I was disturbed by plastic waste being shown desecrating the countryside in a foreign land. The waste had been shown to have come from the UK, processed by factories in foreign countries, and yet the waste from those factories was just being wilfully dumped in that country's own land next to streams that would eventually lead that waste to the oceans. All this is because China is no longer taking our waste.
Now, Malaysia has become the new dumping ground for illegal rubbish processing plants. Between July 2018 and April 2019 150 illegal plant processing centres were closed down in Malaysia.
Just because we put stuff in the green recycling bin, we shouldn't accept that it is recycled. In reality, we need to put trackers into the waste and see where they end up.
Nevertheless, in a Freedom of Information request, I asked Central Bedfordshire Council some pertinent questions, as they had previously assured me that waste from our bins was being dealt with correctly. The answer still needs poking, and further prodding of CBC councillors will be needed if we can get a really true response to the problem of really understanding where our Central Bedfordshire recycled waste goes to.
Q1. Has Central Bedfordshire Council ever conducted its own independent investigation of the total route taken by recycled waste from a residents bin in Central Bedfordshire through to it's final resting place as landfill or with a remanufacturer?
A1. No
Q2. If no to Q1, will the authority please consider such an undertaking?
A2. This is not a valid question under FOI as it is asking for opinion.
Q3. What guarantees can the authority give to its residents, beyond any reasonable doubt, that waste collected as recycled, does not actually end up in foreign countries potentially being of harm to the rivers and land in foreign countries?
A3. It is the responsibility of our contractor to sell the material on to other brokers or reprocessors. They work with Environment Agency-accredited and licensed processing facilities when any material is sent for export. They have a robust system of traceability with regard to its supply chain and as part of contract management we check that the contractor carries out due diligence regarding where recycling is sent.
We have sought assurances from contractors that they have auditing methods in place and ensure that UK legislation is adhered to. The contractor has addressed the issue with all national clients and reaffirmed that they are working within the confines of the law. It is illegal to export any material that is then dumped in landfill; it is only permitted to export material that can be recycled at a licensed facility. If there is any non-recyclable material that is rejected from the recycling facilities abroad, it is sent to approved processors for incineration or disposal.
Just because we put stuff in the green recycling bin, we shouldn't accept that it is recycled. In reality, we need to put trackers into the waste and see where they end up.
Nevertheless, in a Freedom of Information request, I asked Central Bedfordshire Council some pertinent questions, as they had previously assured me that waste from our bins was being dealt with correctly. The answer still needs poking, and further prodding of CBC councillors will be needed if we can get a really true response to the problem of really understanding where our Central Bedfordshire recycled waste goes to.
Freedom of Information request responses was recieved 11 July 2019.
Q1. Has Central Bedfordshire Council ever conducted its own independent investigation of the total route taken by recycled waste from a residents bin in Central Bedfordshire through to it's final resting place as landfill or with a remanufacturer?
A1. No
Q2. If no to Q1, will the authority please consider such an undertaking?
A2. This is not a valid question under FOI as it is asking for opinion.
Q3. What guarantees can the authority give to its residents, beyond any reasonable doubt, that waste collected as recycled, does not actually end up in foreign countries potentially being of harm to the rivers and land in foreign countries?
A3. It is the responsibility of our contractor to sell the material on to other brokers or reprocessors. They work with Environment Agency-accredited and licensed processing facilities when any material is sent for export. They have a robust system of traceability with regard to its supply chain and as part of contract management we check that the contractor carries out due diligence regarding where recycling is sent.
We have sought assurances from contractors that they have auditing methods in place and ensure that UK legislation is adhered to. The contractor has addressed the issue with all national clients and reaffirmed that they are working within the confines of the law. It is illegal to export any material that is then dumped in landfill; it is only permitted to export material that can be recycled at a licensed facility. If there is any non-recyclable material that is rejected from the recycling facilities abroad, it is sent to approved processors for incineration or disposal.
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