Residents risk £70 fines for throwing away recyclable items in general waste

Council ‘RATs’ will be rummaging through Caerphilly’s residents’ bins as part of a new scheme to boost recycling rates.

Recycling Advisory Teams – to give them their official title – could hand £70 fines to repeat offenders who throw recyclable materials into their general waste bins.

Fines will be used as a last resort if previous attempts to engage and educate repeat offenders are unsuccessful.

Caerphilly County Borough Council already uses a similar system to encourage residents to recycle, and has only resorted to issuing 23 fines since that policy started in early 2024.

Cllr Chris Morgan, the cabinet member for education, told colleagues Caerphilly’s residents are producing 410kg of residual waste each year, compared to a national average of 360kg.

Research in 2023 found 59% of general waste bins’ contents is actually recyclable.

Failing to hit national recycling targets runs the risk of multimillion-pound Welsh Government fines, and Cllr Morgan said residents’ participation in proper waste-sorting is “key” to improving performance.

Under the new penalty system, residents will first receive a leaflet outlining what should be placed in each container or bin.

Incidents of “non-compliance” will first be dealt with by a recycling advice team visit and a letter explaining the breach.

A second incident would result in another letter and a so-called Section 46 Notice, telling the resident involved they have a legal duty to separate their waste.

A third incident would ultimately lead to a £70 fixed penalty notice – which would be reduced to £35 if paid within two weeks.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, on Wednesday May 21, waste strategy officer Hayley Jones said the council’s Recycling Advisory Team had “engaged with several thousand residents” on the existing recycling scheme, coinciding with a sharp uptick in food waste collections.

“As well as the positive impact that removing the material would have… there are significant financial savings that can be achieved, particularly if we can divert food waste,” she explained.

This is because the cost of sending food waste for anaerobic digestion is cheaper than sending general waste for incineration.

“When we are using the anaerobic facility, it’s a real circular economy because it’s in our county borough,” Cllr Sean Morgan, the council leader, added.

The council has also launched an online tool, Recycle Right, where residents can check how to dispose of various items and materials.

Recycle Right can be found on the council’s website.