LAWR

A quick chat with... NEWS ROUNDUP Councils lead way on mattress recycling 8 Local Authority Waste & Recycling July 2015 Trying to figure out how many mattresses are recycled in the UK has given plenty of analysts sleepless nights over the years. But consultants Oakdene Hollins have come up with a new methodology to "quantify and assess recovery levels of end-of- life mattresses". Using production, sales and waste management data, in combination with three surveys conducted on behalf of the National Bed Federation, researchers managed to calculate that nearly 450,000 mattresses were collected for recycling in 2012 (about 9.7%). In 2013, this increased to 600,000 (or 12.9%). Local authorities have driven much of this (see table). "Since 2011 there has been a clear upward progression in the number of local authorities collecting mattresses and sending them for recycling," concluded the NBF's new report. Indeed, in 2013 councils collected 418,000 mattresses for recycling, up 34% on the 2012 figure of 311,000. However, there are "wide regional variations" in performance. Wales came out top overall, with strong performances noted in the East Midlands, London and Northern Ireland too. At the other end of the scale was Yorkshire and Humber, where almost no mattresses were collected for recycling. Both the recycling facilities in Scotland have closed. Of the 439 local authorities across the UK, only 100 have the infrastructure in place for recovering mattresses. Landfill is often a cheaper option. This won't always be the case, however. As Tony Lisanti, chair of the NBF's recycling group, noted in his foreword: "It is inevitable that at some point the spotlight of the legislators will fall on this issue." Rather than have regulations "foisted" upon them by Brussels or the national government, the NBF wants to develop strategies that work sooner rather than later. The new data is the starting point for this. "We do not want to have to deal with a bed-industry version of the white goods fiasco, whereby end of life legislation was passed that resulted in mountains of old fridges being stockpiled with no plan as to what should happen to them," Lisanti added. Route 2012 2013 % change Local authorities 311,000 418,000 34% Industry returns 141,000 168,000 20% Total 452,000 586,000 30% Stratton Macdonald Larac's Scotland representative Stratton Macdonald (pictured left) talkes to LAWR following the committee's recent conference in Glasgow. LAWR: What is the big challenge Scottish councils are likely to face in the coming 12 months? Stratton Macdonald (SM): Without a doubt it'll be the further budget cuts, especially as they will seriously compromise the ability of councils to meet the 50% and 60% household waste recycling targets contained in Scotland's Zero Waste Plan for 2020 and 2025 respectively. LAWR: How have the cuts affected collections so far? SM: The quality of recyclable materials being collected has decreased over the past 10 years and the current poor quality of recovered materials is symptomatic of these budget cuts. LAWR: Can you see the country's new brokerage service working to help councils make the most of the materials they collect? SM: I think it will work and it's long overdue. It will reduce the burden of risk on councils who have been subject to contractor claims, as well as encourage collaborative working between councils. The service will also provide a secure, medium-term outlet for recyclable materials. LAWR: The UK is facing another five years of austerity, so were there any tips at the conference to help budgets go further? SM: There were a number of areas discussed that councils are looking at in order to achieve budget savings, such as re-routing and rationalisation of collection rounds, extended usage and life of equipment and vehicles, re-negotiation of contracts, increased charges for bulky waste and reduced frequency of collection of waste materials. In terms of communications, councils are having to look at more web-based and local media outlet communications rather than direct household contact. LAWR: How about social media? SM: From what I heard at the conference, it seems that smartphone apps and social media systems are high maintenance options for communicating with residents, with high start-up costs that will only reach a limited percentage of householders. As such, they are perhaps best left for the future. I did learn that an integrated, targeted communications approach should be taken to improve the quality of recyclate and that such an approach should be based on feedback from your MRF or reprocessor.

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