Wales – Government inquiry into meeting landfill & recycling targets

The National Assembly for Wales has issued a report on meeting landfill and recycling targets. The report includes a series of recommendations aimed at introducing measures to improve the performance of authorities that are struggling to meet targets. Issues regarding planning and public education are also examined.



Among the many recommendations made are the folowing:





Recommendation 1: That the Welsh Assembly Government identifies local authorities that may struggle to meet the 40 per cent recycling / composting target for 2009-10 and works with them to ensure appropriate measures are put in place to achieve the target.

Recommendation 3: That local authorities fully utilise source segregation of recyclable materials and make this as user-friendly as possible. (In making this recommendation, the Committee agrees with the Welsh Assembly Government‘‘s view that while householders should segregate recyclable material at source, local authorities should be allowed the flexibility to choose how segregated materials are collected, e.g., kerbside sorting, clean MRF or bring sites).

Recommendation 4: That the Welsh Assembly Government removes the perverse incentive for local authorities not to encourage home composting, and develops a mechanism that allows home composting to count towards local authority landfill diversion targets. Local authorities should encourage householders to compost at home.

Recommendation 5: That the Welsh Assembly Government introduces material-specific targets for recycling of bulky but low weight materials such as plastics. Recommendation 8: That Regional Waste Plans should be made statutory.

Recommendation 11: That the Welsh Assembly Government provides clear advice and guidance on the sustainability of different waste management options.



Recommendation 12: That the Welsh Assembly Government provides clearer guidelines to local authorities on:

i. which technologies it would like to see operating in Wales and which it wishes to discourage;



ii. which technologies should be used to deal with residual waste, until it is possible to eliminate it.

Recommendation 15: That the Welsh Assembly Government provides regional hypothecation of some waste management funding to encourage local authorities to work together on developing regional facilities, especially for more specialised facilities such as composting of kitchen waste.

Recommendation 16: That the Welsh Assembly Government provides sufficient funding to ensure that local authorities are able to roll out kerbside collection systems to a level consistent with securing the delivery of recycling, composting and landfill diversion targets.

Recommendation 18: That sustained, local, targeted education should be introduced to reduce, re-use and recycle. Liaison officers should be appointed in each local authority to visit residents and schools, to run road shows, etc., to increase householders‘‘ knowledge of what they can do, what can be done with recycled materials and how individuals‘‘ actions impact on the local environment and community. Initiatives should include the use of incentive schemes and positive feedback on how well schemes are doing and how they benefit the local community.

Recommendation 22: That the Welsh Assembly Government encourages and supports business to create recycled products and markets by:



i. providing greater financial and business support, including research and development funding, for new and existing businesses in Wales to use recyclate from the municipal waste stream, create recycled products and develop markets for recycled goods and services;



ii. encouraging business to apply for European funding to help develop their businesses; iii. supporting the development of a recycling facility for farm plastics and a market for the products. (While not directly within the remit of the inquiry, the<