Ignoring food waste could land residents with ‘education and enforcement’ action

Nicholas Thomas Local Democracy Reporter

A Welsh city’s residents who fail to put food waste out for collection could fall foul of council “education and enforcement” officers.

Fines for repeat offenders are a “last resort”, but no Newport residents have yet been hit with that punishment, a senior councillor said.

The city council said food waste is important to “maximise our recycling” and maintain compliance with national targets.

Food waste is currently collected weekly alongside other recyclable materials, and residents can collect food caddy liners from a range of sites across the city, including at several libraries and community centres.

Lliswerry councillor Andrew Sterry said recent discussions on social media suggested “recycling crews are writing down house numbers of residents who do not present food waste caddies, and that fines are being issued as a result”.

This had “caused concern locally”, he added in a written question to the council’s cabinet, which asked whether it was “correct that crews are recording addresses where food waste is not presented”.

‘Education-first’

In response, Cllr Yvonne Forsey, the cabinet member responsible for recycling, said the local authority “routinely monitors waste and recycling presentation”.

This is to ensure waste is disposed of correctly, and also to reduce missed collections, she added.

Cllr Forsey said Newport takes an “education-first approach” to “offences of this nature”, but would pursue enforcement – including fines as “a last resort” – in cases of repeat non-compliance.

However, she was “not aware” of any fines being issued for failure to put out food waste for collection.

The council’s bins carry instructions on prohibited items, and residents were sent information on the city’s recycling programme in 2018, she said, adding that “any resident found to be using the waste system incorrectly receives a further letter and is visited by an education officer to address what needs to be done”.

Cllr Forsey also noted the city has “one of the highest recycling rates in the country” but “we still throw away 4,000 tonnes of food per year”.

“This cost the council £440,000,” she added.

Targets

The city council’s cabinet members recently welcomed a report on Newport’s progress against its climate change targets, with recycling rates one of the areas drawing praise.

At the time, Cllr Forsey said the city’s current recycling rate of 71.45% was the highest ever recorded in Newport, and had made “a solid contribution to Wales having the second-highest recycling rate in the world”.

Local authorities in Wales must currently recycle 70% of the waste they collect or face Welsh Government fines.

The city council is also launching a new abandoned shopping trolleys policy designed to prevent fly-tipping and antisocial behaviour.

Under the policy, supermarkets will be charged £100 for each abandoned trolley’s return.