Problem
In 2014/15, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council proudly exceeded Wales’ statutory recycling target, achieving a 53.8% recycling rate. Whilst this was a significant milestone, the Council recognised the opportunity to further divert materials from residual waste and increase recycling rates.
An analysis of household waste highlighted that a considerable proportion of residual, non-recyclable waste bin contents consisted of materials that could be recovered, including disposable nappies and incontinence pads. However, without a dedicated recycling solution these items continued to be sent to landfill or energy recovery.
At the same time, the Council introduced a limit on the amount of non-recyclable waste residents could put out for kerbside collection, with enforcement measures to encourage compliance. Moreover, the awareness-raising campaign ‘Metals Matter’ launched in November 2014, educating residents about metal packaging recycling and reinforcing the need for residents to maximise their recycling efforts.
Despite these efforts, the potential to divert even more waste from non-recyclable waste bins remained, prompting the Council to explore additional collection services. The opening of NappiCycle, a pioneering recycling facility in Wales specialising in the processing of used nappies into valuable materials, presented an opportunity for the Council to advance its recycling rates and drive further improvements in waste management.
Solution
In 2014, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council implemented a nappy and incontinence pad collection scheme to divert these materials from landfill and energy from waste. This service was introduced alongside residual waste restrictions, ensuring greater separation of recyclable materials. To maximise participation, the Council offers:
- Free-of-charge collection sacks: The Council provides dedicated single-use purple sacks for free, ensuring materials are correctly separated, collected then processed.
- Free kerbside collections: The purple sack scheme allows residents to recycle used disposable nappies and incontinence pads from the kerbside every week.
- Easy online registration: Residents can easily register online to join the scheme, then receive details of their collection day and instructions on how to correctly present their waste.
Impact
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council has been a pioneer in this area and, since 2014, the scheme has delivered many environmental benefits:
- Significant recycling rate increases: Combined with other efforts, the implementation of nappy collections resulted in the Council achieving a 64.4% recycling rate in 2016/17, an increase of over 10% in three years.
- An estimated 82 million nappies diverted from landfill and energy from waste: It’s estimated that nappies could take hundreds of years to break down in landfill while emitting methane and other pollutants, which is avoided by residents using this collection scheme.
- Reprocessing into useful materials: Recycled nappies are transformed into plastic pellets, which are used in various industries, such as asphalt production, reducing the need for raw materials.
- High participation levels: The scheme’s convenience means approximately 683,300 nappies are collected every month, ensuring a steady supply of feedstock for recycling and reinforcing residents’ commitment to waste separation.
By combining separate absorbent hygiene product collections at the kerbside with non-recyclable waste restrictions, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council has successfully increased its recycling rate and reduced landfill waste. It's long-running nappy collections service continues to serve as an example of best waste practice in the UK and internationally, demonstrating how targeted collection schemes can contribute to higher recycling performance and environmental sustainability.