Background

Local authorities in Wales are required to achieve recycling targets set by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), reflecting landfill diversion targets defined in the European Landfill Directive. The targets will become more demanding over time, with fines incurred for waste landfilled over the target thresholds. Fines are currently set at £200 for every tonne of biodegradable municipal waste that is not diverted from landfill, which could equate to fines on average of up to £6 million per local authority area. These are in addition to the current landfill tax, also subject to future increases for each tonne of waste disposed to landfill. As a consequence, local authorities are seeking alternatives to landfill.

In conformity with the waste hierarchy, the demise of landfill as the option of choice and convenience for waste disposal has focused attention on alternative disposal methods that recover more of the value from waste. Enviroparks has been established to promote integrated waste processing, co-locating recycling and commercial operations on one site or 'park'. The concept is to treat diverse streams of waste materials as a resource feedstock and to recycle material and recover energy in the most efficient and controlled manner. The plant is expected to deliver a 97.5% diversion from landfill for such material, making it a key strategic recycling operation in South Wales. In liaison with the Welsh Assembly Government, a site for the first Enviroparks facility has been identified at Hirwaun Industrial Estate in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South East Wales.

South East Wales is also running out of landfill space. Currently it is estimated that without additional facilities to deal with the waste we produce then South East Wales will run out of space in about 7 years.