Caerphilly becomes latest council to adopt 3-weekly bin collections

Local TV

Caerphilly has had some of the lowest recycling rates in Wales for years, so with fines on the line, they’ve decided to adopt a 3-weekly collection schedule for non-recyclable household waste. A number of other councils have 3-weekly collections, and Caerphilly Council have said they want to do what they can to help residents adapt to the changes.

Transcript

00:00Cofilly is set to become the latest Welsh local authority to reduce general waste collections

00:06to once every three weeks, and while the council admits the changes won't be popular,

00:10they say they're necessary to avoid even more financial penalties.

00:14From late 2027, black bin collections across the county borough will be cut from Fort Lightly

00:19to every three weeks.

00:20It follows the lead of other councils like Conwy and Newport, which already run three

00:24weekly collections, with Denbyshire recently approving similar plans.

00:28The move comes after Cofilly has already been fined more than half a million pounds by

00:32the Welsh Government for missing national recycling targets.

00:36Ministers have warned that more fines will follow unless performance improves significantly.

00:41To help households adapt, residents will be given a new set of containers to separate

00:44plastic, cardboard and other recyclable materials.

00:48Food waste will still be collected weekly, but garden waste will move to a fortnightly

00:52schedule and there will be new weekly service for nappies and other hygiene waste.

00:56Cabinet Member for Waste, Councillor Chris Morgan said the plans strike a balance between

01:00environmental responsibility and fairness for residents, calling it the only way to hit

01:05the 70% recycling target set by the Welsh Government.

01:09As some have raised concerns, Independent Councillor Nigel Dix called the changes impractical, warning

01:14that fewer collections could mean smelly bins and that the number of new containers might

01:18overwhelm people living in smaller homes.

01:20The council says it is working closely with environmental groups and studying lessons from other councils

01:25to avoid the kind of teething problems seen elsewhere, and promises a robust communications

01:30campaign to bring residents on board.

01:32With more councils across Wales shifting to less frequent collections and recycling targets

01:36only getting tougher, Cofilly says this is about avoiding fines and doing its bit for

01:41the planet.

01:42James Peach Watkins reporting for Local TV.

01:43James Peach Watkins reporting for Local TV.

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