EfW facilities, a use needs to be found for heat generated at energy recovery installations as well as for any electricity generated. As electricity sales are to the grid, and are guaranteed, then the sale of electricity presents few technical problems beyond the provision of local grid problems connections and negotiating an arrangement with the regulators. The sale of heat, however, can be more difficult. Heat can be used for a number of applications, some of which are all year round, and sometimes up to 24 hours a day for example cooling for data equipment centres, refrigeration, heating for leisure centre swimming pools, use to manufacture food on an industrial scale, and use in chemical plants There are two distinct mechanisms for finding a market for the heat. The first is to match up heat producers with heat users for example by locating an energy recovery facility next to a large industrial heat user. This has the advantages that heat distribution costs are kept to a minimum and the presence of the energy recovery plant offers a low-cost heat option for the industrial user. However, the disadvantage is that the energy recovery plant is entirely reliant on the industrial user to take the available heat and the efficiency of the energy recovery plant is therefore a function of how much heat is taken to run the process. The second option is to feed the heat into a larger district-wide network, supplying domestic, commercial and industrial processes. This has the advantage that, sized correctly, the energy recovery plant can act as baseload (that is not seasonally dependent), and offload all of the available heat energy to the network and therefore operate at maximum efficiency. The disadvantage is that a large network has to be developed, and a large number of customers serviced, with potentially higher distribution costs. A report commissioned by the Carbon Trust in 2008 entitled Heat utilisation in Wales a consideration of the issues (WSP Ltd) established that there is a clear excess demand by industry for process heat in Wales compared to the potential to meet this demand from the use of heat generated by the combustion of residual municipal waste. 37 significant potential heat users

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were identified, and it was calculated that, if residual municipal waste was used to displace natural gas (the default fuel for process heat supply), then the carbon savings from optimising the combustion of residual municipal waste alone would exceed 180,000 tonnes of carbon per annum. There are clear environmental benefits to be obtained from optimising the use of heat, and both the AEA and WSP reports demonstrate the potential. At the time of writing, the Welsh Assembly Government is working with the Carbon Trust on a study to establish the cost of implementing heat distribution networks in Wales. The Welsh Assembly Government will work with planning authorities to explore the possibilities to encourage the development of facilities which offer the best options for the utilisation of maximum heat recovery through the planned revision of TAN21 (Planning and Waste) and supplementary guidance. The Welsh Assembly Government will also work with developers to ensure the creation of heat markets through the actions of its economic development functions in working to encourage local and inward investors to co-locate with energy recovery facilities to utilise synergies. The Welsh Assembly Government is already working with the Carbon Trust to help deliver this action with the creation of a toolkit to help develop costings for potential CHP development opportunities. It is expected that this work will be completed during Spring 2011. Local Authorities are currently in the process of procuring residual treatment facilities through the actions of a number of procurement consortia. The procurements are technology neutral. However, the reference technology against which the procurements are assessed in each instance is mass burn energy recovery plant with CHP at a gross efficiency of 60%. The Welsh Assembly Government has specified that local authority procurement of energy recovery options should be heat enabled to allow the development of CHP for these plants. o. Market development for processed incinerator bottom ash Where raw unprocessed IBA needs to be handled as a waste, operators of EfW plants need to assess whether the material is hazardous, for the purposes of Hazardous Waste Regulations. This determines where and how it can be treated/disposed of for example in a hazardous waste landfill or not. Nearly half the IBA currently produced in the UK is landfilled, suggesting a number of barriers to the sale and recycling of processed IBA. Current waste classification arrangements impose administrative and financial burdens on all market players, as companies are obliged to apply for Environmental Permits, or exemptions from Environmental Permitting, and comply with the Duty of Care regulations. Local Authority MSW incineration sites as waste producers are regulated under the Environment Permits regime, which includes testing of materials before they leave the site.

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The stigma attached to waste makes many potential customers unwilling to use processed IBA materials, due to perceived risks of handling. There is a public perception that long-term liability for health and environmental impacts may be attached to the use of processed IBA and other wastes, in particular the leaching of pollutants into groundwater and surface-waters. The Environment Agency and WRAP have a programme in place to develop Quality Protocols for selective waste derived materials that then allow the materials to be declassified as waste and considered instead as a product or raw material, subject to certain conditions. The QP process is designed to ensure that the waste derived material does not cause any harm to the environment or human health when used in the specified applications. Development of a Quality Protocol (QP) for IBA could remove much of the potential stigma attached to the use of IBA, if there is enough evidence to support its introduction. This would determine suitable applications for the material and evaluate potential risk factors to be addressed by the processors and regulator. A QP would provide certainty and comfort to reassure users, that the material meets quality standards. Any processed IBA meeting the terms of the QP would normally be regarded as having ceased to be waste, and would be able to leave the site of processing as a product, hence removing the legislative burdens discussed above. The Waste Protocols Project is a partnership between the EA, WRAP, NIEA, WAG and Industry. They are currently working to establish if a Quality Protocol can be developed for processed IBA. More specifically, depending on the circumstances of the waste stream concerned, the project seeks to achieve the following outcomes: To assess whether uses of processed IBA in established markets presents any significant risk to human health or the environment. If the risks are not significant, to produce a Quality Protocol identifying the point at which waste, having been fully recovered, may be regarded as a non-waste product that can be either reused by business or industry, or supplied into other markets, enabling it to be used without the need for waste management controls. If the risks are significant, to produce a statement that confirms to the business community what waste management controls they must comply with if they want to use processed IBA as a secondary aggregate. It will remain a waste at point of use. Part of the evidence required to assess whether an end of waste quality protocol should be developed is an assessment of the potential risk of harm to human health and the environment. This is done through the development of a quantitative generic risk assessment that makes a reasonable worst case assessment of the risks posed by the use of processed IBA in bound and unbound civil engineering applications. At present the Waste Protocols Project is gathering evidence to inform this quantitative generic risk assessment. Although there is some data available, the project cannot progress to full risk assessment due to data gaps. To
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bridge this gap the project is working with industry to undertake a Sampling and Characterisation Programme on the material. They are in the early stages of this process and are currently designing a Sampling Plan in accordance with guidance provided in BS EN 14899:2005 Characterization of waste Sampling of waste materials Framework for the preparation and application of a Sampling Plan. Once the plan is complete and subject to funding, a testing programme will be completed which should enable completion of the risk assessment. This in turn will inform a decision about whether or not a Quality Protocol can be developed. The QP is only being developed for moving grate combustion facilities. Fluidised bed combustion technologies are not in the scope. A decision on whether or not a QP should be developed for processed IBA is not expected until mid 2012. If a QP cannot be developed, then the use of processed IBA as an aggregate substitute will count as recovery and not recycling. All materials being considered by the Waste Protocols Project are covered in the interim by a regulatory position statement produced by the Environment Agency, which is available from the Environment Agencys website: http://www.environmentagency.gov.uk/static/documents/Business/MWRP_RPS_017_v11_(PFA_QP) _final_30-09-10.pdf The Welsh Assembly Government will in due course consider further what extra steps may need to be taken to help establish an adequate market for IBA in Wales. Actions could include: a support programme to identify potential users in Wales and guide them on the potential benefits of using IBA; provision of fact sheets/guides on the benefits of using IBA; a requirement in public sector construction contracts that IBA is considered as a suitable secondary aggregate in appropriate applications.

