Woman’s anger over lack of recycling at Huddersfield plant

A woman has expressed her horror at the lack of recycling after visiting the Suez-operated Huddersfield waste management facility in Leeds Road.

Somayya Yaqub from London, who was visiting family in Huddersfield, said: “Before Christmas I went to the Leeds Road waste disposal site. I had separated my waste into recyclable and general waste. bottled my cooking oil separately.

“When I asked the operator where I should place my recyclable waste, much to my horror, I was told to just add to general waste with the used oil.

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“With Kirklees wanting to improve their recycling rates (currently one of the worst in the country), it begs the question whether the incinerator is creating a perverse incentive in that removing paper, cardboard and plastic from waste overheads will make what is burnt less calorific. .

Andrew Cooper, veteran Green activist and Kirklees advisor, told Somayya: “Thank you for your email and for alerting us to your bad experience at the Leeds Rd waste disposal site.

“I am going to raise this question with the head of the waste department and ask for an answer for you and for me as well because I would like to know why you were advised to remove your waste in this way.

“The perverse incentive to cremate rather than recycle is an incentive that I have challenged the board about on several occasions, so it helps to have your experience as proof of this. “

Clr Naheed Mather, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “We are sorry to hear of the disappointment a resident felt while visiting the Household Waste Recycling Center (HWRC) on Emerald Road, Huddersfield, and we We apologize if any of the advice given to them by the Suez employee was wrong.

“We will ensure that any additional training necessary is undertaken so that residents receive the correct information.

“The council offers a wide range of recycling facilities in its five HWRCs for a variety of materials.

“Paper, cardboard and some plastic bottles can be recycled at the curb by depositing them in green household bins.

“We can assure residents that we are indeed working very hard to improve the recycling situation in Kirklees and that we are making progress in the League of Local Authorities ranking by implementing several projects.

“These include investments in recycling advisers, yard waste collections, food waste workshops for residents and the introduction of reuse containers at two of our HWRCs.

“This year will see even more improvements with expanded plastics collections, improved bulky waste collections and trials of curbside glass collection.

“Kirklees council is committed, through its resource and waste strategy, to ensuring that 90% of the waste it manages does not go to landfill.

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“The strategy includes our plant’s use of waste energy to generate heat.

“The Huddersfield District Heating Network project is an opportunity to provide heat and electricity from the city’s waste-to-energy (EfW) facility to premises in downtown Huddersfield.

“The council is currently developing the business case for the district heating network and it is hoped that it will play an important role in reducing carbon emissions from the main built-up area of ​​the district.

“Monitoring the emission levels of the EFW is essential.

“During the last reporting period, the plant had an EA compliance score which categorizes it as being in full compliance with licensing requirements and strictly controlled emission levels within it. . “

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