In September 2015, Eunomia was commissioned by the Welsh Government to review the Collections Blueprint in light of new evidence arising since its publication. The aim of the project was to review emerging evidence to establish if the Collections Blueprint remained the best option for a waste management service across Wales.
The Welsh Government published the Collections Blueprint in March 2011. It describes the Welsh Government’s recommended service profile for the collection of waste from households, including the following central policies:
- weekly separate collection of dry recyclables via ‘kerbside sort’, with material being collected separately in boxes and/or in re-usable sacks, with two or more boxes provided per household, and recyclables being sorted into separate compartments on the collection vehicle by the collection staff;
- weekly separate collection of food waste;
- the use of modern lightweight, multi-compartment vehicles for a single pass collection of dry recyclables and food waste; and
- fortnightly collection of residual waste, from collections with reduced residual waste capacity, where ‘no side waste’ policies are enforced.
The Environment and Sustainability Committee held an Inquiry into recycling in Wales in December 2014. The purpose of this Inquiry was to explore current local authority household waste recycling practice and arrangements across Wales. It was recommended in this report that the Welsh Government commissions an independent review of the Collections Blueprint and the evidence it is based upon. This recommendation was accepted by the Welsh Government.
