Residents complain of rubbish spilling out of ‘gaping hole’ at council tip in bad weather

Nicholas Thomas, local democracy reporter

Unrepaired damage at a council tip is causing rubbish to blow out of the site and into the surrounding community, according to complaints from locals.

A large hole in a wall at Caerphilly Council’s Full Moon household recycling centre, in Wattsville, is allowing rubbish to escape from the facility during bad weather.

Councillor Janine Reed said she had learned the last repair request was made at the site in July 2023, meaning nine months have passed without the problem being fixed.

The “gaping hole” in the side of a building at Full Moon was “possibly tonnes of rubbish… allowed to blow all over the valley in the various storms battering Wales since last July”, she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The council has vowed to repair the site in the near future.

Frustrating

Cllr Reed called the matter “so incredibly frustrating, as we are constantly being told to dispose of our litter correctly and CCBC have a gaping hole in their building, which allows rubbish to blow all over the entrance to our ward”.

She and fellow Ynysddu ward councillor Jan Jones had received “no end of complaints about litter surrounding” the Full Moon site, she added.

The LDRS understands an initial deal for repairs had fallen through, with attempts to resolve the issue described at the council as a “challenge”.

Staff at the site have been picking up some of the litter strewn around the damaged area, but reportedly only when there are “spare personnel”.

The LDRS put Cllr Reed’s claims to Caerphilly Council and asked when the damage at the Full Moon site would be fixed.

In response, a spokesperson for the local authority said: “The council acknowledges that structural repairs are needed at the site and we are hopeful that a contractor can start work on the building over the next couple of weeks.

“Staff have been working hard to contain the material within the site to reduce the impact on the surrounding area. We are keeping the local councillors updated on developments.”