Council makes change to recycling disposal

Devon County Council has announced changes to its recycling services, requiring that from Sunday, December 1, upholstered furniture must be disposed of at one of eight designated Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) across the county. 

The change comes in response to new Environment Agency requirements that enforce the separation and incineration of Waste Upholstered Domestic Seating (WUDS) due to the presence of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), also known as “forever chemicals.”

The council explained that items like sofas, armchairs, and other upholstered seating contain chemicals used as fire retardants. 

These pollutants can accumulate in human and animal tissues and pose environmental and health risks, necessitating special handling to prevent contamination.

The following Devon HWRCs will be equipped to accept WUDS as of December 1:

• East Devon: Knowle Hill, Exmouth
• Exeter: Pinbrook Road, Exeter
• Mid Devon: Ashley, Tiverton
• North Devon: Seven Brethren, Barnstaple
• Torridge: Bideford
• South Hams: Ivybridge
• West Devon: Okehampton
• Teignbridge: Brunel Road, Newton Abbot

Councillor Roger Croad, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for waste services, said: “The Environment Agency require that waste upholstered furniture is incinerated in order to safely destroy the POPs/forever chemicals contained within them.

“We have been successfully doing this for some time, but they are now requiring that we provide separate skips and collect and transport this waste separately from other residual waste streams despite it all going to the same Energy from Waste plant for incineration.

Due to space constraints, most HWRCs will not accommodate the additional facilities needed for these items. 

Councillor Croad acknowledged that the limited number of WUDS disposal sites may require residents to travel further to recycle upholstered furniture, adding: “Regretfully this will mean that residents may have to travel further to discard their items.”

After December 1, residents must bring WUDS to one of the specified sites or arrange for a bulky collection service through their district council, which will involve a fee.