Search goes on for new recycling centre
A SITE for a new household recycling centre for north Cardiff has still not been found – despite Labour candidates promising a new facility in the last election.
The councillor in charge of waste and recycling in the city says the authority is struggling to find an alternative site for a household waste and recycling centre to replace the Wedal Road site which closed last year.
It comes after Labour candidates for the Gabalfa ward in the run-up to the 2017 local election promised residents the Wedal Road waste and recycling site would not close before a better service is set up.
Candidates Matt Hexter and Joy Coughlan wrote to residents and said there were “no plan for the loss of these services for Cardiff North”.
Michael Michael, cabinet member for clean streets, recycling and environment, said potential sites in Cardiff north are still being looked into and the council has set aside money for the new facility.
But opposition councillors say flytipping has shot up in the area since Wedal Road’s closure and Labour is not delivering on its election promise. Rhys Taylor, Liberal Democrat councillor for Gabalfa, said: “What’s frustrating is that residents were told across Cardiff north that they wouldn’t lose the facilities that Wedal Road offered.”
He said Wedal Road shouldn’t have closed before a replacement was found.
“It all happened very quickly and without proper scrutiny,” he said.
Reported incidents of fly-tipping increased in Penylan – an area which neighbours the Wedal Road site – since the household waste and recycling centre was closed in March 2018.
There were 33 fly-tipping incidents reported in Penylan in the eight months between August 1, 2017, and March 31, 2018, before the tip was closed.
In the nine months that followed – between April 1, 2018, and December 31, 2018 – there were 107 reported fly-tipping incidents.
But Cllr Michael said he did not believe the closure of Wedal Road had contributed to increased fly-tipping.
Conservative councillor for Rhiwbina, Oliver Owen, told a council Environmental Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday that people in north Cardiff were fed up with having to travel across the city to dispose of excess waste.
He said with more houses being built “there’s going to be even more demand in the north of the city for these facilities. And people in general feel they are in need of services in the north of Cardiff. The demand is only going to increase.”
Cllr Michael said Cardiff’s household waste recycling centres are “in reach of everyone who has a car” and both are running at around 65% capacity.
He said the old Wedal Road site was a “disaster” as it had to shut every time a skip was collected and caused traffic issues.
He said: “If any member of any party has any site in Cardiff north they think is suitable I will be the first one to explore it. Because we’ve explored lots of sites and they’re either not for sale, are far too expensive or not available. We will continue to do that. I’m not convinced if we had another one tomorrow that recycling rates would go up. There’s a lot of work needed before recycling rates go up.”
Cllr Michael said the Labour administration still plans to build a new site if it can find the right location.
He added: “This administration has put money into the budget and is looking for land to deliver it. We think it’s the right thing to do.
“Were we to find a piece of land that was right we would be doing it. We have dredged the area trying to find bits of land but we have been unsuccessful.
“This administration is clear and straight up front about it. We will build a site in the north of the city when we find an appropriate site.”