Changes to waste collection being considered

The majority of households would only have their non-recyclable waste collected every four weeks under a plan being considered by Denbighshire County Council.

The proposals, which come under the spotlight of the council's Communities Scrutiny Committee  later this month, would see:

* A new weekly collection for recyclables such as paper, glass, cans, and plastic

* A weekly collection for food waste

* A new fortnightly collection for clothes and small electrical items

With 64% of waste already being recycled and a weekly recycling collection with extra capacity there should only be small amounts of non-recyclable waste left in the black bin, the council believes

The council is therefore proposing to change the collection of non-recyclable waste to every four weeks for the majority of households.

Residents can opt for bigger black bins if they need them, but overall, households will have an additional 35 litres of capacity each week in their Trolliboc for recycling packaging waste (including cans, tins, glass bottles& jars, plastic bottles & tubs, paper and card)  compared to their current blue recycling bin. 

They can free up even more space in their black bin by using the new kerbside recycling services for textiles, WEEE, batteries and where needed, nappy and incontinence waste.   

The council believes that increasing the size of the bins to the new larger ones and introducing weekly and recycling kerbside sort collections, supported by other special collections, should meet the needs of residents.

The Welsh Government has agreed £4 million for 2019/20 and a further £3 million in 2020/21.  Further discussions are on-going with Welsh Government and WRAP to find the additional funds needed to implement the project.

Members of the Communities Scrutiny Committee will consider the proposal at the meeting on October 25^th at County Hall, Ruthin at 10am.

Councillor Brian Jones, Cabinet Lead Member for Highways, Planning and Sustainable Travel, said: “The county has historically one of the best recycling rates in Wales and residents have played a significant part in that success.

"Despite all the efforts, more than 5,000 tonnes of recycling are still being thrown away through general waste collections costing £500,000 which could be spent on protecting vital council services.

"This is a significant challenge and the Council needs to recycle more and reduce unnecessary disposal costs. That can only be done by changing the way in which its waste collection works and by changing the way residents recycle. The Council needs to work towards the statutory target of 70% by 2025, and it expects that the target could be increased to 80% by the Welsh Government in future.

“The majority of households in Denbighshire can be switched to the proposed system. The households at which the proposed system may be unsuitable are being identified. Where necessary alternative collection models, designed to achieve the highest levels of recycling practicable, will be introduced.

"Over 2,300 people responded to an online survey about the proposals, with a further 150 people completing surveys at libraries and One Stop Shops.  This information is extremely important and will help inform the decision the Council will soon need to make about the future design of our waste and recycling services.

"No decision has been taken. However, should the plans be approved, the Council would expect that any proposed change would take place in 2020."