Rhondda Cynon Taf Council responded to our recent article in relation to Amgen Cymru and associated waste management
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council send waste to Cardiff to be incinerated but allow other councils to dump waste at Bryn Pica Llwydcoed Why?
We have been informed Rhondda Cynon Taf Council (RCTC) now send all household waste to the Cardiff incinerator run privately by a company called Viridor who run the Trident Park Energy Recovery Facility.
In a statement on social media a council spokesperson posted, “RCT Council hasn’t sent any household waste to landfill since 2016 (with the exception of when the plant is non operational – 2 weeks of the year) and all non-recyclable items are sent to be converted in to energy, which helps to generate electricity to power homes across Wales.”
Viridor in 2015 published “Viridor secured a contract to transform 95,000 tonnes of residual waste annually into low carbon energy and recycled aggregates from Tomorrow’s Valley – a group of four Welsh local authorities, led by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council.” “The 25-year contract, which may be extended for a further five years, will begin in April 2016 and is backed by funding from the Welsh Government.”
The question was asked, is there any other waste being tipped there from other local authorities at Bryn Pica landfill site? The council responded with,
“Currently there is no permanent contract in place to take waste from other Local Authorities. If needed, AMGEN Cymru can on a commercial basis offer short-term help to other Councils facing operational difficulties.”
The reason why the council were asked the question was that RCTC Council hasn’t sent any household waste to landfill, and we were aware AMGEN Cymru is the trading name of Cynon Valley Waste Disposal Company Ltd. The company was formed in June 1993. It is the Local Authority Waste Disposal Company wholly owned by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council who themselves now use the Cardiff incinerator for all RCT household waste.
The council say they take in household waste from other local authorities and we know this to be correct, as we had been informed by Ceredigion Council from a Freedom of Information Request submitted saying: LANDFILL SITE – Household waste/ Bulky waste Amgen Cymru, Bryn Pica, Landfill Site, CF44 0BX
This was before the question was put to RCTC on social media we were informed that waste was coming to the Bryn Pica Llwydcoed waste site from Ceredigion Council 75 miles away. Perhaps the council can clarify this as we were also informed that the transported used for transporting the waste avoided the weighbridge at Bryn Pica and drove past to be dumped in a shed where it was reloaded on to a different vehicle a transferred to the Bryn Pica waste site to be dumped; therefore where is the record of the waste arriving on the site? Why were the vehicles not weighed on the weighbridge? Perhaps the RCT Council can confirm this to be correct or deny what happened?
Did Ceredigion Council weigh the loaded vehicles before they set off to the Bryn Pica site? Perhaps either Ceredigion Council or the contractor who transported the waste can explain?
Section 18 – 20 of the Landfill Disposals Tax Wales says,
“Section 20(1) requires that the landfill site operator determines the weight of the taxable disposal before the disposal is made by weighing the material on a weighbridge.”
134. When asked about the requirement under section 20(1) to determine the weight of material ‘before’ the disposal is made, the Cabinet Secretary said:
“Our formulation just reflects our view of what normal practice is in the field, and the normal practice is that material, on entering the landfill site, is weighed on a weighbridge prior to it being taken to the void where the taxable disposal is made. Our form of words is designed to reflect that prevailing practice.”
The question we ask why did Ceredigion Council have to transport household waste and what appears to be some recycled waste 75 miles to Aberdare when the on 4 September 2018 the BBC Wales news reported Ceredigion Council currently have four household waste sites – which is more than the statutory requirement? So why is RCT Council allowing Cynon Valley to be the dumping ground for Wales and possibly beyond how many other councils are allowed to dump household waste in Cynon Valley when we have to pay to transport our household waste to Cardiff? This was taken from Herefordshire minerals and waste local plan 2018 “Bryn Pica and Trecatti landfill sites in South Wales will meet Powys’ needs for the foreseeable future.” I believe residents of RCT need an explanation?
A report in the South Wales Echo about landfill reports Bryn Pica has only 20 years left for tipping that was way back in 2008 so if the report is correct there are just 11 years left for tipping waste at Bryn Pica. The council allowing the management (if it is just the management) to operate the site under Amgen Cymru and Cynon Valley Waste Disposal Company Ltd who are owned by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. So basically it is the council who is allowing waste from mid-Wales to be dumped at Llwydcoed therefor decreasing the lifespan of Bryn Pica for local use. We must not forget the environmental problem caused by transporting waste over seventy miles away when it may have been tipped closer to home.
Although RCTC pay use the Viridor incinerator Viridor runs a Community Fund called The Viridor & Prosiect Gwyrdd Community Fund is a £50,000 per annum donation that Viridor has committed to making available to community initiatives that operate The requirements for project applications a project needs to be located within the geographical postcode of any of the five local authorities of Prosiect Gwyrdd: Caerphilly County Borough Council, City of Cardiff Council, Monmouthshire County Council, Newport City Council and Vale of Glamorgan Council. The question is why is Rhondda Cynon Taf Council not included as they contribute perhaps Viridor or RCT Council can explain?
Aberdare Park Paddling Pool has been closed for years when there appear to be lots of funding around so why hasn’t the problem been sorted it out as they did for Mountain Ash? But that had the backing of Andrew Morgan leader of RCT Council.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council have responded to the above article as shown below if you would like to comment or you would like to bring anything to the attention of the public you can email info@aberdareonline.co.uk
Please see the response to your recent article in relation to Amgen Cymru and associated waste management matters below –
An RCT Council Spokesperson, said:
“As you are aware from recent social media comments and responses, Amgen Cymru are able to offer a short term service to another Local Authority as part of a commercial arrangement. In response to your query, when such an arrangement is undertaken, a higher rate of landfill tax would be applied in these circumstances alongside the appropriate gate fees.
“Your article also queries arrangements for waste undertaken on entry to the site. Amgen Cymru can confirm that these arrangements are in-line with permit conditions and legislation and the relevant taxation is applied. In circumstances where a refuse vehicle is not suited to directly tipping at the Tip Face at Bryn Pica, such vehicles may deposit onto a ‘hard-stand’ and later be transported to a tip face by a different vehicle.
“In response to the point raised in respect of the life-span of the Bryn-Pica facility, as stated in the previous Social Media statements, the site has approximately 18 years of air space left.
“Additionally, after the waste is taken to the Energy Recovery Facility, which sees energy produced and harnessed to power over 50,000 homes – the residual ash is collected and sent for recycling and not land filled.
“As a commercial business, Amgen Cymru submit waste returns on an quarterly basis and this information is scrutinised and audited by National Resources Wales.”
Please can you ensure that these important points are reflected within the said article.
Yours sincerely,
An RCT Council Spokesperson
