FAQ's

Q. I recently carried out some spring cleaning and had a lot of rubbish to dispose of. I put it all in a horsebox and bought it to Nantycaws Household Waste Recycling Centre only to be turned away as the horsebox would not fit under the height barriers. I am a rate payer and would like to know why you have height barriers at these sites and how I am supposed to get rid of my unwanted items?

A. Household waste Recycling Centres offer a free disposal service to the County’s household rate payers, they do not provide free trade disposal. Height barriers have been put into place by Carmarthenshire County Council to deter trade disposal. It is acknowledged that some householders wish to use larger vehicles to transport bulky items. To enable this there are set times when the height barriers are lifted to allow for convenience of disposal. These times vary from site to site and are as follows:

Height Barriers Raised
	Nantycaws	Trostre	Wern Ddu	Whitland
Monday	9.00am – 12noon	9.00am – 12noon	9.00am – 12noon	9.00am – 12noon
Wednesday	12noon – 4.00pm	12noon – 4.00pm	12noon – 4.00pm	12noon – 4.00pm
Saturday	9.00am – 12noon	9.00am – 12noon	9.00am – 12noon	9.00am – 12noon

Through monitoring and controlling disposal at HWRC’s we are able to provide a service which ensures you do not pay inappropriate household rates for waste disposal. Part of our monitoring procedures may include you being requested to complete a ‘Disclaimer’ form. (insert link to disclaimer form). You will be required to provide two proofs of identification.

Q. I have been told that plasterboard must be bought into site separately from other materials. Why is this and what is is the best way to bring it in?

A. Although plasterboard by itself is a non hazardous material, the advice we have been given from the Environment Agency is that when this material is mixed with other bio degradable waste it has the potential to cause harm and therefore is classified as a hazardous material which can no longer be disposed at landfill. CWM are currently working towards licence modifications which will allow us to receive trade and household plasterboard but for the time being we can only receive household plasterboard.

We do not have on site facilities to treat this waste stream ourselves which means that your plasterboard is collected in special purpose containers and then transported to a specialised facility where it is processed for recycling into agricultural soil treatment or turned back into plasterboard or used in other manufacturing processes. For ease of handling and transporting we prefer householders to bring plasterboard to our sites in its loose form i.e. not bagged.

Q. Why can’t we put glass into our Blue Bags for Kerbside Collection?

A. Blue Bags should contain clean dry recyclable material excluding glass. Glass can break and shatter very easily which will result in contaminating the recyclable items. The processes at our MRF are not designed for glass as it has the potential to cause health and safety issues, it could also damage our purpose built plant. Should any glass become mixed in any other material such as paper or cardboard, reprocessing manufacturers will reject an entire load which could weigh as much as 27 tonnes.

Carmarthenshire County Council recognises that you still require glass disposal and have increased the amount and locations of their glass bring banks throughout the county. For details of where these are sited please contact Carmarthenshire County Council direct.

Q. I pay my rates, so why should I pay additional charges for the disposal of tyres and gas bottles?

A. Household Waste Recycling Centres are paid for out your household rates however tyres and gas bottles are not included in this charge. CWM incurs hefty costs for external tyre and gas bottle disposal which must be retrieved from the disposers of these items. In most cases it is worth enquiring from your supplier as they can often take back these items.

Q. I have just moved house and there are several sheets of asbestos in an old shed. Can I bring them to your landfill for disposal?

A. In July 2004 legislation was enforced which meant that Nantycaws Landfill could no longer receive any asbestos for disposal on site. CWM realises that there is still a need for trade and householders to dispose of asbestos and have set up facilities at all of the Household Waste Recycling Centres for householders to bring in double bagged asbestos. In partnership with Carmarthenshire County Council it has been agreed that we can accept up to three bags at no charge, but after this there will be a charge. Traders can also bring their bagged asbestos to Nantycaws which will incur a disposal charge. Please contact us for asbestos disposal charges.

Your asbestos is transported off site to a specialised landfill which is licenced to dispose of asbestos.

Q. I decorated my house last year and wish to get rid of the old paint tins. Some of the tins still have a small amount of liquid paint in them whilst others have dried paint. Can I bring these to my local HWRC?

A. Yes you can bring your tins to your local HWRC. Our Recycling Operatives will decant all liquid paint into a container and where possible metal or hard plastic tins will be recycled. Solidified paint in tins along with the liquid paint is transported off site for specialised treatment.

Q. Why can I no longer bring my Blue Bag Recycling to a HWRC?

A. As and from Monday 7^th September 2009 this Household Waste Recycling Centre will not accept any waste or recycling if bought to site in the Carmarthenshire County Council issued Blue Bag. This applies to all contents including clean Recyclables, Green Waste or General Waste. These Blue Bags cannot be left on site or emptied on site. The public will be required to remove them from site complete with their contents.

Carmarthenshire County Council have determined that these bags are for explicit or sole use for clean segregated recyclables collected at kerbside. Please note however that this site will still be pleased to receive your Green waste, Recyclables and your ‘Black bag’ General waste if bought to site in any other bags, boxes or containers.

Q. I read somewhere that we can no longer put supermarket carrier bags into our Blue Bag Recycling, why is this?

A. In recent times many major retailers have changed the material used in their production of carrier bags. Most of these carriers are now manufactured to be biodegradable and not recyclable. When we receive your Blue Bag Recycling at our MRF it undergoes a process which segregates materials. Carrier bags are removed at the initial picking line within the process as they cannot be recycled and if left they can cause ‘blockage’ issues and slow down the entire process. When biodegradable carriers become mixed with recyclable plastic they are rejected by the reprocessing manufacturers thus rendering the entire load as waste.

Q. My daughter recently visited your Materials Recycling Facility and has been telling us about ways in which our family can improve on our household recycling. I am involved in the local Women’s Institute and wondered if I could organise a visit with them?

A. Yes, we are very happy to meet with individuals and organisations to show them what happens to their recycling, offer advice and answer any relevant questions. For further information and to make a booking please telephone (01267) 225520 or e mail mrf@cwmenviromental.co.uk