£100 fines in new bin bags shake-up
Householders won’t be allowed to leave extra bag beside wheeled bin:
SOME householders will have their fortnightly black bin bag allowance cut in half under strict new rules on waste in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Others will be banned from leaving additional bin bags alongside their wheeled bins.
Those who don’t obey will face fines of £100.
It’s all part of a drive to encourage people to recycle more and to help Rhondda Cynon Taf council hit recycling targets.
RCT council says the changes should not “adversely” affect residents.
The changes are set to be discussed by the council’s cabinet this week.
Different areas of the borough will be affected in different ways.
For people in the Rhondda, the current four black bag allowance per fortnight will be reduced to two.
People living in the Cynon and Taff areas will no longer be allowed side waste outside of their bins.
According to the cabinet document outlining the changes, the changes are being introduced to hit targets and stop the local authority picking up Welsh Government fines. The new regime will come into force from June.
Once in practice, if the rule is breached and following a three visits or warnings policy, the resident would be hit with a fixed penalty notice of £100.
The report titled “Improving Recycling Performance – Pre Scrutiny Outcomes”, concluded: “The council has to meet its statutory recycling targets to avoid financial penalties.
“The fines are significant, and without some change to the current service provision, it could struggle to achieve the recycling targets.
“Therefore doing nothing is not really an option and as in previous changes the recommendations outlined in this report look to allow the council to achieve those targets whilst not adversely affecting the residents already fully engaged with the service.”
Despite the tough new measures, the report also detailed how over the Christmas period, there would be a relaxation of the restriction.
That will mean those in the Rhondda would revert back to the four-bag limit, while residents with a 120l bin in Cynon and Taf will be allowed one bag of side waste.
For those with a 240l bin, there will be no Christmas change, al- though the report stated the council is trying to remove all bins of this size to replace them with 120l.
The report adds that at least two months before the changes come into play, an awareness campaign highlighting the changes will run, which will then continue once they are in force.
“The changes will also mean that between November 1 and March 1, the local authority’s green waste collection service will be fortnightly, before reverting back to a weekly service for the rest of the year.
If the council does not improve its recycling rates by 6% from the current 64% by 2025, the Welsh Government will levy “significant penalties” on it.
It added: “If no further progress is made in terms of improving the recycling rates, the cost to the council could be in excess of hundreds of thousands of pounds dependant how much we fail by.”
The report has recommended cabinet to approve the changes. If approved, they will come into force on June 4.
The local authority also said it will continue to support households who for “various reasons” may struggle with these proposals – including those with ash waste and large families.