Co-mingling muddle

When Brent's new waste strategy was first mooted, Brent Friends of the Earth made powerful submissions to Council committees, LINK raising questions about 'co-mingling', the mixing of all recyclables in one container rather than separation at the kerbside. They suggested that because of the resulting contamination the recyclables would be of less value to waste processing firms. Unsaleable recyclables would end up in landfill or be exported to third world countries, perhaps for sorting by child labour.  FoE raised concerns about the end destination of the waste but the council responded that this was not their concern - their responsibility ended once the waste had been collected by Veolia.

Recently Channel 4's Dispatches raised some of the same issues in their recent programme 'Britain's Waste'. It can be seen HERE

Meanwhile Lorraine Skinner has uploaded a new video about the blue bins:



This has produced a pithy comment from Ian Saville:

In my street, neighbours are still quite confused about what needs to go where, and some people are clearly just using the blue bin for everything. It seems therefore that the level of contamination is going to be considerably higher than it was before, especially since those collecting the waste now have much less opportunity to check that the bins are being used correctly. Before we are told that this has enormously increased the rate of recycling, we need some way of estimating the extra cost of sorting, the contamination from material that should go into residual, and the difficulties caused by broken glass in the paper. Does anybody know how this is being monitored?

Is Brent's Waste Strategy Rubbish or just Low Grade?

Last year Brent Council spent £9 million on landfill tax.  In a bid to save money, increase recycling and reduce landfill, the Council is introducing a new waste strategy.

  Contaminated materials will go to landfill

Residents should be confident that waste which they take the time to separate will actually be recycled and not end up in landfill. Brent Friends of the Earth’s main concern about the strategy is that dry recyclables will no longer be collected from households via green boxes sorted at the kerbside, but using new large wheelie bins in “co-mmingled” collections.  This involves crushing the material, which is later sorted at a processing plant.  A new report by the Institution of Civil Engineers has confirmed our fears about this method that, because of higher levels of contamination, produces low-grade recyclable material, some of which ends up in landfill.  

 Children to pick over our waste?

In particular, paper is contaminated by broken glass, reducing its value and use.  We discovered that Aylesford Newsprint, who currently buy Brent's paper are unlikely to want it under the new scheme, making export more likely.  The UK recycling industry is now struggling because of such poor grade materials.  Do we really want our waste exported, and sorted by child labour in developing countries?  This is something Brent has not ruled out, despite recommendations by a recent Scrutiny committee.

£1.7m for new bins while libraries are closed

 The Council is spending £1.7 million on new wheelie bins to replace the boxes, when the only new materials being collected for recycling are mixed plastics and tetra packs.  This follows £400,000 spent on the free collection of bulky items.  We believe Brent has underestimated the landfill costs from the extra contamination of waste by changing to a “commingled” system.  In view of ruthless closures of libraries and day centres, and cuts to street sweeping, is this really money well spent?  Or are these ill-conceived plans just rubbish?

 
Viv Stein and Elaine Henderson
Brent Friends of the Earth

References:

1.Targets to boost recycling may backfire say engineers - BBC news item http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12172766

2. The report is available at http://www.ice.org.uk/News-Public-Affairs/State-of-the-Nation