In 2010-11 Wealden homes alone produced 58,000 tonnes of domestic waste – enough to fill a football pitch to a height of 10 metres! Our knowledgeable host was clearly passionate about reducing waste in Wealden and reported a current recycling/composting rate of 41.4% rising to 45-46% by the end of 2012. This compares favourably to the worst performing District Council, Ashford, achieving a meagre 14% but a significant challenge to match the best, South Oxfordshire, at 65%. Even South Oxfordshire cannot beat the best performing European country, Austria, at 70%. Nevertheless, 22% of Wealden rubbish is transported to the Newhaven incinerator and 37% ends in landfill, expensive at £64 per tonne and an environmental nightmare. Indeed, the threat of new “land rise” sites in Sussex remains as current landfill sites near capacity or have been filled and closed.

Back to the Tour

During the tour we observed the mechanical and hand sorting of recyclables in preparation for onward transportation to processing plants. As you can imagine this is tough and dirty work. Sorting at home takes care and time but plays an important part in the process. For example, we separate foil and place it in a bag because small foil items are tricky to hand pick from the general recyclables and tend to stick to other objects. We cannot recycle plate glass, mirrors and Pyrex with our bottles because different types of glass melt at different temperatures and if mixed will be deemed contaminated and unusable. By limiting contamination, Wealden can secure the best price for recycled materials. On a lighter note, rinsing of plastic bottles and cans is appreciated by the workforce, as you can imagine the aromas are far from fragrant on a hot day, especially pet food tins apparently!

A few extra tips were also gleaned - did you know that blue bottles (I’m thinking sherry at Christmas) can be recycled with green bottles; spent batteries can be taken back to retailers for recycling; plastic bags and cellophane wrappings may be recycled at many supermarkets.

The Future for Wealden’s Waste Management

Unsurprisingly, financial savings have to be made and this will probably involve the establishment of a joint waste contract with other authorities in the region. Plans to extend recycling are, therefore, on hold but the extension of plastic bottle and beverage carton recycling is likely with more residual waste going to the Newhaven Incinerator.

On a personal note, I left the centre with a stronger resolve to reduce further my landfill waste and with a keen appreciation of the workforce that handle and sort our everyday recyclables.

Lesley Wilson, CPRE Sussex Countryside Trust member and Volunteer
Statistics from Wealden Presentation