Trolibocs scheme in Denbighshire facing complaints one year on
The revamped recycling and waste collection service was introduced in the county on June 3, 2024.
Gareth Davies, MS for the Vale of Clwyd, described the launch of the scheme as "disastrous."
He said: "It has been 12-months since the rollout of the disastrous Trolibocs scheme in Denbighshire by Labour-run Denbighshire County Council. Where I do know things have improved to some degree over that period of time, I'm still getting a lot of complaints from constituents about non-bin collections, Trolibocs's not being collected because maybe one or two things have accidentally slipped into the wrong compartment.
"Fly-tipping is still a big issue in the local area too, particularly on the coast, which is a fallout and consequence of the new bin system in Denbighshire."
Despite the criticism, the council has pointed to early signs of improvement. According to Denbighshire County Council, food waste recycling has increased by around 16 per cent, and residual (non-recyclable) waste is down by nine per cent in 2024/25.
A council spokesperson acknowledged that the initial rollout faced issues but said changes had since been made to improve the service.
The spokesperson said: "We would like to thank our residents for their continued support for carrying out recycling in Denbighshire.
"Last year we acknowledged the rollout of the new service did not go as we planned and quickly implemented a number of changes to improve services across the county during the autumn.
'These changes including new routes, more operatives and vehicles and a strengthened service management team have moved the service forward for the 47,000 properties we collect from across the county.
'Recycling rates have improved, but we are still in the process of analysing the data, and we will be reporting the 2024/25 performance data to a future Scrutiny Committee. The final recycling figures for 2024/25 will not show the full impact of the new collection model because we were still operating the old collection model for part of the financial year. We will therefore not see the full benefit of the new model until the 2025/26 recycling figures are published. However, we have seen a significant increase in food waste recycling in 2024/25, which has increased by around 16 per cent. We have also seen a nine per cent reduction in residual (or non-recyclable) waste.
"This is important because reducing the amount of non-recyclable waste that is then incinerated is a top priority for the council and was a key aim of the new waste model.
'We aim to have an ongoing programme of informing and educating residents to make continual improvement to our recycling performance. Now that the new model has settled-in, we believe that the service will only get better over time, and that it will result in further reductions in non-recyclable waste and better recycling in Denbighshire.'
The revamped service — 55 per cent funded by the Welsh Government — involved scrapping the blue wheelie bin. Residents must now separate their dry recycling using a three-tier Trolibocs.
A new free weekly collection service for small electrical items, household batteries, and textiles was also introduced.
At its launch, the Trolibocs scheme faced widespread backlash over missed collections and mounting rubbish. The council's chief executive and leader Cllr Jason McLellan issued public apologies as the service ran £640,000 over budget, with reports of waste piling up on pavements and attracting flies and vermin.
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