It is one of the worst areas of Wales for recycling
Generic image of black wheelie bins(Image: Darren Quinton/Reach)
A decision on cuts to bin rounds in a Welsh county is expected in the coming days. Caerphilly Council has proposed reducing its collections of non-recyclable waste from a fortnightly to a three-weekly service.
“Caerphilly is currently underperforming against statutory recycling targets and faces potential backdated fines of approximately £3.728 million,” the council warned in a new report. “Although [the Welsh Government] previously chose not to impose fines for 2020/21, this decision was based on the expectation that clear and decisive actions would be taken to meet future statutory requirements.”
Local authorities have to recycle 70% of the waste they collect but in recent years Caerphilly has lagged behind government targets and scored among the worst-performing areas of Wales.
Stay informed on Caerphilly news by signing up to our newsletter here
The council’s waste strategy sets out a series of immediate and longer-term measures to drive up the borough’s recycling rates.
Among the latest initiatives is the proposal to cut collections of “residual waste”, after researchers found around 59% of the contents of a typical bin in Caerphilly could instead be recycled.
A typical household in the county produces an average of 410kg of residual waste annually, which is much higher than the Welsh average of 360kg.
The council believes reducing the frequency of bin collections would encourage people to think more about what they are throwing away and be encouraged to recycle items instead.
An additional proposal is to introduce a “kerbside sorting” system for recyclables, in which residents would separate materials such as plastics, cardboard and paper at home before the council collects them.
Together with the measures already introduced, the council believes these proposals could result in an 11% improvement in its recycling rates, which would lift the area above the Welsh Government’s 70% target.
Year-round garden waste collections could also be limited to running between March and November, while the council has proposed a new service for picking up nappies and other absorbent hygiene products.
Cabinet members are expected to discuss the proposals at a meeting on July 23.
If the measures are approved they are expected to come into effect some time from late 2027 to early 2028.