Welcome to our Frequently Asked Questions Page. This page includes a wide range of questions that have already been asked about the project. As more continue to be asked we will answer them here. Should you have a question that is not on this page please email us and we will be please to answer it.
What is residual waste?
Residual waste is the waste that is left over after recycling and composting as much as possible.
Where does the residual waste come from?
The Outline Business Case (OBC) developed by the partnership showed there would be potentially circa 150,000 tonnes of residual waste in 2024/25 after meeting the Welsh Government's (WG) recycling and composting targets of 70%.
Will the amount of residual waste change over time?
The original OBC projections will be updated and modified to keep up to date with the latest information in waste arisings in the partnership area.
What if we do not reach the 70% recycling target?
The amount of waste we send to landfill is closely monitored and a maximum tonnage set on the basis of the percentage we should be recycling. The fines for not meeting the targets are extensive and are likely to be £200 per tonne of waste plus the price of disposing of that tonne of waste in the landfill site.
When do you think the project will start?
The project has already begun, although it is only at the very beginning. To purchase a solution will take a few years and follow stringent guidelines. A preferred bidder will not be selected until late 2012 / early 2013 and building will not start until early 2017.
What is the European landfill directive?
It is an EU directive aimed at preventing and reducing the negative effect of waste on the environment. It covers landfill engineering requirements including water control, protection of land and methane production. It focuses on minimising the rubbish we produce, increasing the re-use of materials, recycling and recovering as much energy as possible from rubbish we throw away.
How much will the project cost?
The project is a 25 year project and we estimate it will be worth between £600 and £800 million.
If WG is providing £142 million, where is the rest of the money coming from?
Your local authority currently pays to take your black bin waste to be treated in a landfill site. Every tonne of waste that is taken there is charged a gate fee as it enters the site to be treated. In addition, there is a landfill tax levied by the government. This is set to rise significantly and therefore the costs to your local authority will rise. The £142 million from WG will be provided over the 25 years of the project and the rest will come from the partnership local authorities, however the residual waste treatment solution will assist your local authority to save money as by the time any new residual waste treatment service is in place landfill disposal will be more costly than any solution we are looking to purchase.
Would it be more cost effective to just treat the waste in a landfill?
No, this would be very expensive. Landfill will become increasingly more expensive for three reasons. Firstly, there is only 4-5 years of landfill space left in North Wales. Like any commodity in short supply the price to treat waste here would go up. Secondly, the government want to discourage waste going to landfill, so waste going there will be taxed further. Increasing landfill taxes will add to the price of treatment. Thirdly, there are fines associated with not meeting the targets set by WG for reducing the amount of waste going to landfill. These fines are large and punitive.
Who is running this project and do they have the ability to deliver the solution?
The project is run by an NWRWTP team supported by a range of specialist advisors from legal to technical and planning. The project is also governed by a Joint Committee made up of councillors from each of the five local authorities.
Why hasn’t Wrexham joined the partnership?
The five councils that have come together have done so to ensure they have buying power and to find a solution to disposing of residual waste across a wider area bringing economies of scale and improved logistics. Wrexham had previously decided to take their own approach to treating their residual waste.
Will the solution be built at Deeside?
Deeside is a potential site but no site has been decided upon yet. The Deeside Industrial Park was included as a reference site in the OBC sent to WAG, but this is just a document to get funding. The money from WG is not dependent on any specific site or technology. Bidders will be invited to put forward their own sites. In May 2011, the Partnership announced that it is in talks with Anglesey Aluminum Ltd about securing an option to buy part of their land near Holyhead.
Will the solution be big and ugly?
The solution will be a tailored solution and may be a combination of technologies. Please go to our links page to view sites on technologies that show you what various technologies look like and their sizes. In comparison to many residual waste treatment procurements in the UK the project's requirements of circa 150,000 tonnes per annum is small. (A number of procurements in England, for instance, are in the region of 250,000 to 500,000 tonnes per annum.)
Will there be health risks? Will emissions be safe?
There are strict laws in place regarding emissions and these are monitored regularly. The Environment Agency are in effect the environmental police and they have the authority to close a site down if emission limits are breached or there is a risk to public health.
Will it be very noisy?
Noise pollution and levels of noise will be monitored closely. Plants are not normally noisy during their operation but there may be some noise when the solution is being constructed.
How small can a site be?
If a number of facilities are built on a number of sites this decreases the size of each plant. However, some technologies and solutions are likely to be less economically viable if there are multiple small facilities as economies of scale are lost. The solution will be a tailored solution and may be a combination of technologies. Please go to our links page to view sites on technologies that show you what various technologies look like and their sizes.
What about transport costs? Would it cost more to have one site or a number of sites?
Transport costs would depend on where the solution was sited. Waste needs to be collected from individual households and taken to a local depot where it would be transferred in bulk to be treated. Transport costs are likely to be cheaper if there are a number of sites rather than one. The project will be looking at how rail could form part of the overall solution during the procurement process. This could significantly reduce any transport impacts and potentially could be cost effective.
Will there be benefits for the local community?
There are likely to be a number of benefits for the community close to a site where a solution is built. The benefits will depend on the solution that is constructed and could include: low cost energy, employment, and educational facilities.
Would the solution create many jobs?
The solution is likely to boost the local economy where a facility is built. This would include approximately 30 to 40 local jobs operating the facility. There would also be a significant number of construction workers involved in any construction that may be required as part of developing the service.
Which companies can bid to provide a solution?
The OJEU is seen by companies worldwide and would therefore be open to anyone who feels they can offer a suitable solution.
Have you already decided upon a solution?
No, we are inviting the waste management industry to put forward solutions. We will be asking the industry to tailor a solution and will assess their proposals against evaluation criteria that incorporate important priorities gathered from councillors, community groups, national organisations and specialist interest groups.
If we are trying to recycle 70% of our rubbish why can some plastics be recycled and not others?
There are many different types of plastic, some that cannot be recycled and some that can, but that do not have a sustainable market place for them. Where there is no current demand for a type of plastic the council will not want to collect it and putting it in your recycling bin means the other plastic you have collected that could be recycled now cannot. It is important to collect just the plastic your council asks for. A wider range of plastic may be collected at your local recycling centre, so ask there what they will take. As more markets are created for different plastics then councils will expand the range of plastics they collect.