Council's bin rummaging plan sparks 'nothing better to do' jibe

Wales Online

29-05-2025

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Recycling teams in a Welsh county will sift through residents' bins in an effort to increase recycling rates. Caerphilly County Council's recycling advisory teams could impose £70 fines on repeat offenders who dispose of recyclable materials in their general waste bins. North Wales Live readers have had their say on the whole plan.
Fines will only be implemented as a last resort if previous attempts to engage and educate repeat offenders prove unsuccessful. Councillor Chris Morgan, cabinet member for waste, informed colleagues that the county's residents are producing 410kg of residual waste each year, compared to a national average of 360kg.
Research conducted in 2023 discovered that 59% of the contents of general waste bins were actually recyclable. Failure to meet national recycling targets could result in multimillion-pound fines from the Welsh Government.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting, the council's waste strategy officer Hayley Jones stated that teams had "engaged with several thousand residents" on the existing recycling scheme, which coincided with a significant increase in food waste collections.
"As well as the positive impact that removing the material would have... there are significant financial savings that can be achieved, particularly if we can divert food waste," she said. "This is due to the fact that sending food waste for anaerobic digestion is cheaper than incinerating general waste."
Council leader Sean Morgan added: "When we are using the anaerobic facility it's a real circular economy because it's in our county borough."
PedroD says: 'If it wasn't that a proportion of waste collected correctly for re-cycling ends up in landfill anyway, then this may be just.'
Thewokearefastasleep predicts: 'No doubt it will cost the council more to operate than it will save through correcting any incorrect separation.'
Steamnut thinks: 'There is still a lot of confusion about packaging. The clear film on food containers is currently not recyclable whereas the container it was the cover for is. Some products - usually in very small print - say 'generally recyclable'. If the council is going to start handing out fines after having a time-consuming rummage then we need clarity on what is and is not recyclable.'
Jonesey1 agrees: 'Many times I've put plastics that aren't the usual household food packaging (power tool casings and other hard plastics) in the plastics recycling box. Sometimes the binmen leave them in the box so we just let them sit in there until the next week's collection and they magically disappear into the recycling wagon. I think it might depend on how diligent they're feeling as to whether or not the 'unrecyclable' recyclables are taken.'
Toxteth O'Grady adds: 'What if someone uses your bin without your knowledge as they're likely to do on certain streets?'
Pete Watson replies: 'Just because the wrong item is in a bin doesn't mean the householder put it in there. So unless there is a direct evidential link between the item and the householder then any fine will successfully be challenged.'
Nerys Dumbell said: "Have they nothing better to do like clearing up the rubbish that gets blown out the bins? There are tins and plastic wrappers everywhere and they just leave it!"
Tina Thompson replies: 'This will be a huge health and safety risk for the guys who collect the bins. You never know what will be in the bins.'
Helen Job points out: 'The crews are already stretched and sometimes it's not always clear if something is recyclable or not. £70 for an honest mistake won't go down well with residents. Why not ask the binmen to put the recyclable item in the correct bin if they find it in the general waste bin?'
Caroline Hartley writes: 'It's not a legal requirement for domestic waste to be recycled, it is a legal requirement for companies/ businesses to recycle. Maybe the council should focus on some of the bin collectors and wagons who drop rubbish from bins and don't pick it up. They leave recycling boxes in the roads or slide them down the path damaging them.'
Sue Davenport replies: 'It's staggering the cheek of our Councils expecting us to do their refuse sorting work for them whilst charging us higher and higher rates of Council Tax for the privilege.'
Do you think these new plans will improve the recycling rate? Have your say in our comments section.