LAWR

COMMERCIAL WASTE Commercial waste collections to 'benefit' from new regulations William Tracey Group managing director Robin Stevenson discusses how Scotland's new waste regulations present an opportunity for local authorities to review their commercial waste collection services. hilst the new regula- tions require all local authorities to provide a minimum recycling service to household- ers the likelihood is that there is poten- tially greater impact on those providing commercial waste collections. At the start of this year the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 were implemented. They require all Scottish businesses to present metal, plastic, glass, paper and card for separate collection. Food busi- nesses (except in rural areas), which produce over 50kg of food waste per week must also present that food waste for separate collection. Businesses fail- ing to comply could risk a fine of up to £10,000. The threshold for food waste requir- ing separate collection will drop to 5kg per week from 1 January 2016 and a ban on biodegradable municipal waste going direct to landfill will be intro- duced from 1 January 2021. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has always stated that they will take a practi- cal approach to enforcement of the new regulations and that they did not expect full compliance from day one. They have also taken some con- fidence from a recent small poll of Scottish businesses in which 42 of the 57 premises visited were found to be compliant or broadly in-line with their obligations under the new regulations. Their findings echoed our experience. However, there is still more that needs to be done to ensure compliance, par- ticularly amongst smaller businesses. As we see the enforcement tighten, failure to comply could be an expen- sive mistake both financially and repu- tationally. The requirements of the new reg- ulations have two obvious practical impacts on those local authorities pro- viding commercial waste collections. Firstly, they will need to review their collection services to ensure that their commercial customers are able to source segregate recyclates. Historically, local authorities have not provided the same level of recycling services (to commercial customers) as waste management companies as these services were born out of an ability to co-collect municipal and commercial waste on the same round. Authorities must now either offer supporting recycling collections to the standards of the new regulations or ensure that a third party is providing these services. Authorities who are able to invest to successfully achieve this will ensure more of their custom- ers' material is recycled and less is sent to landfill. This not only has an envi- ronmental impact but also means that customers can avoid landfill tax (soon set to rise to £80 per tonne) which for every tonne diverted. Secondly, the regulations are likely to create a situation where authorities will require additional or alternative processing capability for the recyclate they collect. Whilst there are facili- ties such as our flagship materials recycling facility (MRF) in Glasgow available, the increased tonnages have the potential to impact gate fees as they start to reach capacity. A review of their processing capability also pro- vides authorities with opportunities to ensure that the recyclate they col- lect is effectively processed, maximis- ing its commercial and environmen- tal value and explore opportunities to explore zero waste to landfill options. For example, all residual commercial or municipal waste processed at our Glasgow site is used to manufacture refuse derived fuel (RDF). The new regulations undoubted- ly present an opportunity for local authorities to review and improve the quality of the service they provide to their commercial customers. However, new services coupled with the need for increased processing capability could also see an increase in costs for local authorities at a time when budgets are already under significant pressure. The natural solution to this situation is to pass these increased costs on to waste producers. 18 Local Authority Waste & Recycling April 2014 W SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT APRIL 2014 MAPPING THE MRF Materials recovery facilities (MRF) are increasingly important in provid- ing quality raw materials to industry. In most cases, MRFs are designed to separate commingled recyclables into their individual material streams and prepare them for sale in the commod- ity markets. MRFs have never been so closely scrutinised nor challenged as in recent years. The Government recently laid the final version of the regulations for the materials recycling facility Code of Practice to mixed reactions from the industry. The regulations, which come into force this autumn, will require all per- mitted MRFs processing more than 1,000 tonnes of dry recyclate per annum to measure and report the quality of the input, output and residual waste streams every three months. The Code has been incorporated into the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations, under amendments which came into force last month. However, the sampling and report- ing requirements will only apply from October 2014 to allow MRF operators sufficient time to adjust their operations and comply with the new requirements. In light of the increasing focus on MRFs, this special LAWR feature will aim to 'map the MRF'. LAWR will be looking at the whole supply chain of the MRF including focusing on the start of the MRF process, the middle of the MRF process and the end of the process. LAWR will be analysing issues such as the challenges of MRFs receiving high-quality inputs, a special look at how Viridor's Ford MRF in West Sussex produces quality feedstocks, and a focus on outputs, such as refuse derived fuels (RDF). Essentially, MRFs need to produce high –quality outputs to be sustain- able. And there is a growing awareness among recyclers in the UK that pro- ducing quality recovered materials will give their businesses the best chance of securing competitive prices for their recyclate. If MRF outputs are of a high quality, householders can be confident that the materials they send for recycling are being processed effectively. Similarly, if MRFs can rely on the quality of mate- rial being delivered to them, they will be able to consistently produce high- quality outputs, which will attract the best prices. And the reprocessors they sell to will be able to select from a greater range of high-grade recyclate at competitive prices. But where does the process start? I have learnt from the interesting people I have spoken to that improving the quality of materials going into MRFs is of particular importance because this is intrinsically linked to the quality of outputs. South Oxfordshire and Vale District Councils and Ashford Borough Council, for example, will explain in the feature how they achieved high recycling rates through closer collabora- tion and communication throughout the supply chain. Industry efforts to raise the quality of MRF outputs have already extended across a number of sectors. Let's hope they continue. LOCAL AUTHORITY WASTE & RECYCLING LAWR

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