Blaenau Gwent has checked all 32,000 households’ bins and issued £100 fines for non-recycling over eight years and now a councillor for the neighbouring authority has raised concerns
Last month it came to light that staff from Blaenau Gwent County have inspected the contents of all households over the past eight years.(Image: Mirrorpix)
Worries have been voiced that a Welsh council could follow in the footsteps of a neighbouring local authority and fine residents for disposing of recyclable rubbish in their black bins.
Last month, it came to light that staff from Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council have inspected the contents of all 32,000 households there over the past eight years.
People found to be discarding items that could be recycled in their black bin have faced enforcement action including a fixed penalty notice of £100 and prosecution if it isn’t paid. That has led Reform UK group leader Cllr Iain McIntosh to seek clarity on the issue in Powys.
He asked: “Does Powys council currently use or plan to introduce any form of systematic monitoring or enforcement of individual households recycling activity, for example – using tagged bins, collection-frequency adjustments, fines, or in-person inspections?
“If so, please can you provide details of the policy or procedure including the legal basis, the objectives, any anticipated cost to residents, and the timelines for implementation?”
Cabinet member for highways, transport and recycling Jackie Charlton clarified that the council already possesses the powers to enforce the separation of materials by residents at the kerbside under Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Cllr Charlton said: “This is used already through our crews not collecting unsorted recycling and leaving side waste.
“They will leave either a contamination card or sticker the side waste, so that residents are clear as to why this action has been taken.”
She explained that the reason behind this is to ensure that residents fully utilise the weekly recycling collection “so that they can manage” the three-weekly collection of black bins.
Cllr Charlton mentioned that assistance is provided to larger households who require “extra space” in their black bin.
Cllr Charlton said: “Most residents in Powys use the services we provide correctly and this is shown by the high recycling rates that we achieve.
“There are, however, some who consistently fail to recycle their waste and it is these residents that we need to focus on.”
In July the Liberal Democrat/Labour administration agreed on a new five-year plan to handle waste and recycling up until 2030.
The documents included an analysis of black bin waste from 2022 which revealed that 45% of the waste in black bins could have been recycled, with a significant portion being food waste.
Cllr Charlton added: “By using the weekly food waste collections residents will often change their purchasing habits.
“Where residents do have problems, we are here to help with our awareness team.
“If all residents recycle all that they can, they can save money themselves as well as for the council and help conserve our environment for future generations.”
Cllr McIntosh has posed additional queries on the matter, which are expected to be addressed within the next 10 working days.