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3.3.5.7

Monitoring and Measuring

The following indicators are proposed (Table 35): Table 35: Proposed indicators for the treatment of residual waste collection service What we will monitor How we will monitor Who will monitor it Towards Zero Waste Indicator We will measure waste arisings, Arisings and activities with the The Welsh management, disposal and municipal sector will be Assembly capacity across all sectors to monitored using WasteDataFlow Government monitor progress against waste which will be adapted if prevention and management necessary. Surveys, or other targets and progress towards methods, may be used for the establishment of an business waste. integrated and adequate network of recovery and disposal facilities.

3.3.5.8

Review

The Welsh Assembly Government will undertake ongoing reviews of how much waste is being generated in Wales and how this material is treated and disposed of, in line with the aims and objectives set out in Towards Zero Waste.

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3.3.5.9 Summary of actions for the Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector plan Table 36Table provides a summary of the actions proposed to deliver the treatment, recovery and disposal objectives of the Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector plan Table 36 Summary of proposed actions for Treatment, Recovery and Disposal
Action By Whom By When How

a) Adapting to climate change, including business continuity planning

Local Authorities / private waste companies

Ongoing

Local authorities and private waste companies should take account of the need to adapt to climate change, including effective planning to maintain business continuity during extreme weather and avoid public nuisance during routine operations. The Welsh Assembly Government is currently consulting on its use of the Reporting Power under Part 4 of the Climate change Act 2008, and its advice on climate change adaptation to reporting authorities. The Environment Agency has also published Supplementary Guidance50 to reporting authorities. This includes a useful checklist in relation to flood risk, coastal change and water resources, and a procedure for appraising options for environmental impacts and benefits. There is also a need to take into account any areas of managed realignment along the Welsh coastline when siting new recovery and disposal facilities.

b)Arrangements to tackle flytipping

Welsh Assembly Government Local Authorities

Short to medium term: 2011 to 2025

The Welsh Assembly Government is providing annual funding directed through Fly-tipping Action Wales, the Local Environmental Quality grant scheme and the Tidy Towns programme.

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http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/planning/116480.aspx

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Environment Agency Current powers allow prosecutions for more serious fly-tipping incidents and Fixed Penalty Notices for low-level environmental crimes and the Welsh Assembly Government is working closely with local authorities and other enforcement authorities (such as the police and Environment Agency Wales) to ensure these powers are fully utilised. c) Arrangements to collect and manage waste arising from civil emergencies Welsh Assembly Governement Ongoing

The Welsh Assembly Government will ensure that all plans for civil emergencies include consideration of how any large quantities or especially difficult types of wastes would be collected and managed.
All residual waste treatment plants and landfills are tightly regulated by Environmental Permits issued by the Environment Agency. Emission controls for EfW plants have to meet EU Waste Incineration Directive limits that are currently far tighter than controls over other comparable industrial and power plants that do not use waste as a fuel. In dealing with environmental permit applications for residual waste treatment facilities (including EfW) and landfill the Environment Agency will always take into account up to date health impact studies related to relevant emissions, and before determining the application will consult, and take on board comment from, the relevant health authority or agency. Any new waste facility which is likely to have a significant impact on a Natura 2000 site, when assessed by consideration of its implications of the sites conservation objectives, will only proceed after it has been subject to a Habitats Regulations Assessment. If that assessment concludes that the project would have an adverse effect on the integrity of the site it can only proceed, in the absence of alternative solutions, if

d) Protecting human health, the environment (including living organisms and biodiversity)

Environment Agency/ Health Protection Agency

Ongoing

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there are imperative reasons of overriding public interest. In addition, compensatory measures must be taken to maintain the coherence of the Natura 2000 network. e) Procurement support for the treatment of residual municipal waste Welsh Assembly Government Short to medium term: 2011 to 2025 In order to support local authorities in obtaining a solution for the treatment of their residual municipal waste and to reduce costs, the Welsh Assembly Government has encouraged them to work in consortia and has put in place an extensive programme of support - the Residual Waste Treatment Procurement Programme. This is a longer term programme of investment. Through the Residual Waste Treatment Procurement Programme, bidders are encouraged to provide additional capacity for residual industrial and commercial waste for the market where this will provide better value for money for the local authorities through economies of scale. The Welsh Assembly Government will keep a watching brief on the market as it should provide the additional capacity as long as the planning system facilitates this. The Welsh Assembly Government will also monitor gate fees for EfW, and will make comparisons with the cost of recycling. Should it become apparent that EfW costs start to undermine recycling, then action may need to be taken in order to ensure that the waste hierarchy is not breached. g) Achieving high efficiency for Energy from Waste facilities in Wales Environment Agency Welsh Assembly Government Waste management companies Short to medium term: 2011 to 2025 In its current practices for permitting an EfW facility, the Environment Agency requires that EfW plant should be heat enabled, ie that there is provision to draw off heat should a user be found who can use it beneficially. Under its Residual Waste Treatment Procurement Programme the

