HOUSEHOLDERS will only be able to put two black bin bags out for collection every fortnight rather than the current three under plans published by Swansea Council.
It said a survey showed that more than half of householders put out one or two black bags, and that two other future waste collection options it has considered would have meant three-weekly collections although the current three-bag limit would have been retained.
The planned change is part of a wider waste collection strategy intended to encourage more recycling and composting and less residual waste being sent out of county for incineration. Residents are to be consulted, and the reduction in black bags from three to two would, according to a council report, not come into force before next summer.
The new waste strategy would also involve householders being provided with reusable containers with lids for cans, bottles, paper and card, thereby eliminating the approximately 10 million green single-use plastic bags currently used every year.
Another change would be no garden waste collections between mid-December and mid-March. This was felt to be preferable to charging for the service. The council trialled a two-month pause in garden waste collections last winter and said it was only aware of nine complaints and that there was no evidence of increased fly-tipping.
The authority is also looking into a Welsh Government-funded trial for kerbside collections of plastic film, with the potential to add textiles and electrical items.
The planned changes were one of three options for waste collections between 2025 and 2030. Overall the preferred option was felt to be cost-effective, lead to more recycling and require limited depot changes, although the reduction in black bags from three to two per fortnight was described in the report as a “disbenefit”.
Recycling and composting rates in Swansea have risen from 45% in 2011-12 to just over 70% currently. Wales’s 22 councils are expected to hit the 70% figure in 2024-25, with fines potentially for those that don’t, and more stringent Welsh Government targets could be introduced in the coming years.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting on July 18, council leader Rob Stewart said residents deserved credit for “doing a huge amount”. Wales, he said, was among the top three highest-recycling countries in the world and that Swansea was in the top three of Welsh councils.
He added: “We know that the majority of householders are putting out less than three back bags and we know that people want to recycle more if given more opportunities.”
Speaking after the meeting opposition leader, Cllr Chris Holley, said he felt detail was lacking and that there hadn’t been a sufficient opportunity to scrutinise the proposals. On the planned two black bag limit, he said: “Let’s see the evidence for it.”
