Richmond.gov.uk
My Account
  1. Open Richmond
  2. Information about the Council
  3. Freedom of Information

FOI request details

Back

Request

Subject: Plastic

Reference: LBR-FOI-00386

1. Of the plastic collected for recycling in the borough what percentage is actually recycled and made into new plastic and what percentage is incinerated? If this plastic is mixed with other recyclable plastic included in general waste, and it is not possible to split them, please provide an overall percentage for all recyclable plastic.

2. What information on the destination and treatment of plastic collected and sent for recycling is reviewed by the Council on a regular basis? Please supply this information for the most recent 6 months.

3. What is the carbon footprint, by weight, of the plastic incinerated?

4. Is any of the plastic collected for recycling sent outside Europe by the Council's contractor?

5. What action is the Council taking to increase the percentage of plastic that is recycled into new plastic? Please provide information on how much improvement is expected and in what timescale.

Response

Part Disclosed - 9 February 2023

Request for Information - LBR-FOI-00386 - Plastic

I refer to your request for information received on 11 January 2023. Please see the information below in response to your request: -

1.Of the plastic collected for recycling in the borough what percentage is actually recycled and made into new plastic and what percentage is incinerated? If this plastic is mixed with other recyclable plastic included in general waste, and it is not possible to split them, please provide an overall percentage for all recyclable plastic.

All plastics targeted for recycling (plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays plus clear recycling sacks) are co-collected with other materials for recycling, so these materials must be sorted before they can be recycled. 100% of sorted plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays are sent for recycling as well as clear recycling sacks subject to suitable recycling markets being available at the time. However, residents also wrongly include significant quantities of other (non-targeted) plastics with their mixed recycling and these are sent for incineration with energy recovery. Sampling data indicates that around 43.6% of plastics collected with mixed recycling are non-targeted, so around 56.4% of all plastics collected with mixed recycling are forwarded for recycling. Please note that these figures exclude the plastic element of any textiles or waste electricals wrongly included in the mixed recycling stream and that the range of plastics that can be forwarded for recycling is limited by both sorting capabilities and the availability of suitable end markets.

2.What information on the destination and treatment of plastic collected and sent for recycling is reviewed by the Council on a regular basis? Please supply this information for the most recent 6 months.

The Council closely monitors its overall recycling performance rather than specifically focussing on the plastic element. As a 'Waste Collection Authority' the Council must deliver most of the waste it collects (including all plastics for recycling) to the local 'waste Disposal Authority'- The Western Riverside Waste Authority (WRWA). WRWA is responsible for sorting and marketing the materials for recycling delivered to it by its constituent authorities. WRWA published Information about the location of the end markets it uses here: https://wrwa.gov.uk/news/where-does-my-mixed-recycling-go/.

3.What is the carbon footprint, by weight, of the plastic incinerated?

Accurate data on this is not held. However, sampling data indicates that around 128 tonnes of non-targeted plastics included with mixed recycling are sent for incineration annually. In addition to this, residual waste composition analysis indicates that around 10.1% of residual waste sent for incineration is plastics, around 6,257 tonnes annually (excluding the plastic element of any textiles and waste electricals in the waste). Based on carbon factors published by Zero Waste Scotland, incinerating all this material is associated with 1.885 tonnes of CO2eq emissions per tonne, around 12,000 tonnes annually. Please note that (a) the calorific value is utilised to generate electricity for the National Grid; (b) that there are plans to also utilise the waste heat for a district heating network to heat 10,500 homes in the boroughs of Bexley and Greenwich (see: https://www.corygroup.co.uk/future-growth/riverside-heat-network/#:~:text=Cory's%20existing%20Riverside%201%20EfW,via%20the%20proposed%20heat%20network); and (c) that there are also plans (which may still be subject to funding) to install carbon capture technology at the incinerator (see: https://www.corygroup.co.uk/future-growth/carbon-capture-storage-project/).

4.Is any of the plastic collected for recycling sent outside Europe by the Council's contractor?

No. However, the Council delivers all mixed recycling to the Western Riverside Waste Authority (WRWA) for sorting and marketing to reprocessors. Subject to suitable markets being available at the time, WRWA send emptied, sorted and used clear plastic recycling sacks to Turkey for recycling (much of the landmass of which is in Asia not Europe).

5.What action is the Council taking to increase the percentage of plastic that is recycled into new plastic? Please provide information on how much improvement is expected and in what timescale.

The Council is committed to improving its recycling performance including in relation to plastics. Recent action proposals in relation to this are detailed here: https://democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/documents/s99538/22-340%20Food%20WasteRecycling%20Collections%20Paper.pdf. For plastics, the proposals include targeted improvements to recycling facilities on estates (where performance is currently poor compared to traditional kerbside housing) and increasing the Council's capacity for proactive recycling related engagement with residents to encourage increased participation and capture rates for materials targeted for recycling. It is anticipated that these proposals will be implemented during 2023/24. It is not possible to accurately quantify the improvement to local recycling that this will deliver at this stage.

I hope this information meets your needs. If you do not understand the information provided or wish to discuss anything further, please feel free to contact us.

Please note, all material provided by the Council in response to your request for information is for your personal, non-commercial use. The Council reserves all rights in the copyright of the information provided. Any unauthorised copying or adaptation of the information without express written confirmation from The Council may constitute an infringement of copyright. Any intention to re-use this information commercially may require consent. Please forward any requests for re-use of information to the FOI officer.

If you are dissatisfied with the information provided in relation to your request, you may make representations to the Information and Transparency Manager. Any such request for an internal review should be made within 40 days from today's date. Correspondence should be addressed to: foir@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision at: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/

Regards,

FOI and DPA Officer

foir@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

Please note that our responses were accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of release, and have not subsequently been updated. This information should be considered an historical record only.