Council generates millions from recycling

Richard Youle, local democracy reporter

Where there’s muck there’s brass, as the saying goes, and that’s the case for councils like Swansea when they dispose of all the cans, cardboard and glass they pick up from outside people’s homes.

You might not think you’re boosting your local authority’s coffers when you separate your recycling ready for collection but pat yourself on the back because you are – not that a council tax rebate is on the cards.

Swansea Council generated £4.46 million from selling recyclable materials in 2024-25, a slightly higher figure than expected. The £4.46 million, however, did include weighbridge charges and items sold at its Tip Treasures shop at Llansamlet waste recycling centre.

Volatility

The council is forecasting revenue of £4.13 million this financial year – the slight drop attributable to volatility in recycling markets, according to a report.

Key to maximising income is good quality materials and effective contracts between the council and processors which take the materials.

It’s not all one-way though – the council has to pay for food and garden waste to be dealt with by third parties, as well as black bag waste. And there’s also the substantial cost of buying refuse lorries and employing drivers and refuse collectors.

A spokesman for the authority said: “The ability to generate income from recyclable materials, collected from homes across Swansea, is vital in terms of providing the best quality service possible for residents and businesses.

“This income is used to support in part the annual costs for waste collections and disposal. It is also vital for supporting costs for increasing our workforce by recruiting more staff to collect waste, as well as purchasing modern vehicles, which ensures reliability for regular collections across Swansea.”

Valuable resources

The council manages around 70,000 tonnes of recyclable waste each year – some of it brought to its waste recycling centres – and around half of it is sold on to waste companies.

“They then turn these valuable resources back into products which are purchased once more, used and so the recycling loop goes on,” said the council spokesman.

“This is a long way from the former days of burying valuable waste materials in landfill and means we are able to find value in the waste that residents place outside for collection.”

Swansea Council recycled, composted and reused 70.4% of its municipal waste in 2024-25, according to Welsh Government data. The Wales-wide average was 66.6%.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked the council to provide a breakdown of the £4.46 million income in 2024-25. It said metals were sold for £727,944, paper and cardboard for £405,098, plastic for £339,426 and glass for £95,060. The substantial remaining sum was split between several other products such as wood, polystyrene and textiles as well as the tip shop and weighbridge income.

Asked how much it cost to dispose of food and garden waste, the council declined to provide figures because of “commercially sensitive elements”.