On 1 December 2015 Defra released the statistics on waste managed by local authorities for 2014. Regrettably, the Council of the Isles of Scilly recorded the lowest household waste recycling rate in the country. More importantly, our recycling rate of 14% is well below the 50% rate required by the year 2020 as detailed in the EU Waste Directive. It is also far short of the best performing authority, South Oxfordshire District Council, at 67% and the national average of almost 45%. Clearly we must do better.
Whilst the 2014 statistics are far from ideal, they include direct weight measurements for the first time and are therefore the most accurate results we have ever provided. Until June 2014, almost all of the waste data reported to government was estimated because the Council did not operate a weighbridge. Accurate data collection is an important step forward as it helps us to understand our true position with respect to waste production and recycling, which is vital if we are to deal with the islands’ waste effectively.
We are now laying the foundations to significantly improve our recycling rates, with the aim of reaching 50% by 2020. In order to improve recycling rates and waste management on the islands, we are undertaking a major improvement project. This includes ensuring staff have the required waste management training, redesigning our waste and recycling services, ensuring our contracts provide maximum value and redeveloping the Waste Management Site at Porthmellon. This is a huge undertaking for our small waste team and represents the biggest change to waste management practices in the islands’ history.
Cllr Amanda Martin, Chairman of the Council, said “The Defra report is a useful milestone. It is the clearest indication yet of how far we have to go to bring our waste management practices up to national standards. However, it comes at a time when we are working to transform the way we deal with waste on the islands. We have a legal and moral responsibility to minimise the environmental impact of our waste. With the changes currently being implemented, islanders can look forward to a more responsible and effective waste service in the coming months and years.”
What follows is an explanation of the current state of recycling and waste management on the islands along with an update on the authority’s plans for the future and how we are going to address this issue.
What improvements have been made so far?
- March 2014: first major removal of legacy residual and bulky waste undertaken.
- June 2014: weighbridge brought into operation, enabling, for the first time, accurate recording of waste and recyclables. Historically all reporting on waste and recycling rates was based on estimates.
- December 2014: incinerator closed. Due to its age and condition, the incinerator was experiencing issues around emissions, required large amounts of fuel for ignition and to achieve an efficient burn, and was failing to keep up with the amount of waste that the community was producing.
- March 2015: after a short delay due to procurement regulations, the transportation and disposal of residual waste to a mainland site commenced.
- April 2015: new commercial waste collection scheme introduced with the aim of ensuring that businesses pay for the waste they produce and the cost is not passed on to householders.
- July 2015: contract agreed to build a household waste and recycling facility
- October 2015: work commenced on the demolition of the incinerator.
- November 2015: new collection vehicle procured (now in service). A new waste compaction vehicle is also due to arrive on the islands as soon as shipping/weather allows.
Household Waste and Recycling Centre
The redevelopment of the Porthmellon site started in September 2015. The project will turn the north end of the existing site into a Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC). Waste acceptance protocols will also change to encourage waste producers to recycle and reuse more of their waste.
Once completed, the HWRC will allow commercial and residential waste to be sorted and separated as it arrives. Currently, most waste is brought to the site in mixed loads, which means that there is little opportunity to separate out the recyclable materials.
There have been some unavoidable delays to the project. Poor ground conditions have made it necessary to excavate more material than anticipated in order to create a new hard surface. It has also been necessary to redesign the drainage system.
We expect that the lower part of the HWRC will be completed in January 2016 with full completion of the facility by April 2016.
Demolition of the Incinerator
Demolition of the incinerator started in October 2015. The decontamination and early part of the demolition is currently going to schedule. However, poor sea conditions have delayed the delivery of machinery which will likely delay the process of dismantling the 2 towers. We anticipate that the demolition work will be completed by New Year and all materials and machinery will have left site by the end of January 2016.
Legacy Waste Processing and New Waste Transfer Station
Once the incinerator is demolished, work will start on the redevelopment of the south end of the Porthmellon site (currently home to the infamous ‘Moorwell Alps’). The contract for this phase has recently been procured.
The work will involve the processing and recovery of historic waste that has accumulated over many years. Some of this waste won’t be recoverable, but a large part of it will be processed on site and reused to create the screening bunds and a hard surface for the new waste transfer station.
Operations and Services
While these big projects are taking place, there are significant limitations to the waste and recycling services offered by the Council. This is largely due to the restricted space on site for manual or automated processing of waste and recyclables. The things that have impacted on the community include:
- Suspension of the acceptance of construction, demolition and excavation waste.
This action has been taken due to the limited space on site to store and process these bulky materials for use in construction projects. Landfilling is not permitted so the only option would be to ship these materials to the mainland at great expense.
- Withdrawal of the pilot recycling collection scheme in Old Town.
The withdrawal of this popular and successful pilot scheme was necessary because of the reallocation of resource to the redevelopment project. We are awaiting confirmation of the type of recycling scheme that will be implemented on the islands. Once confirmed, a new recycling scheme will roll out across all the islands. We will provide details of this service in the New Year and anticipate that it will be in operation by summer 2016.
- Limited opening hours for residential waste acceptance.
We understand that this situation is frustrating for residents. However, we have had to limit this service due to restricted space and resources as a result of the redevelopment project. We expect to be able to offer an increased level of service by spring 2016 and when the redevelopment of the site is completed there will be more access for residents wishing to dispose of their waste.
What next?
The improvement project will continue through to the summer of 2016. In addition to the new facilities, we will be purchasing new equipment and machinery to ensure adequate containerisation and compaction of waste and recyclates. We will also be introducing a new recycling collection scheme, reviewing the management of off-island waste and finding the most cost effective way to dispose of all residual waste.
We are working with Defra, the Environment Agency, the Duchy of Cornwall and other local stakeholders to find long term solutions to increase the recycling and reuse of waste on the islands, particularly green and construction waste. These waste streams could be beneficially reused on the islands. We are available to provide advice and guidance to any individuals or businesses who would like to reduce, reuse or recycle their waste. We can also help anyone who is interested in establishing a waste service of their own.
We apologise for any inconvenience that the redevelopment may be causing. For more information, please see the waste and recycling services updates on the Council’s website and Facebook page. You can also contact us by email at infrastructure@scilly.gov.uk.