‘More could be recycled if black bag collections change’
THREE-WEEKLY black bag collections shouldn’t be an issue for Carmarthenshire residents because so much stuff is put in them which could be recycled, a senior councillor said.
Cllr Hazel Evans, cabinet member for environment, was addressing a scrutiny committee about planned changes to the kerbside collection system, which cabinet will make a decision on next Monday.
The proposals include moving from a fortnightly to a threeweekly black bag collection – while keeping the current threebag limit – a weekly instead of fortnightly recycling collection, and kerbside glass collection for the first time. Weekly food collections would remain.
A study in 2017 found that, on average, 46% of what was put out in black bags in Carmarthenshire was food waste, glass and other recyclables. Although the county’s 64.66% recycling and composting rate in 2019-20 just exceeded the Wales-wide 64% target, waste chiefs said changes were needed to meet a 70% target in three years’ time.
This was partly because the alternate collection model of black bags one week and blue bags the next was becoming harder to juggle, in some cases resulting in streets and whole areas left with their bags out on collection day.
Meanwhile, there is also concern about a growing proportion of contaminated recycling material, such as unwashed bottles and jars and people putting the wrong things in blue bags.
Cllr Evans said contamination levels had reached 30% of late, and that contaminated recycling was more likely to be sent abroad rather than being reprocessed in the UK and was therefore worse for the environment.
She also said the Welsh Government had, in principle, offered the council £14.3m to help make the changes proposed. Several other counties, she added, had already made them. By 2024, the changes would require householders to separate recyclable materials in different containers prior to collection.
The proposals were first outlined in April. A public survey then took place. Most people who responded wanted glass recycling at the kerbside and weekly recycling collections, but just under half had concerns about the proposed move to a three-weekly black bag service.
The council is minded to retain an exemption on the three black bag per household limit where there are more than six people living in a property, said environmental services manager Dan John.
Councillors asked a number of questions about the plans, and wondered if fly-tipping could rise as a result.
Cllr Evans said: “I can only repeat myself about the amount of recyclable material which is in the black bag. Why should people feel the need to fly-tip a black bag?”
She also pointed out it was irresponsible, while director of environment Ruth Mullen said it was a criminal act. The committee unanimously approved the recommendations, which will be refined and finalised, prior to Cllr Evans thanking the public for their recycling efforts.