Specification for new housing, retail and commercial developments

Background

Recent European and UK government legislation is changing the way we deal with waste. We will no longer be allowed to dispose of the same volumes of waste to landfill and will require to deal with our wastes in more sustainable ways, such as:

• Reduce the amount of waste produced
• Re-use as much of the materials and goods as possible
• Re-cycle as much of the goods and materials as possible
• Recover as much value out of the remaining goods and materials as possible
• Landfill only the elements of the materials and goods that cannot be dealt with as above, or are residues from the above systems

The National Waste Strategy for Scotland and the Area Waste Plan for Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway are driving these sustainable waste management practices forward within our area. South Ayrshire Council fully supports the principles contained in these documents and as a result has taken a recent decision to introduce a kerbside recycling service to all householders, where practicable.

Kerbside recycling scheme

South Ayrshire Council has decided to introduce a fortnightly co-mingled collection for dry recyclable wastes using blue wheeled bins and for those houses with a garden, a brown bin has been supplied to collect organic garden wastes for composting.

There will be some existing houses which may not lend themselves to a wheeled bin recycling service, and alternative arrangements may have to be made for these particular properties.

In general however, householders with a current 240 litre green wheeled bin will be provided with an additional blue wheeled bin and houses with a garden will also receive an additional brown wheeled bin. Houses currently using larger communal eurobins will similarly require to be provided with additional blue eurobins.

The blue bins will be used to accept paper, glass, cardboard, plastics, cans, tins, metals, batteries and textiles.

The brown bins will be used to accept organic garden waste.

The frequency of collection of the bins will be as follows:

WEEK 1 - Green Bin (unsorted refuse)
WEEK 2 - Blue Bin (papers, magazines, cans, cardboard, plastic bottles, mixed plastics, glass bottles and jars, textiles (tied in a carrier bag), pairs of shoes, batteries)
WEEK 3 - Green Bin (unsorted refuse)
WEEK 4 - Brown Bin (organic garden waste) and Blue Bin

The contents of the blue bin will be processed at a Materials Recycling Facility and the wastes passed on for recycling. The contents of the brown bin will be processed at a centralised composting plant and utilised as compost or as a soil improver.

Commercial and retail premises will also require to increase recycling and segregation of wastes in future years and additional refuse storage space will be required for these premises also.

New developments will therefore require additional storage space for wheeled bins and containers.

Developers should however contact the Waste Management section, 3rd floor, Burns House, Ayr for any further information or guidance required. Telephone 0300 123 0900

Housing developments

Where individual wheeled bins are proposed for each dwelling house, suitable, solid, washable hard-standing should be provided for the external storage of three x 240 litre domestic wheeled bins, for each dwelling house.

The solid, washable hard-standing should be sited no further than 30 metres from the entrance door of the dwelling house. Where any refuse storage area for individual wheeled bins includes access to and from by stairs, a maximum of sixteen risers shall be permissible for the removal of the bin to the kerbside for emptying.

Suitable access to the waste containers must be provided to allow the containers to be readily presented at the collection point for emptying by the Council. South Ayrshire Council operates a kerbside collection policy and it is the responsibility of the householder to place their wheeled bin at the kerbside for collection and return thereafter. Road access to the individual containers or container store must be to within 10 metres.

Solid waste storage must be secured against access by vermin, as far as is reasonably practicable, until the waste is presented for removal by the Council.

Where communal eurobin storage is proposed, one @ 1280 litre eurobin normally provides sufficient storage capacity for five houses. However, the new kerbside recycling service will require the provision of additional blue and brown eurobins at the same ratio of one for every five houses. Suitable, solid, washable hard-standing should be provided therefore for the external storage of three @ 1280 litre eurobins for every five houses.

The solid, washable hard-standing for communal eurobins should be sited no further than 30 metres from the entrance door of any dwelling house in the development. Communal eurobins should be sited at least 5 metres away from any external wall, door or window of any dwelling house.

Where refuse storage accommodation is proposed to house individual wheeled bins or communal eurobins it must permit easy removal and replacement of containers and be easy to clean.

Where communal refuse storage accommodation is proposed as an enclosed building, or part of a building, it must have adequate head room, ventilation and artificial lighting in accordance with Clause 6 and 8 of BS5906: 1980 (1987). The walls, floor and ceiling of the refuse storage accommodation must be secured against access by vermin, as far as is reasonably practicable. There must also be provision for washing down and draining the floor into a wastewater drainage system.

Road access to communal eurobin storage sites must be to within 15 metres and the containers must be capable of being easily wheeled to the roadside for emptying. The road must be capable of allowing access for a 26 tonne refuse collection vehicle and suitable turning space to be provided.

The Council's kerbside collection scheme may not initially allow glass to be recycled at the kerbside although an additional collection for glass at some time in the future will be introduced. Developers are encouraged therefore to identify suitable locations for communal glass recycling banks within any significant housing developments.

Refuse chute systems for flatted dwelling houses would not be encouraged unless it could be demonstrated that the system would accommodate the Council's three-bin recycling and composting service.

Retail, Industrial and Commercial Developments.

Retail, industrial and commercial premises do not require to use the Council's refuse collection services. However, the waste management section would recommend provision of similar refuse storage arrangements to those detailed above for housing developments to accommodate segregation and recycling of wastes.

Each individual development will require to be assessed however to decide on the type of waste management provisions to be introduced. This may range from an individual wheeled bin collection to communal eurobin, skip, or compaction container collection.

Developers should also consider making adequate provision in any retail, commercial or industrial premises for the recycling and composting of wastes.