Denbighshire Council behaviour change unit to make residents stick to recycling rules

A NEW council “behaviour change unit” will engage, educate and enforce residents into recycling more household waste, according to a new report.

The study, an update of the progress of Denbighshire council’s new waste and recycling operating model, was presented at a recent communities scrutiny committee meeting.

Aside from the Orwellian-sounding unit designed to change habits, the report revealed work was due to start on the initial phase of the new waste sorting centre on Denbigh’s Colomendy Industrial Estate this summer.

The depot will be able to receive all its specified waste types within two years of construction starting.

The report claimed the council’s anticipated annual savings from using the new system will be around £500,000 a year.

Some of the changes promised are in-cab technology, microchipped bins for residual waste, a proposed joint treatment facility with other local authorities for nappy and sanitary waste and larger “containerised capacity”.

Residents will eventually be moved to a four weekly collection for residual waste where they have a bigger two-wheeled black bin.

For people with the trolley box system, colour-coded lids for different waste types will be used, including for batteries, small electrical and electronic items and a large bag for textiles.

The study added the “Behaviour Change Unit” would be formed to “optimise
the effectiveness of engagement, education and enforcement (the three ‘E’s).

Within the study, a separate “Mobilisation Plan for West Rhyl” is underway where the “high density of HMOs (homes of multiple occupation) and tenanted properties, as well as social challenges typical in an area of high deprivation require the service to approach the move to a source segregated recycling service with greater consideration.

Service changes in West Rhyl will be taking place up to September this year.

The concern is food waste is still being put into residual waste (black) bins and bumping up non-recyclable waste.

Denbighshire will also be procuring a new lorry fleet in 2022 and are awaiting data from Welsh Government on ultra low emission vehicles.

Work for the first two phases, which the report says should by now be complete, include:

Formalised arrangements with licensed landlords and housing providers
Increased compliance of households using the current sack service to recycle
more and present their waste in a seagull proof sack and use the pink/clear
disposable sack service correctly (reduce black bag usage)
Microchipping containers (wheeled bins and gull proof sacks) – a trial to
evaluate the benefits in regards to reducing escaped waste, abandoned
bins/bins left out/ stolen, contamination of recycling, recycle rates
Reports will also come back to the committee on the food waste bin microchip trials being conducted in West Rhyl and a trial of communal collection points at Bron y Crest, Denbigh.

The following will be available to householders under the new scheme:

23litre food waste bin collected weekly, some will be microchipped
Trolliboc stackable boxes black with coloured flaps; Top box: Paper (with or without grey card) 40L; Middle box cans/tins, plastic bottles and containers, cartons 70L; Bottom box: Glass bottles and jars 55L – collected weekly
120L re-usable blue sack – collected weekly
Small electrical devices presented in carrier bag of box – 25L maximum collected weekly
Small reusable clips hung onto the food waste caddy handle handle for batteries – max 0.2L collected weekly
Red DCC disposable sacks for textiles – maximum 35L collected every two weeks
Residual waste black bin – 240L collected every four weeks
Green garden waste bin (opt-in chargeable service) – 140L collected every two weeks
Nappy incontinence waste/Absorbent human hygiene products, sack collection plus 40L purple caddy – capacity agreed on application, opt-in free service collected every two week
There will also be separate procedures for those living in communal buildings with 120L bins for food waste and either 660L or 1100L colour-coded containers for other recyclable goods, which will be collected by agreement and rate of fill.

Green garden waste will be collected as per other households, as will textile sacks (every two weeks).

Residual waste containers will be collected according to rate of fill but at a maximum of four-weekly intervals. Changes to these services will take place this autumn.

For properties with storage/access issues there will be bag or box systems and separate, larger, colour-coded containers have been developed for trade customers.

Smaller business customers will be issued with the colour-coded trolley box system. Up to half of the Council’s commercial waste customers will have the option of using them.

General changes to the service will take place between March 2022 and November 2023.