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Powys County Council

• Local Authority: Powys County Council
• Area: 517,900 hectares. Powys is a county of hills, moors and mountains. The area is characterised by a small number of medium-sized urban areas and a large area containing sparsely populated and often remote communities.
• Population: 124,000. Total no.households 47,047.
• Waste management contract: Powys County Council Direct Services Organisation
• Recycling subcontractor: Cae Post Ltd. Various other community groups. Evolve Composting.
• Recycling Rate: (1999/2000) 9.27%

"Knighton has developed a healthy rivalry with the neighbouring town of Presteigne over recycling - it 's a bit like Manchester Utd. versus Liverpool really." Ken Harris, Community Recycling Advisor for Knighton, Powys

Keys to success

Powys County Council actively supports recycling and composting at all levels. The topographical barriers to recycling which the area presents have been overcome by the council'sWaste Management Section, which encourages local communities to take social responsibility for the waste that they create. The council was the first local authority in England and Wales to produce a government approved waste management strategy and recycling plan.

The council has developed a recycling strategy based upon partnerships with local community groups and the voluntary sector. It operates an 'adopt a bring-site' scheme and pays community groups to service 18 of the 58 bring-sites in the area. A community group also operates the main kerbside collection service in the county. A Powys network of Community Recycling Advisors has been established, and capital is set aside every year by the council to purchase equipment for the use of community recycling projects. In this way communities become intimately involved with the recycling operations in their area, and the costs associated with collecting in a rural location are also kept to a minimum.

As there are no reprocessors in Powys, the unstable market for recyclables particularly affects the county. Delivery costs are high - in certain locations it takes a two hour drive to reach the nearest motorway. The small community groups do not collect large tonnages, and are not able to individually command a good price for their recyclables. But the council takes responsibility for these shortcomings by forming partnerships with other local authorities in Wales, and collaborating collection tonnages. The merged tonnages are able to command a fairer price, and community groups in the county are thereby guaranteed a more stable market for the materials they collect.

Powys County Council has further improved market stability in the region by developing the county's own recycling infrastructure. An application to the Welsh Assembly for a Local Regeneration Fund (LRF) grant of £1 million has been made, which will be used to develop a Materials Recycling Facility in Welshpool. The MRF will sort recyclables collected in the region before selling the products on to incubator community businesses located in workshops on site. As well as strengthening the market for recyclables, such an initiative would create employment opportunities. This is important for Powys, as traditional industries such as hill farming and forestry are heavily in decline.

Powys County Council deems recycling and composting to be among the cheaper methods of household waste disposal. Deriving energy from waste is not a desirable option for the council, and there is only one landfill site in the area. As a result, recycling domestic waste is approximately 31p cheaper per tonne than landfill disposal costs.

Collection methods

• Weekly multi-material kerbside collections in Welshpool, operated by community group Cae Post Ltd. 5,000 households have been issued with special recycling sacks - one for plastic and tins and the other for paper, card and textiles. The bags are collected each week from the kerbside of each street using a dedicated vehicle, and are taken to the Trewern Depot for sorting by Cae Post and for bulking and baling. Cae Post and Powys County Council have plans to expand the scheme to cover a greater area of the County.
• Cae Post are to initiate a second kerbside recycling trial in Llandrindod Wells by Summer 2001. Up to 15,000 households could be serviced if the scheme proves successful.
• Other kerbside collections are undertaken by smaller community groups across the county.
• 58 bring-sites in operation across Powys - one per 811 households. Community groups service 18 of these sites, and receive recycling credit payments of £19 per tonne for materials collected. This money is generally ploughed back into the collecting community. Cae Post Ltd. collects plastics from many of these sites.
• 'Recyclomobile' bring-site used to service more remote areas of the county.
• A Bulky Household Waste Recycling Centre was established in Welshpool, June 2000. The site contains 22 different skips which members of the public can use to dispose of their bulky household waste, such as furniture and white goods. The management of the site is contracted to GF Potter and Son, a private company. A further three similar sites are being established in Llanidloes, Llandrindod Wells and Ystraglynais over the next year or two.
• Seven green waste collection banks are sited across the county. The sites are serviced by a private sector company called Evolve Composting Ltd. Green waste, cardboard and paper are composted and fed to worm beds, and around 2,000 tonnes are expected to be processed by the company over the next year.
• A recent questionnaire survey has estimated that around 56% of households in Powys home compost, using garden heaps and other traditional methods.

Summary of projects

• Community group Cae Post Ltd. operates the main kerbside collection in Welshpool, to be expanded to Llandrindod Wells and rest of the county in the near future. The group also operates a plastics collection scheme via some of the county's bring-sites. Cae Post will be instrumental in the development of a MRF at Welshpool.
• Approximately 18 community groups have adopted bring-sites across Powys. A further 53 community groups collect recyclables via a central drop-off point or collection round.
• Evolve Composting Ltd. services green waste collection banks across the county. The waste is composted and fed to worm beds.
• One Bulky Household Waste Recycling Centre is in operation in Welshpool, with a further three similar sites to be developed over the next year or two. Managed by GF Potter and Son, a private company.
• Many other community recycling businesses in operation: Replay Scrapstore and Phoenix Furniture in Newtown. Cwm Harry Land Trust in Newtown (compost).

Participation Rates

Household participation rates are not available at present, although a recent audit has indicated that the overall recycling performance has increased significantly from an average of 60kg per household in 1996/97 to around 90kg in 1999/00.

Educational activities/ promotion of project

A network of Community Recycling Advisors has been established across Powys. Under the scheme, either a community councillor or a local person acts as the contact point between the council's Waste Management Unit and the local community. Opportunities for local recycling initiatives are thereby identified and supported by the county council. Community recycling schemes are paid £19 per tonne recycling credits for the materials they collect, and this money is then donated to community groups such as the local school.

The scheme works well as it harnesses the community spirit that thrives in the small towns and villages of this sparsely populated county. Neighbouring communities become friendly recycling rivals, and villages often compete with one another over collection amounts, bring-site facilities etc. Ken Harris is a County and Town Councillor, as well as a Community Recycling Advisor, for Knighton:

"We collect glass, plastic, cans, clothing, shoes and green waste in Knighton. It's a busy bring-site and serves not only the town, which has around 2,800 voters, but the entire valley area. The town council employs somebody on a part time basis to keep the site clean, and we donate the recycling credits to local groups.

"Knighton has developed a healthy rivalry with the neighbouring town of Presteigne over recycling - it 's a bit like Manchester Utd. versus Liverpool really. I encourage people to recycle because it saves the tax payers' money as the council doesn't have to landfill the waste. It also means we bring money back into our community via the recycling credits."

Powys County Council also produces a newsletter, the 'Powys Recycler', which is sent out to local communities and highlights recycling initiatives across the county. Many of the community recycling projects in operation also carry out school visits.

What is the potential for expansion of recycling in the area?

Although the geography of Powys presents some barriers to recycling, the county council has proven that they can be overcome. Steve Simmons, Head of Waste Management at the council says: "Given enough money we can recycle anything. All we need is the injection of seed-corn capital to get new schemes started."

Contact

Dr Steve Simmons
Waste Management Section
Powys County Council
County Hall
Llandrindod Wells
Powys
LD1 5LG

Tel: 01597 826761
Fax: 01597 826260
Email: steve@powys.gov.uk
website: www.powys.gov.uk

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