f) Support for the treatment of other residual waste

Welsh Assembly Government

Short to medium term: 2011 to 2025

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Welsh Assembly Government provides funding support to local authority consortia. It is a condition of such funding, that: 1) where the solution chosen is an energy from waste plant, the facility shall achieve, as a minimum, the R1 designation for recovery; and 2) the overall plant efficiency shall be as high as possible as can be demonstrated to be value for money and, where possible, the Facility(ies) should operate or be capable of operating in combined heat and power mode. It remains open to the Welsh Assembly Government to seek or exercise powers to set energy efficiency requirements for EfW plants operating in Wales, including using the legislative powers available to it under the Government of Wales Act (including primary legislation powers obtained for waste through the passing of the Legislative Competency Order). h) Community engagement for residual waste Waste Awareness wales campaign Short to medium term: 2011 to 2025

The Community Engagement programme run by Waste Awareness Wales aims to raise public awareness of the need for new waste treatment technologies in Wales. It will seek to reduce community anxiety and provide reassurance that waste facilities are safe through the provision of objective, independent and accessible public information. This will be supported by a clear explanation of how environmental permitting, monitoring and control will help ensure that emissions will not have a significant impact on environmental or human health. The programme aims to promote the economic, environmental and social benefits of developing a new waste treatment infrastructure in Wales and inform in respect of health and environmental impacts. In order to ensure a balanced debate, the case for technology change will be made at both the national and local level. In support of this work, the Welsh Assembly Government will ensure the input of key partners, especially those with an environmental permitting

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and human health responsibility. i) Remaining landfill need Welsh Assembly Government Medium to longer term: 2025 to 2050 It is the Welsh Assembly Governments intention that planning policy and associated guidance will make it clear that limited access to landfill void will still be required after 2025 for certain legacy wastes for which landfill represents the Best Practicable Environmental Option . The Welsh Assembly Government intends to consult on a review of TAN21. In order to adhere closely to the text in the revised Waste Framework Directive, there is an option to revise the text in TAN21 so that it explicitly refers to the proximity principle applying specifically to waste disposal installations and of installations for the recovery of mixed municipal waste collected from private households, including where such collection also covers such waste from other producers, taking into account best available techniques. The Welsh Assembly Government will keep the situation regarding CLO spreading under review, including whether the precautionary principle needs to be applied. If necessary, the Welsh Assembly Government would consult on restricting or banning the practice. in Wales if the level of potential environmental risk justifies such an approach. The Welsh Assembly Government considers that capacity provision needs to be closely monitored as part of annual monitoring requirements, but that no immediate intervention to secure new capacity is required. The Welsh Assembly Government will monitor periodically the provision of waste infrastructure in Wales and will keep under review whether there is adequate capacity, particularly should a major installation close

j) The proximity principle

Welsh Assembly Government

2011-12

k) Landspreading of compost like output

Welsh Assembly Government

Short to medium term: 2011 to 2025

l) Treatment of hazardous waste

Welsh Assembly Government

Short to medium term: 2011 to 2025

m) Facility closure

Welsh Assembly Government

Ongoing

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or suspend operations for any reason. Should there be any significant under capacity, with none available in England within a reasonable distance, the Welsh Assembly Government will then consider whether it will be necessary to step in to help ensure that the market delivers what is required. n) Market development for Heat from EfW facilities Welsh Assembly Government Carbon Trust The Welsh Assembly Government will work with planning authorities to explore the possibilities to encourage the development of facilities which offer the best options for the utilisation of maximum heat recovery through the planned revision of TAN21 (Planning and Waste) and supplementary guidance. The Welsh Assembly Government will also work with developers to ensure the creation of heat markets through the actions of its economic development functions in working to encourage local and inward investors to co-locate with energy recovery facilities to utilise synergies. The Welsh Assembly Government is already working with the Carbon Trust to help deliver this action with the creation of a toolkit to help develop costings for potential CHP development opportunities. It is expected that this work will be completed during Spring 2011. o) Market development for processed incinerator bottom ash Welsh Assembly Government WRAP/Environment Agency (Protocols) Constructing Excellence Wales Short to medium term: 2011 to 2025 The Waste Protocols Project is a partnership between the EA, WRAP, NIEA, WAG and Industry. They are currently working to establish if a Quality Protocol can be developed for processed IBA. The Welsh Assembly Government will in due course consider further what extra steps may need to be taken to help establish an adequate market for IBA in Wales. Short to medium term: 2011 to 2025 The Welsh Assembly Government is working with the Carbon Trust on a study to establish the cost of implementing heat distribution networks in Wales.

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Other Considerations

4.1 Landuse Planning / TAN21

Land use planning for waste management disposal and recovery facilities, which reflects the approaches taken in the Towards Zero Waste, the sector plans and Planning Policy Wales Technical Advice Note TAN 21 Planning and Waste (TAN21), must support the development of an integrated and adequate network of waste disposal installations and installations for the recovery of mixed municipal waste in order to ensure compliance with the Article 16 of the Revised Waste Framework Directive (Principles of self sufficiency and proximity). This network should be designed in such a way that (i) supports the drive towards self-sufficiency, in which waste arising in Wales is treated and captured as a resource in Wales and (ii) enables waste to be treated as close as possible to where it arises (in fulfilment of the proximity principle). Currently, the Regional Waste Plans (RWPs) provide strategic and spatial information on both the types of waste facilities required in a region and the types of locations likely to be acceptable. Each RWP contains a spatial strategy. Underpinning this are Areas of Search maps, generated through a sustainability appraisal incorporating the requirements of a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), and using a Geographical Information System (GIS). GIS analysis was used to provide data with respect to spatial questions, for example identifying areas with specific designations or features. Weightings were applied to different criteria to reflect the level of potential as waste management sites. Composite maps were produced using the GIS, for in-building and open air sites. Each RWP now contains areas of search maps data comprising: a) 1st areas of search: identified as areas appropriate for waste management-development as a result of appropriate site characteristics and few significant environmental constraints; b) 2nd, 3rd, and 4th areas of search, identified as those areas that cannot be excluded from consideration as appropriate areas, but where a greater level of constraint exists; c) exclusion zones, identified as those areas which, on the basis of clear planning policy, have been considered inappropriate for development as waste management sites. RWPs also provide additional guidance for LPAs in identifying appropriate sites for inclusion in Local Development Plans. In particular, it is recognised that B2 sites and major industrial areas are likely to be suitable locations for new in-building facilities. LPAs are therefore encouraged when preparing LDPs, to look first at available B2 sites, and if none are available, to use the Areas of Search maps to identify potentially suitable sites for new waste management development. RWPs further encourage LPAs to have regard to

