PEMBROKESHIRE could soon introduce an additional separate kerbside waste collection service for soft plastics, at a cost of nearly £1m over three years, in a call recommended for approval by senior councillors.
At the July meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, members are recommended to introduce a weekly kerbside soft plastics collection service for all households in Pembrokeshire, joining the existing recycling collections.
The proposed service will enable the separate collection of soft plastic packaging such as carrier bags, food wrap, and plastic film alongside the council’s existing kerbside recycling system, in line with Welsh Government expectations, a report for members says.
Cabinet is asked to approve the scheme be implemented by the end of March 2027 and to procure the necessary materials and treatment arrangements to support delivery.
At present soft plastics are not included in the ‘core’ set of materials collected by Pembrokeshire County Council.
The report ahead of that meeting says the four UK governments have previously stated that “recyclable plastic film and flexible packaging is to be collected for recycling from both households and businesses across the UK by March 31, 2027”.
The Pembrokeshire proposal follows a pilot scheme in the Vale of Glamorgan, and, based on modelling, it is estimated that Pembrokeshire could generate approximately 419 tonnes of recyclable soft plastics a year.
If approved, residents will be issued with an initial supply of red tie-handle bags (equivalent to 52 weeks’ supply), the same colour as the existing plastics and cans recycling bags; the proposed plastics bags collected on a weekly basis alongside existing kerbside recycling.
In order to meet the Welsh Government’s target implementation deadline of March 31 of next year, it is proposed that bag distribution will take place from mid-February, with free additional bags provided after the initial roll-out.
Total costs of the proposed scheme are 2026-‘27: £215,000; ’27-’28: £361,000; ’28-’29: £373,000, amounting to £949,000 over the three-year period.
The report says, at present, the recycling costs for soft plastic is above the cost for the material to be sent to Energy from Waste, but it is anticipated that the cost difference will decrease over time, with all costs for rollout and recycling offset through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) funding.
The report adds: “The cost of implementation is expected to be lower than the long-term financial risk of non-compliance, including increased residual disposal costs (following the introduction of the Emissions Trading Scheme in 2028) and loss of EPR income.”
It is recommended to approve the introduction of the scheme, along with a procurement exercise for the supply of soft plastics collection bags and a supporting offtake arrangement for the treatment of collected materials, with an estimated contract value of £272,000.
