Many residents have asked me why we aren’t recycling our food waste like some other authorities in the UK. In short, when the Environment Act was updated in 2021 with a requirement for councils to collect food waste and flexible plastics (film lids and cellophane), we were midway through a recycling contract and were granted an extension until the end of 2026 when the contracts end.
We are approaching the early stages of procurement for new contracts and so those of you who are keen to be recycling more will be pleased to hear that we will be building food waste collections and flexible plastic recycling into our recycling programme from 2027 onwards.
Incorporating food waste and flexible plastics is something we have no choice to do, it is mandated by central government, however, building it into our current operation is likely to cost an additional £2.4m every year! Wiltshire Council’s Waste and Recycling Team was therefore tasked with looking at opportunities to accommodate Government policy, improve recycling rates and reduce costs for residents. This led to the testing of various alternative options for recycling from 2027 onwards.
Some local authorities force residents to separate every type of material into different stackable boxes or bags, but our research showed the participation rate is lower because it is too onerous. In fact Basildon has just given up with their 6-container recycling method and is scrapping the whole idea. At the opposite end of the scale, some councils have experimented with a single bin for all recycling, including glass, but found the mechanical sorting ineffective and too expensive (£1.8m extra cost per year).
The solution approved by Wiltshire’s Cabinet on the 19th November is the right balance for the environment, budget and residents. From 2027 we will introduce one extra wheeled bin in order to separate paper and card from the current process. 10% of households already have this extra recycling bin, so they will see no change other than to use one for paper and card and the other for plastic and cans. For anyone lacking space for a wheeled bin, an alternative weighted sack will be available.
Doing this will significantly lower the recycling reject rate (the amount of recyclable waste that doesn’t make it through the process due to contamination) from 22.5% to just 4.9% and will save local taxpayers three quarters of a million pounds every single year. The significance of saving £750k versus having to spend an extra £2.4m is massive; this money can be reinvested into our communities through additional road maintenance, town centre development, education or adult social care.
The key message is that there is no change to bin collections or recycling procedure for another few years, for now it is business as usual!
