About Amgen Cymru

The Beginning

Amgen Cymru is the trading name of Cynon Valley Waste Disposal Company Ltd. The company was formed in June 1993. It is the Local Authority Waste Disposal Company (LAWDC) wholly owned by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (RCTCBC). The Company Board of Directors is shown below.

What We Do

Amgen Cymru provides a wide range of waste management services to the residents and businesses of Rhondda Cynon Taf. The company operates the Bryn Pica waste management facility situated near Llwydcoed in Aberdare in addition to four other community recycling centres situated throughout the borough.

Amgen Rhondda Limited

In September 1999 the company set up a subsidiary company to manage the Nant-Y-Gwyddon landfill site located near Gelli in the Rhondda Valley. This site ceased accepting waste in March 2002 and since then the company has worked closely with all key stakeholders to ensure the comprehensive remediation of the site. The site is now in ‘definitive closure’ following successful remediation work completed in 2005 and 2006.

The Community

The company recognises its importance in the local community and has always been pro active in furthering relationships, for example:

1. The company formed the Bryn Pica liaison group that meets quarterly and allows local residents the opportunity to discuss matters of interest with not only the company but representatives from the main regulatory authorities.
2. Since 1996 the company has fully utilised the government’s landfill tax credit scheme enabling considerable funds to be invested in approved local projects. These funds are distributed through a not-for-profit environmental body - Amgen Environmental (click here)
3. Amgen Cymru is a keen participant of the Community Waste Forum set up by RCTCBC to deal with all aspects of waste management affecting the borough.

Education

To coincide with the company's 10 year anniversary in 2003, an education centre was opened at the Bryn Pica site. The centre (shown below), is managed in partnership with RCTCBC and provides the opportunity to educate local schools and the community in the importance of dealing with waste and recycling.

Future

The UK waste management industry has undergone significant changes over the previous 10 years with the introduction of new legislation governing the manner in which we deal with waste. Most noticeably the EU Landfill Directive sets challenging national targets for a reduction in the amount of biodegradable municipal solid waste sent to landfill.

Local Authorities (LA’s) throughout Wales are required to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill by the following amounts, with significant financial penalties for any LA failing to do so.

• By 2010 to reduce biodegradable municipal waste landfilled to 75% of that produced in 1995
• By 2013 to reduce biodegradable municipal waste landfilled to 50% of that produced in 1995.
• By 2020 to reduce biodegradable municipal waste landfilled to 35% of that produced in 1995.

Amgen Cymru is committed to assisting RCTCBC in meeting these targets, through the development and implementation of high quality recycling services throughout the borough.

The Environment

Amgen Cymru is committed to undertaking its work to the highest possible environmental standards. We aim to reduce to an absolute minimum, any potential adverse environmental impacts associated with our business activities. Waste management activities are regulated by the Environment Agency Wales and to date the company has maintained a good reputation of Environmental Compliance.