BLUE BAGS THE WEIGHT OF 185 JUMBO JETS RECYCLED

Blue bags weighing the same as 185 jumbo jets* were sent for recycling last year by residents in Carmarthenshire.
Figures show that a total 14,854 tonnes of blue bags were taken to the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Nantycaws, Carmarthen to be sorted.
And on average around 1,238 tonnes of blue bags are taken to the MRF every month – that’s the equivalent weight of 917 average family sized cars*!
The blue bags are either collected from the doorstep or the recycling centres throughout the county and are taken to the MRF and loaded onto conveyors where the sorting process begins.
A vibrating machine separates the cardboard and paper – different types of paper are sorted by hand and then baled.
The remaining recyclables continue on another conveyor where steel cans are removed using magnets. Aluminium cans are also recovered by a process involving eddy electrical currents.
Different types of plastic are identified and separated using optical scanners.
Once separated, they are taken for reprocessing at specialist factories to be made into new products.
The MRF is run by CWM Environmental and has recently moved from Johnstown to Nantycaws, which is where our food waste is also taken for composting.
Executive Board Member for the Environment Cllr Hazel Evans said: “I think it is important that people realise what happens to their blue bag once it is collected from their doorstep. Unfortunately some people still think it isn’t even recycled – which isn’t the case at all.
“It is amazing to think the weight of blue bags being taken to the MRF every year is the same weight as 185 jumbo jets! Let’s keep up the good work and continue to recycle as much as possible.”
Carmarthenshire is currently recycling around 60% of its waste but must achieve 70% by 2025 or face large financial penalties.

*Average weight of a jumbo jet is 80 tonnes
*Average weight of a family car is 1.35 tonne