€50 million circular economy deal for leasing company

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has completed work on a pilot sustainable drainage scheme at Mill Street in Pontypridd – which has introduced green features to help reduce surface water flooding and divert it from traditional drainage systems in heavy rainfall. The pilot, which is fully-funded by Welsh Government, has introduced a tree pit and rain garden to provide an adaptive form of flood alleviation that improves the area’s aesthetics and biodiversity, and is also resilient for the future. The new rain garden is sized at 35m2, and will provide drainage for the surface water run-off from the nearby concreted car park, which is 1,085m2. Prior to the works, water run-off from this area would flow directly into the drainage systems – and it is hoped this will be reduced by up to 50% following the delivery of the pilot scheme.

Rick Hindley, executive director at Alupro, says a ‘carefully designed’ deposit return scheme (DRS) could position the UK as a world leader in waste management – maximising environmental impact, embracing existing systems and maintaining competitiveness within the packaging industry.