Welsh businesses - new recycling laws

[WannabeFramer]

I know at least a couple of you are in Wales (shwmae!), and wonder how the new recycling laws are going to affect you?

My worry is plastics. I have a waste contract with my council but they do not recycle soft plastics - bubble wrap, mountboard bags etc. These currently have to go in the general waste bin. My understanding is that this will be illegal from April, but I can't get a straight answer as to what I should do if my waste contractor can't offer a recycling service.

The council have informally told me to carry on sticking it in general waste, but won't confirm in writing.

Any Welsh tips?

[Justintime]

It's the same here down south, bubblewrap scraps have always gone in the general waste bag. In fact I don't understand what the deal is with this law coming in. My understanding was that if I didn't have waste contracts in place over the last few years, I was liable for exactly the same fine!
My council supplied trade waste agreement has quickly risen from around £100/annum to around £260/annum this year... Just as I am trying to lower my overheads, they are raising their costs. Pembrokeshire council tax is also rising the highest % in the entire UK this year
I already have a glass recycling contract with Wessex and I was very close to saying to the council's waste contract, but held my tongue and talked them into allowing me a contract without recycling this year, which with already have a load of blue bags left over (at £60/roll!) came out at a very reasonable £30 for the entire year! I have talked to my local private recycling company who have agreed to allow me to deliver cardboard and paper waste to them as and when for no charge!? The only stipulation from the council was that I registered with Natural Resources Wales to be a licenced lower tier waste carrier. So another string to my bow, if the economy completely tanks I can buy a white transit pickup and start transporting waste around the county!

[vintage frames]

I would do as they say, verbally ie stick it in general waste.
If they haven't issued a formal direction, that means they know that there are no facilities yet available to deal with that type of waste.

[WannabeFramer]

My fear with putting in the general waste is someone fining me. What I can't ascertain is who is responsible for the fines - the council or the government? Or the bin man refusing to empty it and I get charged an aborted collection fee, with nothing in writing to exonerate me.

I pay £7.45 every four weeks for the general waste but there is very, very little other than the plastics that go in it. Cardboard collection is only £4.25 but annoyingly I wasn't allowed a card bin without also having the more expensive general bin. Meh.

Even more annoyingly, the domestic household recycling does take soft plastic for recycling, so they must have a contract with someone somewhere.. I would much rather recycle it, but I'm just not allowed to take commercial waste in. Double meh.

Justin, you have given me a thought though. There is a commercial waste contractor nearby that allows 'drive-ins'. I will give them a call and see what their rates are.

[WannabeFramer]

In fact I don't understand what the deal is with this law coming in. My understanding was that if I didn't have waste contracts in place over the last few years, I was liable for exactly the same fine!

I believe (could be wrong), that the onus is now on businesses to separate recycling at source rather than having general waste contracts, with additional restrictions over what can be sent to landfill. So extra fines I guess? I think?

[vintage frames]

I don't think the government is going to barge in and fine you for any waste recycling misdeeds.
Any local enforcement of the rules would be contracted out to local councils.

Your business is of micro size. Will anyone care what's in your black bag? Is someone going to go through it looking for the naughty bits?

A few years ago, our local 'recycling' centre took a strict and almost agressive attitude towards people's rubbish when they turned up in their cars. Big uproar, people stopped coming and some do-it-yourself fly-tipping became popular.
This year, a much more welcoming attitude - big smiles, "need a hand?", just pop it in there - bye!

[WannabeFramer]

Dunno, the law is changing is all I know, So it remains to be seen I guess. I am an over-thinker admittedly.

[Justintime]

"Will anyone care what's in your black bag?"

Why they changed to see through bags I imagine.
I heard they send a SWAT team around at 3am!

[Rainbow]

Quite a few years ago, there was a report in our local paper about the council taking someone to court because they'd been putting business waste in the domestic bin. From what I can remember, it wasn't manufacturing stuff, just some paperwork. The council lost the case, and I remember the judge saying that it was none of the council's business what somebody put in their bin. The implication was that it would amount to something like voyeurism on the part of the council to check what was in people's bins. Although that judgement may have set a precedent (possibly only locally), I'm not sure that the same judgement would be made these days.

[WannabeFramer]

Well today I got an email from the council confirming I should continue to put soft plastics in the general waste, until such time as they are in a position to offer recycling.

So nothing changes for me - hooray

[WannabeFramer]

Meh. The bin lorry arrived but didn’t take my rubbish today. I’m hoping it wasn’t because there was plastic wrap in it.