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a non-exhaustive list of other issues when considering future development sites. RWPs cumulatively contain locational criteria in relation to the whole of Wales, which LPAs are required to have regard to, down to the level of identified B2 sites. The Areas of Search Report was commissioned to identify potential future sites for waste facilities for strategic purposes, and that the data produced is intended to assist LPAs in identifying specific sites. The identification and adoption of specific sites can only be undertaken at LPA level. The previous forecast of need for waste management facilities identified in the RWPs is being implemented through each individual Local Authoritys development plan. Of the 25 Local Planning Authorities (22 unitary authorities and 3 National Park Authorities), more than half have adopted plans (either Unitary Development Plans or Local Development Plans) and progress is being made in all authorities on local development plans, albeit to slightly varying timetables. The changes resulting from the new waste agenda driven by the revised Waste Framework Directive, Towards Zero Waste and this plan will need to be reflected by the planning process. Whilst it is intended that the RWPs in particular fulfil EU requirements in relation to locational criteria, development plans will continue to play an important role in delivery through enabling competent authorities to decide whether a site or proposed installation falls within the management framework prescribed by the waste management plan. Changes made by the rWFD in terms of the priority order of waste management and the new priorities and targets for waste set out in Towards Zero Waste and the Collection, Infrastructure and Markets Sector Plan mean that consideration needs to be given to how planning policy can reflect and interact with these new policy drivers in a way that secures delivery of these objectives whilst ensuring compliance with our European obligations. This will take place through a revision of TAN 21. However, in terms of direction of travel the position of the existing RWPs is considered briefly here. The technology strategies of the RWPs are now outdated in comparison to content of this Sector Plan and once this plan is finalised, it will supersede the position on need for waste management facilities advocated through the RWPs. However, until this Sector Plan is finalised following consultation the current planning policy framework remains that provided by the RWPs. However, it is reasonable to suggest in the interim that the new information contained in this Sector Plan should be given sufficient weight, where it is relevant, to planning decisions. The spatial strategy developed as part of the RWPs is, by contrast, considered an appropriate approach and fit for purpose, in terms of contributing to Art 16 requirements and should remain extent for planning

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purposes. It will need to be rolled forward as part of the plan for meeting the requirements of Article 28 of the revised Waste Framework Directive. The regional element could be maintained through monitoring and updating of the availability of development sites with a B2 (General Industrial) land-use classification, as these sites are potentially suitable for potential development of waste facilities. A transition from current to future arrangements is inevitably difficult to achieve through the planning process, particularly with plans running to different timetables. Further clarity on the implications of the transition and how it should be managed, in particular the relationships between the Collection, Infrastructure and Markets Sector Plan, RWPs and the development plan process will be covered in the revision of TAN 21, which will occur in parallel with the completion of the final version of the Collection, Infrastructure and Markets Sector Plan . Consultation Question 15: Do you agree that the RWP spatial strategy should be reissued and rolled forward as part of TAN 21? If no, please explain your reasons? Consultation Question 16: What planning challenges can be foreseen in making the transition between the current RWPs and the Collection, Infrastructure and Markets Sector Plan? What further guidance and information do you consider will be necessary?

4.2 Training and Jobs

4.2.1 What Waste Activities Create Jobs? The Energy and Utility (EU)Skills Council covers the waste industry. The Skills Councils prime strategic objective is to ensure that industries have the skills they need now and in the future. For waste management, the task involves equipping the industry with the new skills needed for its transformation from operations based waste disposal to those based on recycling or the derivation of energy from waste. The 'Sector Skills Assessment report for Wales 201051' identifies the key skills needs in the waste management industry and includes a chapter relevant to the policy objectives in Towards Zero Waste along with details of current training provision. The policies and targets in Towards Zero Waste mean that in the future less waste will sent to landfill with more going through a process resulting in value being recovered. In particular the achievement of a recycling rate of 70% by 2025 for municipal, commercial and industrial waste, will promote:

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Higher levels of reuse activity (for example, WEEE, furniture, clothing) and the proposed development of an accredited reuse network. Much higher levels of dry recycling across municipal, commercial and industrial sectors Much higher levels of anaerobic digestion of food waste for municipal, commercial and industrial sectors.

There will be associated changes to Waste collection systems with a requirement for the municipal and commercial sectors in particular to source segregate waste, and potential for the third sector to work with local authorities to increase employability skills of the unemployed through waste collection systems. Increasing recycling and reuse infrastructure. On reuse, there is potential for the third sector to increase skills through the development of accredited reuse centres. Increasing capacity for recyclate reprocessing in Wales. For residual waste management, by 2025 it is envisaged that landfill will cease for all sectors, with residual waste being capped at 30% of waste arisings and treated in high energy efficiency energy from waste plant.

Research52 shows that recycling creates approximately ten times more jobs than disposal by incineration or landfill per tonne of material processed, and generates more than twice the revenue of the waste management industry. Although landfill and incineration still involve larger volumes of waste, recycling recovers greater economic value bound up in discarded products and equipment.

