North Powys Bulking Facility Update
3 November 2025
Visitors to the community opening evening in September, were given the chance to have a look round and talk to staff about how the facility currently operates as well as the council's plans to bring residual waste (waste collected in wheeled bins and purple bags) from the north of the county to the site for bulking, before it is transferred to a waste treatment facility.
A planning application to accept residual waste (waste collected in wheeled bins and purple bags) at the North Powys Bulking Facility in Abermule, has now been submitted.
The site on the outskirts of the village was designed specifically to allow the council's waste and recycling services to be run efficiently and safely. Along with the existing planning permission, the site also operates under an Environmental Permit issued by Natural Resources Wales (NRW). This allows for the permitted wastes, including residual and recyclable waste (such as food waste, paper, card, plastic, cans, glass and garden waste), to be stored at the site before being transferred for processing. The permit contains strict requirements regarding how the site is operated to ensure any potential impact to the local environment and community is controlled and minimised.
The bulking facility has been fully operational since September 2023 and has already proved to be a great asset to the council, as a facility to accept and bulk the kerbside recycling from the north of the county. In a bid to lower costs, reduce our carbon footprint and ensure the council's waste and recycling service remains sustainable for the future, we now plan to fully utilise the capacity of the site, in line with the infrastructure requirements outlined in the recently approved Sustainable Resource Strategy.
"I was really pleased to hear that over 40 local residents attended our open evening. It was a great opportunity for those interested to have a face-to-face chat about the plans, and a chance to see for themselves how well the bulking facility is operated and how any potential impacts are controlled." Explains Cllr Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys.
"The site is already working well and has enough capacity to accept residual waste without having to make any changes to how it is operated, meaning the local community shouldn't notice any changes at all. The site will continue to be run to the highest standards and will of course be monitored in accordance with the strict requirements of the NRW environmental permit.
"Currently residual waste from the north of the county is taken to a third-party transfer station at a significant additional cost to the council as well as resulting in more travelling time and carbon emissions from the fleet of collection vehicles. By utilising the site to its full potential, we can run our waste and recycling service more sustainability, reducing costs and minimising our carbon footprint."
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