Waste stockpiling essay

"If recent publicity is to be believed, we should all give up recycling because most of these materials are being stockpiled and could end up in landfill as local councils struggle to sell recyclable materials on to contractors for processing. But NOT recycling is NOT an option for Wales.  We have to collectively keep up our household waste recycling, not only to hit government targets, but also to fulfil our environmental obligations.

"Yes, the global economic downturn has brought market prices for many recyclable materials, such as steel and mixed paper, close to collapse.  This is in sharp contrast to the sizeable returns made earlier in 2008.  But the situation is not as desperate as some in the media would have us believe.  Indeed Welsh councils are not reporting stockpiling of waste and still seem to be finding markets.  Therefore these negative media reports are grossly exaggerated and misleading from a Welsh perspective.  To support this, the Environment Agency has seen no significant increase in requests for recyclable waste storage capacity.

"In fact, overall sentiment among key UK waste industry players is that markets are actually recovering - albeit not yet to previous price levels.  Export markets for paper and plastics are reported to be opening up again.  And while market demand for lower quality recycled materials such as mixed papers and mixed plastics remains depressed, demand for high quality recyclables such as paper, plastic bottles and glass remains buoyant.  Aluminium prices have stabilized and while steel prices remain extremely low, glass, organics and textile prices have been largely unaffected by current market conditions.  This situation is by no means unique to the UK.  Recycling is an international industry, so all countries will be facing similar market pressures to that experienced by our local councils and contractors.

"The bottom line is that market prices for recyclable materials will always fluctuate up and down, HOWEVER when it comes to recycling, we are in it for the long haul and short term spikes will not affect this.  Waste Awareness Wales continues to encourage and persuade the people of Wales to recycle so that local authorities can meet the Welsh Assembly Government target of recycling 70% of municipal waste recycling by year 2024/25.  And we’ve already come along way.  Welsh recycling rates currently stand at 36% (April – Sept 2008)* compared to just 4.8% ten years ago, and many local authorities are also already hitting the 2009/10 municipal waste recycling target of 40%.  This massive effort in recycling has meant that the Welsh councils hit their landfill reduction targets set by Europe and the Welsh Assembly Government two years early.  This demonstrates just what recycling can do. 

"To ensure our recycling is managed sustainably, there is also continued investment by the Welsh Assembly Government which allows businesses to turn recyclable material into valuable consumer products once again.  This investment helps in the creation of green jobs and green manufacturing, something which is desperately needed in these depressing economic times.  For example funding has facilitated the conversion of a 600,000 tonne capacity paper mill in Shotton, Flintshire, to process 100% recycled paper and a recent grants awarded for additional plastic sorting plants in Deeside and Ebbw Vale. 

"But, despite these significant strides forward, around 1.4million tonnes of residual waste - enough to fill around 160,000 waste collection vehicles - was collected from households in 2007/08 and sent to landfill .  Failure to address this issue has very real implications for everyone in Wales.  Each year, every local council in Wales is set a challenging target to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill sites.  Failure to meet these targets carries a sizeable fine of £200 for every tonne of waste sent to landfill.  And this money has to come from somewhere which could lead to measures such as council tax rises, cuts in local council services or using up already limited internal local authority resources to meet the fines imposed.  So collectively stepping up efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle not only makes good environmental sense but economic sense too.  And our message to the Welsh public is simple – make full use of all your local recycling services – kerbside collections, bring sites, food waste bins – to ensure that as much household waste is recycled as possible.  It really is our future and it makes no sense whatsoever to throw it away!"