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Wales Online
29-05-2025
- General
- Wales Online
New fines aim to boost recycling rate but locals say 'try actually collecting bins first!'
New fines aim to boost recycling rate but locals say 'try actually collecting bins first!' Caerphilly County Borough Council's recycling advisory teams - or 'RATs' - could hand £70 fines to repeat offenders who throw recyclable materials into their general waste bins (Image: undefined via Getty Images ) Wales Online readers are outraged to hear that crews will sift through residents' rubbish bins in an effort to boost recycling rates. Caerphilly county council's recycling advisory teams – or 'RATs' – could impose £70 fines on repeat offenders who dispose of recyclable materials in their general waste bins. Fines will only be issued as a last resort if previous attempts to engage with and educate persistent offenders prove unsuccessful. Councillor Chris Morgan, cabinet member for waste, informed colleagues that the county's residents are generating 410kg of residual waste each year, compared to a national average of 360kg. A 2023 study revealed that 59% of the contents of general waste bins could actually be recycled. Failure to meet national recycling targets could result in hefty fines from the Welsh Government. Under the new penalty system, a third offence could ultimately lead to a £70 fixed penalty notice, which would be reduced to £35 if paid within two weeks. During a cabinet meeting, the council's waste strategy officer Hayley Jones stated that teams had "engaged with several thousand residents" regarding the existing recycling scheme, "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 explained. "This is attributed to the lower costs of processing food waste through anaerobic digestion compared to incineration of general rubbish." Council leader Sean Morgan further commented "when we are using the anaerobic facility it's a real circular economy because it's in our county borough." The council has introduced an online resource, Recycle Right, to assist residents with proper disposal methods for various items and materials. Residents can access Recycle Right on the council's website here. Commenter Hongkongphewee says: 'Not sure about Caerphilly, but this stuff is what Merthyr Council wants you to put in your general waste wheelie bin. Nappies & hygiene products? Pet waste? Broken glass? I wouldn't want to be the council operative poking around in peoples bins that could possibly contain any of these.' 0xo asks: 'What happens if a passer-by finishes their drink and decides to put their bottle or wrapping in someone's bin as they walk past? Especially if you live near a take away or shop?' Cymru1 agrees: 'Also, if there is no house number on the bin where are they going to send the fine? It will be the householder's word against the binman and that's not going to work.' Cindy-incidentally adds: 'Bins that anyone can walk past and dump anything in? I can't see this happening and it's totally not fair on the recycling team to have to do this. Will it be one of the councillors doing this search? No, I doubt it very much.' Grimreaperdude states: 'This is unbelievable! Caerphilly council have missed 15 recycling collections in the past 21 weeks in the area I live. If they care that much about actually achieving their recycling targets, they might want to try actually collecting it in the first place!!' Vandals points out: 'Merthyr's done it for years. No problems, just recycle. It's not hard.' Dai257 jokes: 'Well they'll have to fill their bins 'Caerphilly' in future!' Barrian writes: 'I think these councils forget we pay them and not the other way around.' Studivine19 agrees: 'I can't speak about Caerphilly Council, but over with Neath Port Talbot, the recycling team sure do like leaving a mess after collecting the recycling bags every week. I wonder if I could issue fines to the NPT council for littering?' Udy wonders: 'Anyone would think our local authorities who take care of education, social care, elderly care etc would have better things to spend our money on.' How do you feel about the new plan, will it improve recycling rates in Wales? Have your say in our comments section. Article continues below
North Wales Live
24-05-2025
- General
- North Wales Live
Recycling crews at Welsh council to search bins and hand £70 fines to rule-breakers
Recycling crews will rummage through people's bins in a scheme to boost recycling rates in a Welsh county. Caerphilly county council's recycling advisory teams could dish out £70 fines to repeat offenders who throw recyclable materials into their general waste bins. Fines will only be used as a last resort if previous attempts to engage and educate repeat offenders are unsuccessful. Councillor Chris Morgan, cabinet member for waste, told colleagues that the county's residents are producing 410kg of residual waste each year compared to a national average of 360kg. Research in 2023 found 59% of general waste bins' contents was actually recyclable. Failing to hit national recycling targets runs the risk of multimillion-pound Welsh Government fines. Under the new penalty system residents will first receive a leaflet outlining what should be placed in each container or bin. Incidents of "non-compliance" will be dealt with by a recycling advice team visit and a letter explaining the breach. A second incident would result in another letter and a so-called section 46 notice telling the resident involved they have a legal duty to separate their waste. A third incident would ultimately lead to a £70 fixed penalty notice – which would be reduced to £35 if paid within two weeks. Speaking at a cabinet meeting the council's waste strategy officer Hayley Jones said teams had "engaged with several thousand residents" on the existing recycling scheme coinciding with a sharp uptick 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 because the cost of sending food waste for anaerobic digestion is cheaper than sending general waste for incineration. "When we are using the anaerobic facility it's a real circular economy because it's in our county borough," added council leader Sean Morgan. The council has launched an online tool, Recycle Right, where residents can check how to dispose of various items and materials.
Wales Online
23-05-2025
- General
- Wales Online
Council crews to search bins and hand £70 fines to rule-breakers
Council crews to search bins and hand £70 fines to rule-breakers Residents risk £70 fines for throwing away recyclable items in general waste Crews will rummage through people's bins in a scheme to boost recycling rates. Caerphilly county council's recycling advisory teams – or 'RATs' – could hand £70 fines to repeat offenders who throw recyclable materials into their general waste bins. Fines will be used as a last resort if previous attempts to engage and educate repeat offenders are unsuccessful. Councillor Chris Morgan, cabinet member for waste, told colleagues that the county's residents are producing 410kg of residual waste each year compared to a national average of 360kg. Research in 2023 found 59% of general waste bins' contents was actually recyclable. Failing to hit national recycling targets runs the risk of multimillion-pound Welsh Government fines. Under the new penalty system residents will first receive a leaflet outlining what should be placed in each container or bin. Incidents of 'non-compliance' will be dealt with by a recycling advice team visit and a letter explaining the breach. A second incident would result in another letter and a so-called section 46 notice telling the resident involved they have a legal duty to separate their waste. A third incident would ultimately lead to a £70 fixed penalty notice – which would be reduced to £35 if paid within two weeks. Article continues below Speaking at a cabinet meeting the council's waste strategy officer Hayley Jones said teams had 'engaged with several thousand residents' on the existing recycling scheme coinciding with a sharp uptick 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 because the cost of sending food waste for anaerobic digestion is cheaper than sending general waste for incineration. Article continues below 'When we are using the anaerobic facility it's a real circular economy because it's in our county borough,' added council leader Sean Morgan. The council has launched an online tool, Recycle Right, where residents can check how to dispose of various items and materials. Recycle Right can be found on the council's website here. Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here.
South Wales Argus
26-04-2025
- General
- South Wales Argus
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.
