Recycling Roundup 26th June

Recycling Roundup 26^th June

Councillors in Bridgend in Wales have claimed that the new recycling scheme is ‘not working’ and that rubbish is piling up on the streets. This comes as a result of numerous residents complaining that their rubbish collections have been delayed after the new collection system was introduced. Some residents claim that they waited 2 weeks to have any rubbish collected. One resident posted pictures of maggots in her food waste caddie on social media to illustrate problems that a delay can cause. Other residents are angry at the problems it has caused elderly and disabled people, and those with small children who have to dispose of nappies.

The council have apologised and said that the private contractor that they use, Kier, has already made the necessary changes to allow collections to run more smoothly.

The new scheme involved giving out different coloured sacks for different types of rubbish, including cardboard and paper, and plastics and nappies. Caddies have been provided for glass and food waste.

Households with less than 5 occupants are only allowed to throw away 2 bags of non-recyclable waste every 2 weeks.

The council admitted that there were ‘teething problems’ with introducing the new scheme, but that there had already been a 50% increase in the recycling rate. They also stated that extra vehicles had been brought in and that refuse staff had been working overtime to clear the backlog of rubbish.

A new recycling centre has opened up in Cardiff on the site of a former rubbish tip. The council said the new site is not fully operational yet, and that is was being ‘tested’ before it opened fully.

Old equipment from the former site has been removed and visitors are guided up to a raised platform where there are numerous skips for different items.

Councillors say that the opening of the tip will be an improvement for residents and that it would help to boost recycling rates across the city. The new tip has opened as part of a large-scale revamp of the Rumney area of Cardiff. Houses and being renovated and a new school has opened as part of the plans.

A kerbside recycling scheme for plastic that was trialled across some areas of Swansea is being rolled out across the entire city.

From the end of June, the council is providing every household with a pink reusable recycling bag which will replace single-use bags. The roll out will happen over 10 weeks, and the council insist that people will be given all the information they need on the changes.

The changes come after local recycling companies complained that the recycling process was being hampered by the single-use bags.

The trail scheme in some parts of the city lasted for 12 months, and 3000 households took part.

The council’s environmental services department has said that the trial system for collecting plastic had gone very well, and that it had diverted a lot of plastic from landfill, but that there was a need to replace the single-use plastic bags.

The reusable bags have a weighted base, so they won’t be blown around the streets. This was a concern for some residents, so the council have done their best to allay any fears.