A CEREDIGION waste collection site could be ‘mothballed,’ losing the service for local residents, in proposals the council has put forward in a consultation which closes in a little over two weeks.
Ceredigion County Council recently limited black bags collections to three per household every three weeks, which took effect late last month.
The council said the changes are set to encourage residents to make the ‘full and proper use’ of its recycling facilities.
Ceredigion recently announced a public consultation following last year’s decision to close one of its four Household Waste Sites and review the opening hours at the other sites.
Ceredigion has four waste sites: Kilmaenllwyd near Cardigan, Glanyrafon Industrial Estate near Aberystwyth, Lampeter, and Rhydeinon near Llanarth.
In terms of tonnage last year, the four sites received 1,459.09; 4,098.5; 2,028.18; and 1,107.96 tons respectively.
The consultation says Glanyrafon is the only site in the north, with the preference to keep it open, with Kilmaenllwyd providing a southern facility; Rhydeinon and Lampeter having the greatest overlap.
It added: “The closure of one of the two sites in the middle of the county would be in line with our Corporate Strategy 2017–2022, which states: ‘The Council’s intention is to align service provision in the future with three geographical areas’.”
It says the council “has had to make difficult decisions to manage its available budget and avoid higher council tax increases”.
Council documents say that mothballing the Rhydeinon site and maintaining opening hours at the other sites “would have the least impact on residents”.
“The Rhydeinon Household Waste Site moth [sic] is proposed, until the review of the council’s waste services is completed, and the development of a long-term strategy for the council’s household waste sites. We believe that this will have the least impact on the residents of Ceredigion.
“We expect this to increase the volume of traffic around the sites in Kilmaenllwyd and Lampeter. For this reason, it does not intend to reduce the hours on the other sites at this time. Use of the site will continue to be monitored and a reduction in opening hours at the remaining sites may be considered again in the future.”
The public consultation runs to August 4.
Councillor Shelley Childs, Ceredigion Cabinet Member for Highways and Environmental Services, said: “With four sites currently provided in the county, Ceredigion has one of the highest ratios of household waste sites per person in Wales, and the ongoing pressure on council budgets means that it is no longer possible to keep all four household waste sites open.
“Most of the materials accepted at the household waste sites can be disposed of legally and safely in other ways”.
“The council believes that suspending the use of one site would have the least overall impact on Ceredigion residents; however, we welcome people’s views on this.”
Paper copies may also be collected from local libraries or leisure centres or a request can be made by calling 01545 570881 or emailing [email protected].
