Council’s proposal for fewer black bag collections gets mixed response

A council’s proposal to trial fewer black bin bag collections as a way of improving recycling has received a mixed response from residents.

Cardiff Council’s cabinet last week approved its Recycling Strategy 2022-2025, which includes a number of possible strategies and initiatives.

As well as proposals to increase the roll out of a mixed recycling pilot and increase the type of items that can be collected on the kerbside, the strategy proposes a possible trial which could see non-recyclable waste collections go from once every two weeks to once every three weeks.

The idea behind the proposal is that people would be pushed to throw away fewer recyclable items.

Here’s what people had to say about the idea on social media.

Christopher Webb said on Facebook: “I am an avid recycler and I still generate 3 black bin bags of unrecyclable rubbish every 2 weeks…perhaps the council should target the student and HMOs to educate them.”

Ann Davies said: “They will need to supply large black bins or even two large black bins for every family as the smaller ones are not going to hold three weeks worth of rubbish.”

Others responded differently to the idea of fewer black bin bag collections.

Responding to a Facebook post about the recycling strategy, John Caddick said: “I generate less than a small pedal bin of unrecycleable waste weekly. What are folks disposing of in their black bin?”

Sarah May said “We’re a family of 3 and this would suit us fine (the smelly waste is food which goes every week) but I wonder about bigger households”.

Louise Fisher said on social media that she thought the idea was “ridiculous”, adding: “I live alone, recycle as much as possible however my black bin is always full to top fortnightly. Imagine a family with kids. Our streets will be a right mess all overflowing.”

Conservative Cardiff Council ward member for Rhiwbina, Cllr Jayne Cowan posted on Twitter that “MANY oppose the move to a 3 weekly black bin collection.”

Labour member, Cllr Stephen Cunnah, replied saying: “I think Cardiff is about the only place in Wales that does 2 weeks. Some like Flintshire are 4 weeks.”

As well as being aimed at tackling the climate emergency, the council’s recycling strategy is also designed to help the authority meet its annual targets, which are set at 64% by the Welsh Government. Failure to meet the target could result in a financial penalty.

Recycling performance in Cardiff for 2021-22 was around 60%.

Talking about the black bin bag idea at a cabinet meeting last week, Cllr Caro Wild said: “It might not be needed if people were to do everything right, we might hit the targets anyway.

“Where they have struggled with their figures in other authorities… where they have done the three weekly, it has worked.

“People have worked out how to do it pretty quickly and it has increased their recycling rates.”