In particular, for every 1,000 tonnes of material collected, sorted and reprocessed the collection and sorting of WEEE, plastics and furniture (non WEEE) creates a high number of jobs. However, these employment benefits are dependent of the material being recycling in-country. If recyclates are exported, the potential jobs associated with higher recycling rates will also move overseas. 4.2.2 Numbers and types of jobs that can be created by the recycling targets in Towards Zero Waste It is estimated there are currently 4,630 employed in the waste collection, sorting and disposal businesses in 2008, and

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More Jobs Less Waste Friends of the Earth Report September 2010

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 10,000 people currently employed in the waste management industry in Wales53. Research shows that implementing a 70% recycling rate by 2025 would potentially create new jobs in the order of 3,600 new jobs across municipal, commercial and industrial (including construction and demolition) sectors 2,600 new jobs in the municipal sector alone Many of the jobs created (1,947) occur from 2008 to 2015. These jobs come from The economic activity of the recycling and reuse industry itself. Indirect employment (through other economic activity supporting the industry, for example from the industries purchases of goods and services). Induced employment (through industry employees spending their wages in the economy). Many of these additional jobs would be in the reuse and remanufacturing sectors which have been shown to have considerable additional social benefits when undertaken particularly by third sector organisations. As well as creating more jobs, these activities are likely to demand a higher level of skill from its workforce than is currently sought, with a reduction in the demand for very low skilled workers. Actions on skills development and training a) Strategic review Training courses and qualifications will need to reflect the changing nature of the industry. The 'Sector Skills Assessment report for Wales54 produced by the EU Skills) Council and the Welsh Assembly Government identifies skills priorities. Actions to ensure that these skills priorities are addressed will be taken forward by the EU Skills Council and the National Skills Academy in collaboration with employers, training providers and the full range of stakeholders in their Strategic and Business Plans. The Welsh Assembly Government is working closely with the EU Skills Council to ensure the right training and qualifications are put in place to

53 54

EU Sector Skills Sector Skills Agreement Stages 1 and 2. http://www.euskills.co.uk/download.php?id=1194

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address the skills gap identified in Towards Zero Waste. This includes skills on employability. b) Specific new initiatives EU Skills are currently accepting applications for two training opportunities in Wales. Waste Management Safety, Health, Environmental Awareness (SHEA) Training is a recognised uniform training and registration scheme focused on health and safety in the waste management industry. EU Skills have secured funding from the Welsh Assembly Government to enable up to 300 people to attend the training will be scheduled at various geographical locations once there is sufficient demand. Successful individuals will be awarded a Energy & Utility Skills Register (EUSR) card and will be enrolled onto the EU Skills Health and Safety Registration Scheme which provides asset owners and contractors with the assurance that the individual has achieved a recognised standard of Safety Health and Environmental Awareness (SHEA). Women at Work Developing Women in the Workplace Training aims to develop the skills and abilities of women working in the energy and utilities industries across Wales. Employers can apply for support for training up to a value of 1000 to help in the up-skilling of women in the energy and utility industries. Small and medium employers will be required to contribute 30% and large employers 50% towards the full cost of any training. Women can choose the training that best suits their needs and will benefit from increased potential for career progression and improved confidence. Employers will benefit from significant cost savings, increased staff motivation and retention levels.

4.3 Waste management and reducing greenhouse gas emissions

4.3.1 Baseline Data The waste sector in Wales produced 1.3 million tonnes CO2e in 200755. Emissions are broken down into the following sectors as shown in Table 27:

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Source: inventory website http://www.naei.co.uk/reports.php):

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Table 27: IPCC Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Sector IPCC Source Name Carbon CH4 N2O Total Sectoral (Ktonnes) (Ktonnes)(Ktonnes) (Ktonnes) table 6A1 1193.14 1193.14 Landfill 6B2 Sewage sludge 39.30 61.04 100.34 decomposition 6C Incineration - chemical 2.47 2.47 waste 10.62 0.01 0.12 10.75 Incineration - clinical waste 0.07 2.24 2.34 Incineration - sewage sludge 1309.01 These are direct emissions of greenhouse gases. 4.3.2 Wider context Both Towards Zero Waste and the Climate Change Strategy commit to reducing direct greenhouse gas emissions from the waste sector, by diverting biodegradable waste from landfill to recycling, composting or anaerobic digestion, through Diversion of all biodegradable municipal waste (collected by local authorities) from landfill by 2020. Diversion of other biodegradable waste (from other municipal, commercial, industrial and construction and demolition sectors) from landfill by 2025;

and by reducing existing emissions from current landfill sites further. The Climate Change Strategy has set a year on year target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Wales by 3%, and by 40% by 2020. 4.3.3 Headline figures and actions to reduce emissions We estimate that Welsh Assembly Government action in diverting biodegradable waste from landfill to recycling, composting and anaerobic digest will deliver savings of 0.66 million tonnes CO2e by 2020. Additional savings of 78 kt CO2e in 2009-10 and 110 kt CO2e (5,200 tonnes of methane at 21xGWP) in 2010-11 have already been achieved through a programme of work by the Environment Agency Wales to reduce existing greenhouse gas emissions at landfill sites. It can be assumed that should the landfill operators continue with this new regime there will be significant savings in future years. The Environment Agencys regulatory remit extends only to permitted operational and permitted closed landfills, which includes less than 10% of total landfills in Wales. The vast majority of total landfills (about 1500 sites) are sites which do not have a permit (either because they closed before 1994

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(historic landfills) or because they have surrendered their licence. These numbers also include inert waste landfills where it is not anticipated there being any significant landfill gas production. A recent science project carried out by the Agency concluded that emissions at operational sites (and some closed permitted sites) would be where the biggest improvements could be made. Therefore, as part of an England and Wales programme called "More Methane Matters", since 2008/9, the Agency has been looking at extra ways we can work with the landfill sector to increase collection / utilisation of landfill gas. Increasing extraction and combustion of landfill gas converts methane emissions to carbon dioxide, which has a global warming potential 21 times lower. To date, the Top 25 priority sites for Wales have been identified. Full technical reviews have been undertaken on 5 operational and 1 closed permitted landfills to look at short-term and longer term savings, and action plans discussed with operators. These reviews have delivered actual improvements to date which, if sustained, will equate to 78kT CO2e savings a year. Further technical reviews and action plans will be developed in future years. 4.3.4 Comparison with other sectors Figure 27 compares the contribution of waste sector compares to other sectors by 2020. Although the current baseline emissions of the waste sector are lower that other sectors, the proportion of savings that will be made through actions within Wales area of responsibility is the highest of all sectors. Figure 28 shows the proportion of emissions saved through action on diverting biodegradable waste from landfill to recycling, composting and AD and reducing existing emissions further from landfill sites.

