Residents to wait three weeks for next bin collections while council moves to new system

Nicholas Thomas – Local Democracy Reporter

Some residents will have to wait three weeks to have their bins emptied while a Welsh council moves over to a new waste collection system.

Caerphilly County Borough Council believes the new system will make collections easier for residents, who will now have one collection day for all their recyclables – including food and garden waste.

The frequency of collections is not due to change under the new system, which began on Monday (October 28).

Collections

But owing to logistical reasons, some properties across the county borough will have a three-week gap between collections of their green bins of non-recyclable waste.

This will revert back to the usual two weeks after the changeover period, said the council, which has apologised for any inconvenience caused.

The council said it will also collect any additional bin bags from affected properties on a one-off basis.

It believes the new system is a “more efficient and user-friendly waste collection service” which will, it is hoped, help improve the council’s recycling rates and lift it from the foot of Wales’ performance league tables.

Waste

Councils will have to recycle 70% of the waste they collect from next spring, or face multi-million pound Welsh Government fines.

A new waste strategy for Caerphilly has been backed by councillors but will prove expensive – with an estimated £24 million in borrowing required to make the changes, including a new waste depot.

The new system of collection rounds is one of the first steps in the new waste strategy, and the council said it had sent letters to every property in the county borough informing residents of the changes.

But there are some concerns the switch could cause “confusion” for residents, according to Cllr Kevin Etheridge.

Around 3,000 properties accessible by narrow lanes will have “slightly different” collection arrangements, and have been contacted separately, a council spokesman added.

Caerphilly Council has also launched a postcode checker on its website, where residents can check their collection days for all their waste.

The postcode checker is available here.