Swindon Acquires £1 Million Baler to Enhance Recycling Efforts

A councillor has stated that a new £1 million machine is expected to enhance Swindon’s recycling rate and contribute to its environmental sustainability. This baler, designed to compress dry waste materials like plastic and metals into bales, has commenced operations at Swindon’s household recycling centre. The introduction of this machine is anticipated to increase the town’s recycling rate, which currently stands at 38%, significantly below the government’s 65% objective. Councillor Chris Watts of Swindon Borough Council commented: “To get there, there’s going to be some considerable changes, not just in the way we collect recycling, but also in the way people think about it in Swindon.” Situated at Cheney Manor Industrial Estate, the baler will enable the council to sort plastics and metals directly at the facility. Subsequently, these bales can be sold. Watts, who serves as the cabinet member for environment and transport, explained: “Everything that’s in a blue recycling bag will be put into one pile – that’s put onto a conveyor belt that goes through the machine.” He continued: “You get a pile of tin, a pile of plastic, and a pile of aluminium, that is scooped up and then compressed.” Watts added: “They’re basically ready for sale at that point.” According to Watts, each bale holds a value ranging from £400 to £500. He further elaborated: “[The baler] is a capital spend, it’s called spend to save so if we’re increasing the value of recycling by half a million pounds, that’s a sound investment.” Watts concluded: “Essentially we’ll get our money back in no time and start reaping the benefits.” This machine forms part of a broader initiative aimed at enhancing all facets of Swindon’s waste management services, encompassing the introduction of food waste collections for residents in flats starting in early 2025. Additionally, household bin collection days will be permanently advanced by two working days beginning on Christmas Day, a measure intended to prevent a recurrence of the approximately 40,000 collection backlog that led to significant issues in 2023.