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Figure 27 Greenhouse Gas Emissions from waste sector compare with other sector
12 10 8
MC02e

6 4 2 0
Business Residential Transport Sector
Current Baseline Emissions of Sector MtCo2e savings in 2020 Actions within Wales area of responsibility MtCo2e savings in 2020 Actions within UK area of responsibility

Agriculture and Land Use

Waste

Source data: Welsh Assembly Government

Figure 28 Greenhouse Gas Emissions from waste sector compare with other sector
MtCo2e savings by 2020, through diverting biodegradable waste from landfill to recycling, composting, AD Baseline Emissions remaining in 2020

Overall MtCo2e savings in 2020

MtCO2 savings through reducing existing emission from landfill further

Source data: Welsh Assembly Government

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5 Links to other Sector Plans

Sector Plan Municipal Sector Plan Part 1 Link This plan is principally about the service improvements that local authorities need to make in order to collect and deliver high quality recyclate, ideally for a Welsh manufacturing market. Local authorities are encouraged to extend such collection services to a wider range of business customers, especially where there is a market failure. They are also encouraged to use spare capacity in CA and HWRC sites to provide a convenient recyclate deposit service for businesses (subject to a charge). Local authority procurement of contracts for the treatment of food waste (via AD) and of residual waste will help facilitate the development of spare merchant capacity for industrial and commercial waste. The Welsh Assembly Government will look to the food manufacturing, services and retail sector in Wales to play a major role in enabling waste prevention and high recycling of food waste and its associated packaging through the better eco-design of packaging, support for municipal waste recycling schemes and support for consumer awareness campaigns. It will also seek to increase the recycled content of packaging. Public Sector This plan will aim to reduce waste and increase the amount of reuse and recycling carried out by the Public Sector in Wales. It will also seek, through sustainable procurement, the greater use of products with a high recycled content throughout the public sector. Public Sector waste forms part of the municipal waste collected by Local Authorities. Local Authorities themselves are part of the public sector, and they need to play their part in reducing their wastes and recycling more. This plan focuses on the prevention, preparing for reuse and recycling of this major waste stream both the inert and non-inert elements. It includes actions to improve the collection of the waste, and the provision of adequate infrastructure for its reuse and recycling. This will focus on business sectors not already covered in other sector plans, including the rest of the retail sector. It will identify actions to reduce waste

Food Manufacturing, Services and Retail

Construction and Demolition

Other industrial and commercial

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Sector Plan

Link and increase reuse and recycling. It will also address issues of eco-design of products to reduce the amount of waste in the municipal stream, and to help ensure it is more reusable and recyclable..

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6 Summary
This section describes the overview of implementation in the short, medium and long term, roles and responsibilities. Timescale Short Term now until 2015 Key Objectives and Supporting Actions Waste Industry To help deliver the waste prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling, composting and landfill targets up to 2015 through Providing waste prevention, preparing for reuse and recycling guidance to their customers Providing separate source segregated collection services for key recyclable materials from businesses to include paper, card, metal, glass, plastic and food ensuring high quality recyclate suitable for closed loop and/or upcycling, ideally in Wales Developing sustainable waste handling, recycling, reprocessing, treatment and energy recovery facilities that have no significant impact on human health, the environment or on living organisms and biodiversity

Local Authorities: To deliver the waste prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling, composting and landfill targets up to 2015 through: Behavioural change campaigns led by Local Authorities. Changes in municipal waste collection service provision by Local Authorities including expanding the type and quantities of recyclate collected, increasing reuse, and making it less convenient to not recycle. Procuring food waste treatment services (anaerobic digestion plants) to be operational from 2012. Participating in the Collaborative Change Programme to deliver efficiency savings and meet the sustainable development outcomes identified in Towards Zero Waste and in this plan.

Government: To help support the delivery of the waste prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling, composting and landfill targets up to 2015 through: Landfill Tax escalator.

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Timescale

Key Objectives and Supporting Actions Introduction of Regulations under the Waste (Wales) 2010 Measure to delivery policies and targets in line with the sector plan and TZW. Provide support for the Collaborative Change Programme to achieve efficiency savings and improved sustainable development outcomes. Provide support for procurement of food waste and residual waste treatment. Provide support for markets in Wales for recyclate, compost and anaerobic digestion. Working with retailers (including via WRAP) to secure waste reduction, increased recycling and greater recyclate content of products and packaging. Funding the Waste Awareness Wales campaign to support Local Authority and National campaigns.

Others: Action by retailers to reduce the amount of waste generated by the products and packaging that they sell to consumers. Social economy sector to continue to provide added social return on investment.

Medium term 2015 until 2025

Waste Industry To help deliver the waste prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling, composting and landfill targets up to 2025 through Further providing waste prevention, preparing for reuse and recycling guidance to their customers Further providing separate source segregated collection services for an extend range of recyclable materials ensuring high quality recyclate suitable for closed loop and/or upcycling, ideally in Wales Further developing sustainable waste handling, recycling, reprocessing, treatment and energy recovery facilities that have no significant impact on human health, the environment or on living organisms and biodiversity. Ensuring that energy recovery facilities have as high an energy efficiency as possible through the development of heat supply to business and other premises.

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Timescale

Key Objectives and Supporting Actions Local Authorities: To deliver the waste prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling, composting and landfill targets up to 2025 through: Further enhancing behavioural change campaigns. Further expanding the type and quantities of recyclate collected, increasing reuse. Implementing changes to the collection service under the Collaborative Change Programme. Procuring residual waste treatment services (high energy efficiency EfW) to be operational by 2019-20.

