Soft plastics trial exceeding expectations
The Vale of Glamorgan’s soft plastics recycling trial is exceeding expectations, with around three metric tons of material being collected every week.
Following its previous excellent recycling performance, the Vale was selected by Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) Cymru to pilot an innovative new scheme for soft plastics.
That sees items that wouldn’t normally be recycled, such as bags and wrapping, collected from the kerbside in Penarth, Dinas Powys, Sully and some surrounding areas.
Initially, the Council’s waste team anticipated producing one 600kg bale of recycled soft plastic a week, but they are currently processing one every day, such has been the positive response by residents.
Cllr Mark Wilson, Vale of Glamorgan Council Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood and Building Services, said: “I’d like to thank residents for the way in which they have embraced this pilot scheme, their reaction has been really positive. We have collected a lot of soft plastic waste from people’s homes which suggests there is real potential to extend this trial into other locations.
“The Vale is renowned as a place that cares about the planet, where people do all they can to support new ways of recycling. That is why WRAP Cymru decided we should be one of the first areas in Wales to trial this system.
“Here, the Council and citizens recognise the importance of protecting the natural environment for future generations as we work together towards Project Zero, our commitment to become a carbon neutral Local Authority in the next five years, with an ambition for the whole county to follow by 2050.
“It is important residents continue their commitment to this scheme and try to avoid contaminating blue bags of plastic with other materials.
“There have been a few examples of that, which is something we need to address for our performance to improve even further.”
Thanks to the dedicated way in which residents have embraced similar initiatives, this county has helped Wales become one of the best recyclers across the globe.
Over 70 per cent of material collected in the Vale was recycled during 2023/24, meaning it is among the top performing Welsh Local Authority areas.
This trail follows the successful introduction of a source-separated system to the Vale in 2019, an arrangement that involves residents sorting their waste by material type, rather than putting it all in one bag.
The soft plastics pilot will monitor participation levels along with the impact on collections and waste transfers and will run until early 2026.
A decision will then be made on whether it can continue in the Vale and potentially be rolled out more widely.
Residents have been given blue sacks in which to place soft plastics for recycling, along with a leaflet explaining the types of materials that will be accepted at the kerbside.
The items collected as part of the trial will be recycled into products such as bags for life and bin bags, reducing the reliance on single-use plastics. This will also increase the amount of household waste than can be recycled.
Almost 10 per cent of material found in black bags is made up of soft plastics and can be recycled using this new system.
Around 16,000 homes, including a mix of housing types will be involved in the pilot project, with feedback gathered as it progresses.
More information about the trial can be found here.