National interest in Bristol's waste and recycling record

Bristol’s place as one of the leaders in waste and recycling will be further reinforced this week when it takes a high profile role at a major national conference in Birmingham.

Cabinet Member for the Environment, Cllr Gary Hopkins will be leading a session sharing Bristol’s experiences to an audience of industry and local government representatives at the Resource Efficiency & Waste Management Solutions conference at the NEC on Wednesday.

With one of the highest recycling rates of any city, one of the lowest amounts of household waste for any local authority and a pioneering approach in its treatment of waste that will see it sending zero untreated waste to landfill by 2013/14, Bristol is seen as a leader in the waste and recycling arena.

From April to June this year, the city’s recycling rate was around 50%, compared to 39% for April-June 2011 and 12% in 2004. The landfill rate for this period was 27%, compared to 60.5% for the same period last year and 88% in 2004.

Cllr Gary Hopkins said: “We’ve come a long way in Bristol in recent years with a complete overhaul of our waste and recycling services and contracts. We now offer a much better provision for residents, with one of the most comprehensive recycling services in the country, helping to reduce the amount of waste we are throwing away and driving up our recycling rate even further.

“At the same time, we’ve saved £2.5 million a year compared to our previous waste contract. This shows that financial benefits can come together with environmental progress - it does not cost more to be green.

“We are also leading the way in embracing new waste treatment technologies that fit with the city’s green credentials and will mean in the long-term that zero Bristol untreated waste will be sent to landfill.

“These successes have placed Bristol firmly on the national map as a leader in waste and recycling and this national conference will provide a platform to promote the city’s achievements, building on our attendance at the national Friends of the Earth waste conference in November last year.”

In his speech Cllr Hopkins will outline Bristol’s waste strategy and latest developments including:

· New Earth Solutions’ innovative new waste treatment plant in Avonmouth. The mechanical biological treatment (MBT) can take 200,000 tonnes of residual waste every year.
· New Earth’s construction of a low-carbon renewable energy plant next to its MBT plant, scheduled for completion by the end of 2012. This will utilise Advanced Thermal Conversion technology to generate electricity and heat from the refuse-derived fuels prepared on site and will generate up to 7.5 MW of low-carbon renewable electricity, which will feed back in to the plant to operate it.
· Completion of the new waste contract that has introduced new kerbside waste and recycling services, and will save the council £2.5 million a year compared to the previous waste contract.
· Opening of a third Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC), serving the south of the city at Hartcliffe Way and will help increase Bristol’s recycling rates even further. Work should begin next year and the centre will be open to the public in 2014.