Government: To help support the delivery of the waste prevention, preparing for reuse, recycling, composting and landfill targets up to 2025 through: Introduction of new Measures and Regulations to further secure the delivery of the sector plan and TZW. Support for the Collaborative Change Programme. Support for procurement of residual waste treatment. Support for the infrastructure for reuse. Securing further action from retailers, including voluntary extended producer responsibility to achieve waste reduction, increased recycling and greater recyclate content of products and packaging. Funding the Waste Awareness Wales campaign to support Local Authority and National campaigns.

Others: Extended producer responsibility action by retailers to reduce the amount of waste generated by the products and packaging that they sell to consumers, to increase the recyclability of products and packaging, and increase recycled content. Social economy sector to continue to provide added social return on investment.

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Timescale Long term 2025 until 2050

Key Objectives and Supporting Actions Government: To help support the delivery by 2050 of the One Planet levels of waste and zero waste (100 per cent recycling) goals of Towards Zero Waste, Government may need to: Apply extended producer responsibility instruments to manufacturers and retailers. Apply instruments to ensure that all products are eco-designed to achieve One Planet levels of consumption with the use of raw materials and end of life waste also meeting One Planet goals.

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7 Monitoring, Measurement and Evaluation

The final Collections, Infrastructure and Markets Sector will contain a detailed final action plan identifying actions, milestones and responsibilities. Progress will be reported periodically. Progress will also be reported against targets.

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Glossary Anaerobic digestion - A biological process where biodegradable wastes, such as kitchen or food waste, is encouraged to break down in the absence of oxygen in an enclosed vessel. It produces carbon dioxide, methane (which can be used as a fuel to generate renewable energy) and solids/liquors known as digestate which can be used as fertiliser. Biodiversity the variability among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems. Bring site - Recycling point where the public can bring material for recycling, for example bottle and can banks. They are generally located at supermarket car parks, council car parks and similar locations. Biowaste This includes biodegradable garden and park waste, food and kitchen waste from households, restaurants, caterers and retail premises, and comparable waste from food processing plants. Civic amenity site - Site provided by the Local Authority for the disposal and recycling of household waste including bulky items such as beds, cookers and garden waste as well as recyclables, free of charge. Closed loop recycling - Recycling where recycled materials are being used continually for the same purpose, for example a glass bottle recycled into new glass product rather than downgraded, for example being used as an aggregate. Commercial and industrial waste - Commercial waste is waste arising from any premises which are used wholly or mainly for trade, business, sport recreation or entertainment, excluding household and industrial waste. Industrial waste is waste from any factory and from any premises occupied by an industry (excluding mines and quarries). Composting - An aerobic, biological process in which organic wastes, such as garden and kitchen waste, are converted into a stable granular material which can be applied to land to improve soil structure and enrich the nutrient content of the soil. Construction and demolition waste - Consists of all waste originating from construction, renovation and demolition activities, such as rubble, bricks and tiles. Digestate This is the fraction remaining after the treatment of segregated organic wastes through anaerobic digestion. It is a mainly liquid material, with an average solid content of between 5-20%. Digestate produced in accordance with the standard BSI PAS110 and the developing Environment Agency Quality Protocol for Anaerobic Digestate can be used for appropriate

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agricultural and horticultural applications as a product, and is no longer considered to be a waste material. Direct greenhouse gas mitigation this term refers to actions taken to directly mitigate releases of substances with climate change potential, for example the capture and use of landfill gas at source to generate electricity. Eco design - A strategic design management process that is concerned with minimising the impact of the life cycle of products and services. Approaches include life cycle analysis, design for disassembly and reducing the negative impact of a product on the environment (for example by removing hazardous chemicals or materials without compromising the design). Ecological footprint - The ecological footprint methodology calculates the land area needed to feed, provide resource, produce energy and absorb the pollution (and waste) generated by our supply chains. ELV this stands for End of Life Vehicle, and refers to vehicle that are waste within the meaning of the Waste Framework Directive. Energy from waste - Technologies include anaerobic digestion, direct combustion (incineration with energy recovery), use of secondary recovered fuel (an output from mechanical and biological treatment processes), pyrolysis and gasification. Any given technology is more beneficial if heat and electricity can be recovered. The Waste Framework Directive considers that where waste is used principally as a fuel or other means to generate electricity it is a recovery activity provided it complies with certain criteria, which includes exceeding an energy efficiency threshold. Flytipping This is the practice of illegally disposing of waste material on land. Freecycle - Freecycle groups match people who have things they want to get rid of with people who can use them. The main goal is to keep usable items out of landfills. Global hectares - One global hectare is equal to one hectare of biologically productive space with world average productivity. Global hectares are the unit of measurement for ecological footprinting. Greenhouse gas emissions - Emissions that contribute to climate change via the greenhouse effect when their atmospheric concentrations exceed certain levels. They include emissions of Carbon dioxide, Methane, Nitrous oxide, Hydrofluorocarbons, Perfluorocarbons and Sulphur Hexafluoride. Hazardous waste - This is waste that may be harmful to human health or the environment. Examples of hazardous wastes include asbestos, some chemical wastes, some healthcare wastes, electrical equipment containing hazardous components such as cathode ray tubes or lead solder, fluorescent light tubes, lead-acid batteries and oily sludges.

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Household waste - Includes waste from household collection rounds (waste within Schedule 1 of the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992), waste from services such as street sweeping, bulky waste collection, hazardous household waste collection, litter collections, household clinical waste collection and separate garden waste collection (waste within Schedule 2 of the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992), waste from civic amenity sites and wastes separately collected for recycling or composting through bring/drop off schemes, kerbside schemes and at civic amenity sites. Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) - Site provided by the Local Authority for the recycling of household waste including bulky items such as beds, cookers and garden waste as well as other recyclables, free of charge. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - Established to provide the decision-makers and others interested in climate change with an objective source of information about climate change. Integrated Product Policy - All products cause environmental degradation in some way, whether from their manufacturing, use or disposal. Integrated product policy, currently under discussion in EU, seeks to minimise these by looking at all phases of a products life-cycle and taking action where it is most effective. Kitchen waste - This term refers to the organic component of household waste e.g. vegetable peelings, tea bags, banana skins. Often also referred to as food waste. Landfill sites - Any areas of land in which waste is deposited. Landfill sites are often located in disused mines or quarries. In areas where they are limited or no ready-made voids exist, the practice of landraising is sometimes carried out, where waste is deposited above ground and the landscape is contoured. Legacy waste - Legacy wastes, which are often hazardous for example asbestos, are materials that it is not currently feasible to recover or recycle and therefore cannot be returned into the chain of utility. The only option is disposal, and this is likely to continue to be the case in the future if that material continues to be used in the present way. In order for waste not to become legacy waste the original product needs to be redesigned so that it can be recovered and reused. In the meantime, new treatment methodologies need to be developed wherever possible to avoid these materials being sent for disposal. Material Recovery Facility MRF a specialized plant that receives, separates and prepares recyclable materials for marketing to end-user manufacturers Municipal waste - For the purpose of this sector plan, municipal waste means municipal waste as collected by Local Authorities. It includes

