Additional 1,765 tonnes of kerbside recycling and food “result of residents spending more and more time at home”

Wrexham Council says recycling performance is down in comparison to last year due to the pandemic however they are on course to meet recycling targets.

New data circulated to councillors compares the situation in 2019/20 to 2020/21, and as we are currently in quarter 4 (January – March 2021), it specifically compared quarter 1 through 3.

The information shared looks at the two main recycling services provided by Wrexham Council, which are the Kerbside service and also the Household Waste Recycling Centres.

The below table details the year on year split:

The Environment Department notes, “Overall Composting and Recycling was down by 6,212 tonnes between April – December 2020, compared to the previous year which equates to 2.93% less on our recycling performance. Its likely quarter 4 (January – March 2021), will also be down as we currently remain in Lockdown.

“Usually quarter 4 is also our lowest recycling quarter, approx. 1% lower than quarter 3. This could mean an eventual recycling rate for the full year of around 65% to 66% which is 4% to 5% lower than last year’s annual recycling performance. Lead member for Environment and Transport attended a regional waste cabinet meeting, where it was confirmed that this is a similar picture across Wales with all other local authorities being affected.”

It is explained the Council is still expecting to exceed the Welsh statutory recycling target for 2020/21 which is 64%.

Kerbside collections are also detailed, with an increase by as much as 20% observed. Similarly food waste is up by about 15%, with a conclusion drawn: “No doubt the additional 1,765 tonnes of Kerbside recycling and food was as a result of residents spending more and more time at home”.

The impact of garden waste collection charges back in the summertime is also cautiously assessed, with “good participation” referenced and “kerbside garden waste tonnages have managed to hold their own so far” being down by 34 tonnes across the 3 quarters.

Recycling performance at Household Waste Recycling Centres has seen the greatest impact with most months being down by about 5%, with the Environment Department explaining, “As a result of our sites closing during the first Lockdown our recycling performance was affected. Heavy recyclables such as scrap metal, garden waste, wood, soils and rubble usually contribute greatly to our overall performance. The effect of this has been a decrease of 7,702 tonnes in recyclables and garden waste across the 3 quarters.”

“Even though the sites are now back open we are still encouraging ‘essential travel’ only’ plus there is no general waste ‘bag-splitting’ by the attendants due to Covid-19 restrictions. This means that recyclable materials that are wrongly placed in the general waste by some visitors are lost and consequently has a negative impact on our performance”.

One positive is noted, with the ‘Meet & Greet’ that takes place and include residency checks “has made an impact on the control of cross-border tipping
and commercial waste deposits”.

Councillors are not being asked to action anything from the report, and it has been circulated for information only.

Top pic: An enthusiastic Wrexham recycling resident.