A new recycling initiative launched by Torfaen council will reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill by 10 per cent.
The council worked with waste management company Viridor to launch the scheme that involves recycling waste collected from the borough’s roads and gullies.
Up until now streetcleaning waste and the waste collected from gullies were sent to landfill after draining.
The waste is now being sent to South Wales based company Claddagh Recycling where it will be screened and separated before it is reused.
After the separation process the waste will be split into a grit material that can be used in construction and a compost-like soil improver.
Councillor John Cunningham, Torfaen’s executive member for Neighbourhood Services, said: “We are always looking at new ways to increase recycling possibilities to lessen the impact on the environment.
“Moves like this will substantially reduce the authority’s carbon footprint while saving us a massive amount of landfill space every year.”
Last year Torfaen council sent 27,000 tonnes of waste to landfill – 2,700 tonnes of this total was made up of waste collected from gullies and sweepings.
A spokesman for Viridor, one of the UK’s leading recycling, renewable energy and waste management companies, added: “We are always looking to help our customers reduce their output to landfill by offering new recycling solutions. “This initiative launched by Torfaen council goes to show what can be achieved by looking into alternative ways to increase recycling.”
