Caerphilly Council considers £70 fines to improve recycling
New proposals for 'improving recycling behaviour' would see the worst, most persistent offenders slapped with the same punishment as a parking fine.
The council said the typical household in Caerphilly produces 410kg of 'residual' – or non-recyclable – waste each year, compared with a national average 360kg.
And within those county borough bins, a study has found as much as 59 per cent of their contents could be recycled.
Caerphilly Council has struggled to lift its recycling performance from the bottom positions of a Wales-wide league table, and national figures show a recycling rate of 60.2% for the financial year 2023/24 was well short of Welsh Government targets.
This month, the government again increased the minimum recycling rate target for local authorities, from 64 per cent to 70 per cent.
In a new report, Caerphilly Council said 'public behaviour and participation in recycling services is key' to meeting its new strategy for improving those performances.
Poorly-sorted waste is one of the 'specific areas of concern' in the county borough, and the council is seeking to extend the use of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to tackle recyclables and food being thrown away in general refuse.
It plans an 'enhanced education and engagement process', including potentially hiring six more 'recycling advisory wardens', to help residents better understand what waste they should and shouldn't place in their bins.
Further powers will also let the council serve legal notices and, 'where deemed necessary, the issue of fixed penalty notices to persistent offenders relating to placing recyclable materials within the residual waste bins'.
Similar to parking tickets, fines would be cut from £70 to £35 if paid within 14 days.
The report suggests fines would be a last resort if prior visits, information letters, and legal notices fail to have the required effect on a resident's waste habits.
The council claims it can make 'significant' savings of £380,000 if even half of the county borough's food waste currently ending up in bins can be kept separate from general rubbish.
Recent efforts to improve Caerphilly's recycling performance include the launch of a new tool on the council's website.
Recycle Right allows residents to look up items and materials and check how they should be recycled or disposed of.
At the time of the launch, Cllr Chris Morgan, the cabinet member for waste, said: 'We are thrilled to launch Recycle Right, which will support our residents to make the best waste and recycling decisions.
'If all residents use this new simple tool, it would have a huge effect on our recycling rates and the environment. The first step is knowing where to put your waste and Recycle Right can tell you.'
Members of the council's environment committee are expected to discuss the proposals for new recycling fines at a meeting on Tuesday April 29.
Meanwhile, cabinet members will meet in private the following day to discuss the latest proposals to buy a site for a new waste depot, which the council hopes will also help increase its recycling rates.
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