6. Debate on a Member's Legislative Proposal: Waste Prevention and Recycling

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:36 pm on 12 December 2018.

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Photo of Hefin David Hefin David Labour 3:36, 12 December 2018

You can tell a good Bill proposal, by they way, by the number of people who want to speak. Jenny Rathbone has recognised that local authorities are at the front line when it comes to delivering the success that has been the Welsh Government's recycling policies over the last 10 or so years. But I do need to draw the Chamber's attention to a plant in my constituency, called Bryn Compost, that has had difficulties. I know it's not directly related to packaging, but it had food waste recycling that had in-vessel composting rows that were creating odours for the nearby community. They then moved to an anaerobic digester facility, which reduced the odours, but those things continued to cause great outrage in the community, to the extent that people stopped recycling their food waste, in protest. And I have to say, it was a protest I supported because of the strong odours caused by the problems. But that was a short-term resolution to the problem.

The reason I'm bringing this to the Chamber's attention—we're still working on those problems in that area—is because we need to look at the technology that we use, but also the regulation, and this is what this Bill is about: it's about regulation, and effective regulation, and changing the way you regulate. I think, therefore, if you are putting the onus on the private sector, who create the waste, to deal with the waste, you can only then support that. In order to address those public concerns, two things: you need to get public buy-in, which I think this Bill would achieve, but also you give the power to the public sector to regulate the private sector. That's one of the problems we had in the Bryn Compost situation: the Natural Resources Wales regulator didn't have enough power. And I think, if this Bill is to be successful, you've got to have that regulatory statutory power behind it. But I would like to give it a welcome, and recognise that it does achieve those two things.