I will be dumping my rubbish outside the council, says resident
PEOPLE living in Bridgend county have vented their anger over a new waste system which will limit them to putting out just two rubbish bags once a fortnight.
Many believe the scheme, which starts in June, will prompt a huge rise in fly-tipping as people struggle to get rid of excess bags.
Others are concerned about how older people will cope with the extra demands and some said that even though they recycle everything possible, they still fill more than two bags.
Bridgend council said the new scheme – to be delivered by Kier Environmental – is needed to help the county’s household waste recycling rate rise from 58% to a new Welsh Government-imposed target of 70%.
And residents won’t be able to circumvent it by taking bags to a skip at the local tip any more. Larger households will be able to apply for extra bags, and a separate nappy/absorbent product collection will be brought in.
Deputy leader Hywel Williams acknowledged the adjustment “might be more of a challenge for some homes than others”.
But in comments posted on the Glamorgan Gazette’s Facebook page, some said it would prove impossible.
Resident Clive Davies even threatened to dump his rubbish on the steps of the council’s offices. He wrote: “Not only have they dropped the black bags to two, they have also stopped us taking black bags to the tip.
“Fly-tipping is going to cost the borough a lot more than allowing residents to use black bags as normal. There is not enough time in the day to sort paper/ cardboard/ plastics/ film around plastics etc. I will be dumping my rubbish outside the council. I also bet the council tax is due to increase.”
Angeline Dacre Smith and others wondered what they are going to do with their animal waste.
She posted: “How am I supposed to fit two large black bags worth of guinea pig waste per week into a new ‘coloured and branded’ bag which will con- tain non-recyclable waste from the kitchen and the small bins from the other rooms? I recycle as much as I can but I don’t see why I should clean my animals out less often.
“When this story first came out last year I rang the council who told me I would be able to take the animal waste to the tip. But now they are going to stop us doing that. So what is the solution?”
Kimberley Jones wondered how the scheme will be enforced. She wrote: “What about shared housing where more than one household puts rubbish in the same place?
“Who is saying someone won’t put out an extra bag? How do they plan to stop this or distinguish what is whose waste?”
But Sarah Thomas took a more pragmatic stance. She posted: “I don’t see the problem, without the exception of birthdays or Christmas, we only have two black bags going out a fortnight so can’t see it making much difference to be honest.
“They aren’t going to change it so people may as well deal with it.”