LA trade waste reviews: Blaenau Gwent, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Wrexham.

Project

Local authorities in Wales are rising to the challenge of achieving some of the world’s most ambitious recycling targets.  Trade waste collected in-house affects each Council’s recycling performance, as well as having significant financial implications.  A suite of projects have been delivered by Circulogic helping local authorities to transform their trade waste services, making them recycling-led, efficient and resilient to competitive threats.  Many projects involve an element of modelling, assessing the costs, resources and performance implications of a range of service delivery options.  Underpinning the modelling is a focus on helping local authorities become more commercial in the way they organise, manage and deliver their trade waste services. We focus on data: considering gaps, how information is used and transferred internally, and on key metrics that are commonly missing (such as margins achieved per lift, yield per bin etc.).  Projects typically include consideration of the market (including market composition and competitor analysis), helping Officers look beyond the confines of how things are done currently and much more on what the market needs and how their services can be differentiated.  Common outputs include performance projections for alternative service designs (incorporating options around multi-compartment vehicles, alternative material mixes. We are also at the forefront of scoping innovative approaches to collecting commercial waste, e.g. utilising underground, smart communal bins and through the deployment of cargo bikes. Our latest project in Carmarthenshire involves reprofiling the collections customers receive such that they are in line with the Workplace Recycling regulations. 

Key skills

Knowledge and expertise gained above has been used to deliver a regional study (for WRAP Cymru) of the commercial waste market in SE Wales. The focus of this review was on the level of preparedness of private sector trade waste collectors to implement separate collections when detailed requirements implementing the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 are put in place. Following on from this, Circulogic has undertaken broader market preparedness work and continues to provide technical support to the joint Welsh Government, WRAP Cymru, Natural Resources Wales and Local Partnerships teams preparing for the implementation of the 2024 policy changes.