Caerphilly outlines measures to cut 23% contamination rate

The report, due to go before the council’s cabinet tomorrow (18 October), sets out a number of steps for councillors to consider to improve the local kerbside recycling system to better tackle contamination.

Caerphilly recorded a 60% recycling rate in 2022 and collects recycling fortnightly from a commingled brown bin for recycled paper, plastic bottles, tubs and pots, cans, cardboard and glass bottles and jars, as well as a food waste bin.

While the council already operates a ‘bin tagging’ system since last year, the report highlighted that there remains “high levels of contamination in the existing co-mingled kerbside collection and 20-23% of all waste collected at the kerbside for recycling is not able to be processed as recycling”.

Members of the cabinet will be asked to consider the two options laid out in the report:

• Option 1, which centres on a strategy involving sending letters and conducting home visits, with the ultimate recourse of bin removal.
• Option 2, a sequential process, including the application of advisory contamination stickers, letters, visits by officers, and, ultimately, the serving of a legal notice. The latter approach aimed to escalate enforcement gradually in response to persistent non-compliance

Additionally to the current bin tagging system, the report recommends adding a legal notice stage to the process in cases where persistent disregard for advice and guidance leads to ongoing contamination of the recycling stream.

The offender will have a 21-day compliance period in accordance with the law, and failure to comply may result in a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN). However, the use of an FPN would only be considered after all prior stages of communication and dialogue have been exhausted.

The council explained: “Members will be asked to consider the implementation of an enhanced education and engagement process which incorporates: letters, home visits and, in a small number of cases, the option to serve legal notice on persistent offenders of recycling contamination.”

there is a small minority who use the design of our brown wheeled bin to knowingly dispose of non-recyclable materials

• Cllr Chris Morgan, Caerphilly

Minority

Cllr Chris Morgan, cabinet member for waste, leisure & green spaces said: “Whilst we appreciate that most of our residents are already working with us to recycle correctly every week, there is a small minority who use the design of our brown wheeled bin to knowingly dispose of non-recyclable materials.

“This aim of this new process is to ensure that the work of those residents who are consistently doing the right thing does not go to waste.”

Current system

The council believes that while this approach has proven effective in capturing a significant proportion of dry recyclables, the containers provided have led to some residents mistakenly placing non-recyclable items in their recycling bins.

The presence of even one contaminated bin can jeopardise the entire load, potentially causing it to be rejected. This not only has adverse consequences for the environment but also hampers the local authority’s efforts to meet the recycling targets set by the Welsh Government, the report says.