Greater Manchester Waste Disposal
Authority
Our Aim is Zero Waste
Councillor Neil Swannick
North West Representative, UK Delegation
EU Committee of the Regions
Our Aim is Zero Waste
Greater Manchester’s
Integrated Solution
• Nine Districts
• 1 million households
• 1.1 Million tonnes
waste
• 50% recycling by 2015
• 60% by 2025
• Zero waste to landfill
Greater Manchester Solution
Education is key
Facilities (1)
4 In vessel
Composting
Material
Recovery
Facility
21
Household
Waste
recycling
Centres
5
Mechanical
and
Biological
Treatment
4 with AD
Facilities (2)
2 Green
Waste
Shredding
4 Education
Facilities
7 Transfer
Loading
Stations
1 Thermal
Recovery
Facility
Combined Heat and Power
• SRF from MBT AD used to
produce electricity and
steam for the Ineos Chlor
chemical plant at Runcorn
• Two stage (4 line) scheme
providing total capacity of
750k tpa.
• Phase 1 relates to GMWDA 375k tpa capacity against
waste flow forecast of 275k
tpa.
Learning from the best
• Massive difference between the worst and the best
performers in the EU.
• Clearer drivers for low performers that can be
enforced with penalties e.g. landfill ban on
municipal waste.
• Learn and apply EU best practice to move medium
performers towards the best:
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High recycling achievable
Complete coverage with collection systems
Material consistency
Restrictions on collecting residual waste
Bans on municipal waste to landfill
Producer responsibility.
EU Support
Zero Waste in the EU
Countries with the
lowest municipal waste
have landfill bans
Source: Eurostat ,2012
EU Support
Product Stewardship
Source: TESCO (2008). Wrap mixed plastics event
EU Support
Product Stewardship (2)
• Recognition that manufacturers, importers,
retailers, distributors, governments and consumers
have a shared responsibility for the environmental
impacts of a product throughout its full life cycle.
• 50% per cent of UK household waste originally
comes from supermarkets, so large Retailers have a
huge responsibility.
• Move towards responsibility across the supply
chain, so that distributors, and sellers take more
responsibility for returning end of life goods to
manufacturers.
• ‘Requirement’ for householders and businesses to
separate, not a ‘right’ to dispose.
EU Support
Material Specific Targets
• Supply and demand
economics too
complex to rely on
blunt instruments.
• Critical materials too
widely distributed and
arising in small
quantities to rely on
product based
recycling targets.
• Technically possible to
recover some
materials e.g. indium,
household polystyrene
but not economical.
Complex interaction of material
extraction. Demand for one materials
leads to increased supply of others.
Targeting Resources
Scotland’s Carbon Indicator
We need Recycling and Energy
Energy
Material recycling
High targets
Product stewardship
Glass
Metals
Paper and card
Plastics
Textiles
WEEE
Energy financial uplift
Landfill bans
Separation
Collection
Separation technology
Recycling technology
Markets
Cost
Low quality wood
Biowastes
Non recyclable
plastics
Worn Tyres
Paper short fibres /
contamination
Waste is a Design Flaw
Eco-Innovation Performance
Key features of top performers
Strong collaborative R&D.
Culture of innovation.
Networks, direct advice and seed funding.
Culture of resource efficiency.
Strong regulations, targets, caps.
Tax incentives for consumers, tax reduction for
consumers, ‘eco vouchers’ to create demand.
• Ultimately moving to product based service
based models where waste is retained and
strong relationship between consumer and
supplier exists.
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The Future:
Sustainable Consumption and Production
Councillor Neil Swannick
Email:
cllr.n.swannick@manchester.gov.uk