Welcome to Powys Zero Waste

Community Recycling, Waste Management in Powys

‘No longer do we want to hear words like rubbish, no longer waste, no longer terms like landfill, throw-away, discard – your rubbish, is now a valuable resource; recycling waste, reducing emissions and protecting our children’s future is where its at. All of us now realize that we do not have to cost the earth – we are its guardians, it and its valuable resources are on loan to us for only a short period of time’

Why is Community recycling important?

This is a question that should be asked time and time again. Why should we recycle waste in Powys. Here are some reasons why community recycling is important.

Most waste that ends up in incinerators and landfill can be used again.

Community Recycling

Powys Zero Waste is the link in the chain that brings together community recycling bodies throughout Powys, Mid-Wales: brings you furniture recycling, white goods recycling, kerbside recycling services, food waste composting recycling, tool recycling and a wide range of other waste recycling services, ploughing funds and resources back into where they belong – Your Community.

Get involved! We want to hear from you - the community, your community. Are we doing enough to manage our waste? Can we help? Community recycling is about inclusion, so why dont we all be a part of it!

Latest Posts

Waste Duty of Care Code of Practice - Consultation

REMINDER.DEFRA are conducting a consultation for England and Wales on the Waste Duty of Care Code of Practice. The consultation period is 30 April 2009 until 24 July 2009

Please access the website link to obtain full details

http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/waste-dutyofcare/index.htm

Add comment June 17th, 2009

The Times Waste and Recycling Supplement May ‘09

Click here - The Times Waste and Recycling Supplement May 2009 - Click Here

*please note that Powys Zero Waste does not necessarily subscribe to the views of this publication.

Add comment May 22nd, 2009

Single use carrier bags in Wales!

 Campaign to cut single use carrier bags in Wales underway

A new Welsh Assembly Government campaign is underway to get people in Wales to cut the number of single use carrier bags.

The bi-lingual campaign – ‘Get Carried Away’ - aims to encourage people to re-use their single use carrier bags and help them remember to take their bags with them when they go shopping.

Alongside radio adverts, there is a website aimed at consumers and retailers. The first 1,000 people who register with the site will receive a re-usable bag. Hundreds of people have registered their support for the campaign in the first week, with more coming in each day.

The Welsh Assembly Government fully supports the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) efforts to reduce single-use carrier bags but wants Wales to go a step further.

Environment, Sustainability & Housing Minister Jane Davidson said:

“People are more aware of this issue than ever before, but each year Wales still uses an estimated 480 million plastic bags. It takes between 500 and 1,000 years for these bags to degrade. We simply cannot go on like this.

“We are calling on people to re-use bags whenever they go out shopping. By taking this simple step we can make a huge difference to the environmental damage we are inflicting on our planet. Single use carrier bags are not usually bio-degradable and are a waste of resources. Customers have come to expect free plastic bags at checkouts, but the tide appears to be turning as shoppers look for more environmentally-friendly options.”

Keep Wales Tidy Chief Executive, Tegryn Jones commented:

“We welcome any initiative that will lead to the single use of plastic bags coming to an end. Our surveys show that plastic bags account for 2.7 per cent of litter by weight. We should all strive to create a clean safe and tidy Wales.”

In February, the Welsh Assembly Government became the first administration in the UK to start work on legislation to end the use of free single use plastic bags.

Ms Davidson added:

“As a Minister I have always stated that I do not support the use of one-trip plastic bags.

“I have asked my department to develop legislation to end the use of single use carrier bags. Currently there is a voluntary agreement where certain retailers have agreed to reduce the number of single use carrier bags by 50 per cent - this is a good target.

“But this does not cover all retailers and still leaves 50 per cent using one trip plastic bags. I recognise we need to give the retail sector a chance to demonstrate what they can do voluntarily, but I am willing to use all the powers at our disposal.”

Plastic bag facts:

  • UK consumers took home an estimated 9.9 billion carrier bags in 2008, equivalent to 400 bags per household
  • Wales used around 480 million bags last year
  • Plastic bags account for 2.7 per cent of litter by weight (Keep Wales Tidy survey figures)
  • The estimated cost of removing this specific litter is £1m annually. All litter removal costs Wales annually £37million
  • Plastic bags account for 2.1 per cent of all litter found on beaches

Add comment May 22nd, 2009

Consultation on the Draft Wales Waste Strategy

Consultation on the Draft Wales Waste Strategy

- Meeting for Network Organisations

 

11:00 – 13:00, Tuesday 5th May - City Hall, Cardiff

 

The Welsh Assembly Government’s consultation on the Draft Wales Waste Strategy - ‘Towards Zero Waste’ - will be launched on the 29th of April.  The policies and actions that it proposes, will have implications and be of relevance to all businesses and organisations working within Wales.

 

In response to this, Cynnal Cymru – Sustain Wales (in collaboration with the Welsh Assembly Government) is organising a meeting for network and membership organisations in Wales. The aim of the meeting is to introduce the key messages of the draft strategy, and to enable network and membership organisations to inform their members about the consultation and assist them in responding to it*. Participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions (see attached agenda).

 

If you would like to attend this meeting, please respond by the 20th of April to michele@cynnalcymru.com. In doing so, please inform us of any special requirements that you may have.

 

Yours sincerely,

Michele Aitchison

 

* The Welsh Assembly Government will be holding three separate consultation events around Wales that will be open to individual member organisations. Details will be provided at the event.

 


Michele Aitchison
Cynghorydd Polisi / Policy Adviser

Cynnal Cymru - Sustain Wales
Cambrian Buildings,
Sgwâr Mount Stuart / Mount Stuart Square
Bae Caerdydd / Cardiff Bay
CF10 5FL

02920 19 20 20
www.cynnalcymru.com / www.sustainwales.com

Add comment April 15th, 2009

We’ve got the bottle…..recyle more!!!

Add comment March 30th, 2009

Hands Up for Recycling

This is the first of the three sculptures commissioned by Powys Zero Waste

…..its purpose

……to make us all think about the amount of waste we produce

……and to make use of the variety of recycling services available across the county.

1 comment March 27th, 2009

Waste sculpture

The first of the three giant sculptures is now in place outside Caersws.

What do you think?

1 comment March 18th, 2009

Modern Art promotes recycling in Powys

What can the householders of Powys do to increase their rates of recycling (which are already high)? Really effective collection services that create jobs for the under employed?

Recycling rates may be high, but what about our ability to minimise the waste we produce, especially those waste items that aren’t easily recycled? How do we deal with excess packaging?

Can we reuse more items? Of course we can, provided that services exist to allow consumers to dispose of unwanted items through the proper channels.

We do have facilities in Powys for reuse of furniture through Phoenix Community Furniture Scheme. Unwanted wood can be reused to make new wooden products as exemplified by Ystrad Wood Store.

The trouble is we need more of these services in more localities around the county.

Has any one got any bright ideas for reducing and reusing unwanted stuff?

1 comment February 26th, 2009

‘HANDS’

1 comment February 16th, 2009

The Art of Recycling in Powys

Appearing soon in three fields across Powys will be a unique, thought provoking approach to raising the public’s awareness of recycling to even higher levels………

1 comment February 3rd, 2009

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