Bin cuts and new recycling containers ‘the only way’ council can meet national waste targets

A new recycling system and cuts to bin collections are the only way Caerphilly County Borough Council can meet national waste targets and avoid huge fines, senior councillors have heard.

Cabinet members agreed on Wednesday July 23 to reduce collections of non-recyclable waste from a fortnightly to a three-weekly service.

Residents will also receive new containers to separate recyclable materials, such as plastics and cardboard, at home.

Recycling and food waste will continue to be collected weekly.

Garden waste, however, will be cut to fortnightly collections on a seasonal basis, from March to November.

The council will also set up a new weekly collection service for nappies and absorbent hygiene products, and will relax the eligibility criteria to one child, instead of the current two.

Each of the policies is expected to come into force in late 2027 to early 2028, said Cllr Chris Morgan, the cabinet member for waste.

“Collectively, the options agreed aim to enhance the recycling performance, reduce environmental impact and improve service efficiency,” he added.

“The options take a balanced, resident focused approach making best use of resources while ensuring operational resilience and service equity across the borough.”

Caerphilly has struggled to keep up with ambitious Welsh Government recycling targets and in recent years has recorded some of the lowest rates in Wales.

That performance has led to warnings from ministers to improve or face multimillion-pound fines.

Waste strategy manager Hayley Jones said the new proposals were “the only way” Caerphilly could reach the target of recycling 70% of its waste.

The policies won’t be implemented straight away because the council needs to buy and develop a new waste depot, she added.

And in a warning against inaction, she told the meeting she expected the Welsh Government to introduce even higher targets in future.

Cllr Eluned Stenner said the changes “won’t be popular with many of our residents” and asked how Caerphilly would avoid the “teething problems” other councils had faced.

Ms Jones said the local authority was working “extensively” with national waste charity WRAP Cymru and had visited other councils to learn from their experiences.

Caerphilly Council will need to provide “clear, robust communication” with residents on the new recycling policies, she added.

“We’ve certainly got time enough to inform our residents and get them on board with it,” added Cllr Sean Morgan, the council leader.

Following the meeting, Cllr Nigel Dix, who leads the independent group, said he had reservations about the planned changes.

He said fewer bin collections could mean “smelly bins”, while a system of several recycling containers may prove tricky for people in smaller properties.

He also called spending on the project “impractical” and said he would prefer the council continued with “education for the minority” of people who don’t recycle properly, followed by fines for persistent offenders.

Cllr Lindsay Whittle, who leads the council’s Plaid Cymru group, said: “With the move to three-weekly collection for non-recyclables, the council needs to ensure proper provision via larger containers or bins is made for some residents, including large families and those pet owners, who need to dispose of pet waste.

“In addition, on asking people to split recyclables the council needs to be aware of possible storage problems for those living in terraced homes and the potential difficulty for older residents in carrying out bags of recyclables. A pilot area before full implementation would be sensible.”