Problem
In support of Wales’ transition to a circular economy, and in response to national legislation, such as the Waste (Wales) Measure 2010, the Municipal Sector Plan, and the Beyond Recycling strategy, Bridgend County Borough Council recognised the need to go beyond recycling by encouraging repair and reuse. Whilst recycling plays a crucial role in waste management, preventing waste at source through reuse and repair offers greater social, environmental and economic benefits.
The Council’s internal 2030 Net Zero Carbon Strategy, published following the Council’s climate emergency declaration in 2020, outlines key waste-related goals. These include reducing waste to landfill, increasing reuse and recycling, embedding procurement of reused/remanufactured products, and working with communities to promote behaviour change.
A major barrier to uptake was the visibility and accessibility of local repair and reuse options. Many residents were unaware of services that could help extend the life of household items. In response, the Council prioritised signposting local opportunities for repair and reuse to help residents reduce waste and make more sustainable choices.
Solution
To make repair and reuse services more accessible, Bridgend County Borough Council introduced several signposting initiatives, including:
- Reuse shops at community recycling centres: Reuse has been embedded in the Council’s waste contract since 2010. Shops at Maesteg and Pyle’s Reuse and Recycling Centres (RRCs), operated with Groundwork Wales, sell household furniture, electricals, toys, and other items at low prices. Staff assess bulky waste for resale suitability before items enter the shop.
- Activity Pods scheme: Some items from RRCs are diverted to local primary schools for play-based reuse through the Council’s Activity Pod programme. The ethos of the Activity Pod is based on the belief that play is critically important to children and has a key role in the development of physical, social, emotional and creative skills. As of 2024, 12 schools are actively participating in the scheme, receiving items such as phones and trays to support imaginative play.
- Repair café promotion: The Council actively signposts residents to local repair cafés, such as the Bridgend Bryncethin Repair Café, where residents can bring broken items to be fixed by volunteers. Events are promoted through the Council’s channels.
- Reuse partnerships: The Council’s waste contractor partners with organisations like Gladstone Books, JMP Wilcox, Lifecycle Oils, Toys 4 Life, and others to reuse books, textiles, cooking oil, toys, and gas bottles collected at RRCs.
- Online directories and charity links: The Council’s website promotes reuse and repair services, including the Repair Directory and charities like British Heart Foundation, Emmaus, and Wales Air Ambulance, all of which offer local collection services.
- Advertising and digital media: Signposting is amplified through social media, digital adverts, website content, staff/resident bulletins, and local radio.
- Education and school engagement: The Council commissions ADA Recycling & Safety Training to deliver reuse-themed workshops to 10 schools annually. It also works with schools through engagement events, such as Pyle RRC site tours and poster campaigns prior to its opening, and through wider outreach initiatives, such as Keep Wales Tidy’s Caru Cymru project.
- Education and enforcement outreach: A team of four officers supports residents through events and door-knocking, encouraging responsible waste behaviour and helping households engage with reuse services.
Impact
Bridgend County Borough Council’s approach to signposting repair and reuse services has already delivered a range of environmental, social, and economic benefits:
- Waste diversion: After the Pyle reuse shop opened, six tonnes of items were diverted from landfill in a single month in 2023/24.
- Waste reduction: Between April 2017 and March 2024, residual waste collected through kerbside, RRCs, and bulky waste streams fell by over 1,300 tonnes.
- School and community engagement: Between 2019 and 2023, 34 schools engaged with the Caru Cymru litter and reuse project. Project partners have reported strong feedback from teachers and pupils, many of whom have used the initiatives to support their Eco Schools activities.
- Public engagement: Campaigns like Wales Recycles’ Recycle Week and the Pyle RRC reuse shop launch resulted in spikes in web traffic and social media interactions.
The Council’s targeted promotion of repair and reuse demonstrates how local authorities can increase awareness and participation in circular economy initiatives. This work supports both local reuse targets and national sustainability goals, contributing to the Council’s 73% recycling rate in 2023/24, the highest in Wales.