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household waste and any other wastes collected by a Waste Collection Authority (WCA), or its agents, such as municipal parks and gardens waste, beach cleansing waste, commercial or industrial waste and waste resulting from the clearance of fly-tipped materials. WCA - A Local Authority charged with the collection of waste from each household in its area on a regular basis. They can also collect, if requested, commercial and industrial wastes from the private sector. One Planet Living - One Planet Living is a vision of a sustainable world, in which people everywhere can enjoy a high quality of life within the productive capacity of the planet, with space left for wildlife and wilderness. Organisations around the world are using the one planet living approach to take measurable steps towards genuine sustainability. Open loop recycling - Where the end product of recycling is used to replace something else, e.g. glass is recycled into aggregate which replaces virgin aggregate. Packaging Waste this refers to any packaging or packaging material that is waste within the meaning of the Waste Framework Directive. Preparing for reuse - Means checking, cleaning or repairing recovery operations, by which products or components of products that have become waste are prepared so that they can be reused without any other preprocessing. Producer responsibility - A producer responsibility approach is intended to require producers who out goods or materials onto the market to be more responsible for these products or materials when they become waste. In some cases, producers will also be asked to reduce the level of hazardous substances in their products and to increase the use of recycled materials and design products for recyclability. Recyclate This is material separated (either at source or following interim treatment) for the purpose of recycling. Recycling - Involves the reprocessing of wastes, either into the same product or a different one. Many non-hazardous industrial wastes such as paper, glass, cardboard, plastics and scrap metals can be recycled. Special wastes such as solvents can also be recycled by specialist companies, or by in-house equipment. Reduction - Achieving as much waste reduction as a priority waste action. It can be accomplished within a manufacturing process involving the review of production processes to optimise utilisation of raw (and secondary) materials and recirculation processes. It can be cost effective, both in terms of lower disposal costs, reduced demand for raw materials and energy costs. It can be carried out by householders through actions, such as home composting, reusing products and buying goods with reduced packaging.

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Regional Waste Plans Three Regional Waste Groups (RWGs) for North, South West and South East Wales were established following the publication of Technical Advice Note (TAN) 21:Waste in November 2001, with the remit of preparing Regional Waste Plans within two years to help implement the first Wales Waste Strategy Wise About Waste and meet the obligations of the EU Waste Directives. The first set of Plans for each of the 3 regions were completed and agreed by the Assembly Government and endorsed by individual authorities in April 2004. These identified the most Sustainable Waste Management Option for the management of all wastes in each Region and then identified the type and capacity of waste facilities needed to deliver the preferred option. The Plans were complemented by a Hazardous Waste Supplement produced subsequently for each Region. The First Review of the Regional Waste Plans was subsequently published during 2008 (SE and SW Wales) and 2009 (N.Wales). Reprocessor - A person who carries out one or more activities of recovery or recycling. Residual waste - Term used for waste that remains after recycling or composting material has been removed from the waste stream. Resource efficiency Managing raw materials, energy and water in order to minimise waste and thereby reduce cost. Reuse - Using a product again for the same or different use. Site waste management plan (SWMP) - A tool to help the construction and demolition sector to improve on their management of waste at their place of work. It is a plan that details the amount and type of waste produced on a construction site and how it will be reused, recycled and disposed of, by doing so, will help to improve resource efficiency within the industry. The requirement for a SWMP is mandatory in England since April 2008. The Assembly Government is currently developing Wales' Site Waste Management Plan Regulations. Sustainability appraisal - Single appraisal tool which provides for the systematic identification and evaluation of the economic, social and environmental impacts of a proposal. Social economy - It includes voluntary organisations, community groups, self-help groups, community co-operatives and enterprises, religious organisations and other not for profit distribution organisations of benefit to the communities and the people of Wales. Also known as Third Sector. Social enterprise - A social enterprise is a business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners.

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TAN 21 (Technical Advice Note 21 (2001) Planning and waste) this is a Welsh Assembly Government guidance note providing advice about how the land use planning system should contribute to sustainable waste resource management. The proximity principle - This states that waste should be treated and or disposed of as near to the source of origin as possible because transporting waste itself has an environmental impact. This principle recognises the need for us all to take responsibility for our own waste arisings and not be content with distributing it to other locations for disposal, even if there has always been a tradition of doing so. In order to deal with all local waste arisings wherever practicable, the principle also reinforces the need for an integrated network of facilities. Treatment - Physical, thermal, chemical or biological processes, including sorting, that change the characteristics of the waste in order to reduce its volume or hazardous nature, facilitate its handling or enhance recovery. Upcycling - Upcycling happens where high embedded energy raw materials are substituted by lower embedded energy secondary raw materials that can be subsequently be closed loop recycled. Waste arisings - The amount of waste generated in a given locality over a given period of time. Waste hierarchy - Sets out the order in which options for waste management should be considered based on environmental impact. It is a useful framework that has become a cornerstone of sustainable waste management. WEEE this stands for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. The WEEE Directive (2002/96/EC obliges electronic and electrical product manufacturers to assume responsibility for their WEEE. Zero waste Zero Waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use. Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them. Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all discharges to land, water or air that are a threat to planetary, human, animal or plant health. (Zero Waste International Alliance www.zwia.org).

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