How will a 'zero waste' strategy work?

U.K. Households will have to collect and separate everything that can be recycled, burned or left to rot under plans to cut the amount of waste going to landfill. But how will the new system work?
Louise Gray, The Telegraph 14 Oct 09;

Councils can choose to collect every single stream of recycling separately – meaning even more than six bins. However councils generally mix at least 'dry recyclates' to make it easier for households. People living in high rise flats or where there is little room for bins may be able to continue to put all rubbish in the same bin and it will be separated by the council at a factory later on.

:: Food scraps – One in four councils already collect food waste separately. Households are usually given a small brown kitchen caddie or "slop bucket" with a biodegradable bin bag that is collected weekly.

:: 'Dry recyclates' – Tin, cardboard and plastic bottles are all recycled separately but generally collected together as they are cheap and easy to separate at a plant.

:: Glass – Glass can be collected with other 'dry recyclates' but since it is a very valuable it is worth collecting separately in order to get more money for non-contaminated material.

:: Paper – Again, this can be collected with other recyclable materials but many processors argue it is more valuable if it is collected separately.

:: Plastic packaging – Some councils have started collecting 'thin plastic' like yogurt pots and other food packages that can be recycled. Plastic film and plastic bags can also be recycled separately but are generally collected as part of dry recyclates.

:: Garden waste – Most councils provide a green bin or biodegradable bags to enable households to regularly throw away garden waste that can then be composted. Garden waste can also be collected with food scraps and other biodegradable waste.

:: All other waste – Waste like nappies and textiles can be sorted for incineration. A small proportion of rubbish like discarded toys may have to go to landfill. Electrical goods and batteries should be disposed of via a civic amenity site to prevent pollution.

Green 'zero waste' recycling policy could mean up to six bins
Householders could be forced to have as many as six bins and sift through every piece of rubbish under Government plans to increase the amount of recycling.
Louise Gray, The Telegraph 14 Oct 09;

The new "zero waste" strategy means every piece of waste that can possibly be burned, re-used, recycled or left to rot will have to be sorted and collected.

The majority of homes will have a slop bucket for food scraps alongside separate bins for glass, plastic bottles and packaging, cardboard, paper, tin, and garden waste - as well as a black bin for the small amount of rubbish that must be burned or sent to landfill.

It will be up to each council how to collect waste but some will be forced to introduce a series of new bins and collection times. Councils can also impose fines of up to £500 per household if people put the wrong material in each bin.

Speaking at "waste summit" attended by local authorities, businesses and waste disposal firms, Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, said every council will be expected to have "full recycling services" by 2020.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is to set up a database for councils to help them set up new waste collection and disposal systems, including new technologies like anaerobic digestion. A consumer campaign will also be launched to educate households about which materials to put in recycling bins.

At the moment the UK dumps half of its rubbish, some 62 million tonnes, in landfill every year.

Mr Benn said it was ridiculous that valuable materials like aluminium and glass are still being dumped in the ground.

He said the amount of waste going to landfill would be halved by recycling more and turning anything else into energy through incineration or new technologies such as anaerobic digestion.

"We must now work together to build a zero waste nation - where we reduce the resources we use, reuse and recycle all that we can and only landfill things that have absolutely no other use," he said.

The Government insisted that local authorities will not face penalties for failing to meet the "zero waste" target but they will face fines for putting materials that could be recycled in landfill.

At the moment a consultation is out on whether to ban certain materials from going to landfill, including food scraps.

The EU could also impose fines of up to £180 million on the country if councils do not reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

The Local Government Association said it will cost an extra £1.1 billion over the next three years to put the new waste management services in place. This equates to around £50 on the average council tax bill.

"Councils are already trying to cut waste going to landfill as much as possible in order to reduce costs to the council tax payer. To perform even better, they will need the money from landfill tax to build up the infrastructure," a spokesman said.

Dr Michael Warhurst, of Friends of the Earth, said the emphasis should be on recycling rather than incineration that can cause pollution.

“The Government must stop funding new incinerators which don’t help tackle climate change. Recycling is much better for the climate and helps save precious resources too," he said.

Doretta Cocks, of the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection, said it was impossible to recycle everything.

"People are struggling as it is now to cope with all these bins and crates they have to deal with. If we have any more it will become even more confusing and unenforceable as it will be impossible to go through every bin to check the wrong materials have not been mixed in.

"Zero waste is a wonderful idea but it I cannot see anyway they could ever achieve it."